Home Murfreesboro Sports Rattlers strike early and often in 49-16 win

Rattlers strike early and often in 49-16 win

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DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY
Montgomery County News
Murfreesboro opened the game with a 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown and never looked back, defeating the Foreman Gators 49-16.
The Rattlers dominated the game outscoring Foreman 49-0 in the first half. Murfreesboro ended the game with 262 yards on the ground and four in the air for a total of 266, while Foreman mustered 196 on the ground and 38 in the air for a total of 234.
Foreman opened the game with a booming kick to the Rattler five yard line where Gavin Gardner fielded the kick. Gardner brought the Rattler fans to their feet as he raced past the Gator kicking team for a 95 yard touchdown run. Hauke Wensing hit the PAT to give Murfreesboro a quick 7-0 lead.
Foreman starts their first drive from their own 30 yard line. The Murfreesboro defense held them to three yards in three downs, forcing a punt.
The Rattlers began their next drive on their own 40 yard line. J.C. Motley handed the ball to Gardner for a seven yard gain. On the next play Gardner took the handoff and raced 53 yards for a score. Wensing hit the PAT and the score stood at 14-0.
Foreman’s offense continued to struggle, starting their next series on their own six yard line. The were unable to move the ball and punted on a fourth and 11 from their own five yard line. The ball rolled dead on the Gator 29 yard line.
Five plays later Motley called his own number on a 17 yard touchdown run. The PAT came up short and the score stood at 20-0 with time still left in the first quarter.
Foreman found a gap and earned their first first down of the night on a fourth and six from their 32 with a pass for a 28 yard gain. The Gators made their way to the Rattler 43 before being forced to punt on a fourth and 21.
Murfreesboro started their next drive on their own 10 yard line. Foreman’s defense forced a punt , but Troy Stone plucked a Foreman pass out of the air to return possession to the Rattlers on the 38 yard line.
Cameron Snowden took a handoff and ran 14 yards for a first down. Four plays later Gardner runs 38 yards before being stopped a yard short of the fourth touchdown of the night. Gardner finishes the job on the next play from a yard out. Jarrett Pitchford carried the two point conversion in and the Rattlers increased their lead to 28.
Murfreesboro’s next score came on a second and six from their own 34. Motley handed the ball to Chris Odom who barrelled his way in for the touchdown. The PAT was good.
Foreman’s next series only lasted a single play with Troy Stone picking off a pass on the 46 yard line. The Rattlers worked their way downfield with Gardner scoring from 19 yards out. The PAT was good.
The final Rattler score came on the defense. Foreman had moved the ball into Murfreesboro territory, but Tyler Gilbert snatched a pass out of the air and ran 80 yards for the score. The PAT was good and the Rattlers led 49-0 at the half.
Foreman opened the second half with the ball on their own 40 yard line. They drove the ball to the Rattler 13 before turning the ball over on a fumble.
Foreman was able to force a safety against the Rattler second squad when they tackled Logan Wilcher in the endzone on a fourth and long from the one yard line.
The Gators received the ensuing kickoff on their own 45. Nine plays later they scored on a 20 yard run by Cass Lindsey. The PAT was good, cutting the Rattler lead to 49-10.
Foreman’s final score came on a 45 yard run by Mike Jones as time ran out.
Murfreesboro walked off the field with a 49-16 victory.
Gavin Gardner led the Rattler offensive charge with 15 carries for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Odom had three carries for 29 yards and a score and J.C. Motley had three carries for 21 yards and a touchdown.
Cameron Snowden had four carries for 31 yards, Tyler Gilbert had one for 16 and Tyler Tomlinson had four for 10 yards. Michael Hughes had two carries for four yards and Logan Wilcher had a touch.
Alex Copeland had the lone catch on the night for the Rattlers.
Murfreesboro’s defense did a great job smothering the Gator offense. Troy Stone intercepted two passes, one returned for a touchdown, and Tyler Gilbert had one pick. Jackson Bearden also recorded a fumble recovery.
Tyler Cox led the Rattlers in tackles with seven solo tackles and two assists for nine. Jarrett Pitchford had one solo tackle and six assists. Tyler Tomlinson and Tyler Gilbert each recorded six tackles.
The win moves the Rattlers to 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. A win this week against Dierks would secure a four seed for the Rattlers in the postseason.
Murfreesboro will host the Dierks Outlaws Thursday night with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

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