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Gladiators run through Charger D
By Geoff Cox • Staff Writer
 | | Dustin Bratton turns the corner in front of a block by Neal Chestnut for yardage in Bath's 21-point loss to Riverheads Friday night. The Chargers rushed 21 times for 24 yards against the brutal Gladiator defense. |
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WARM SPRINGS — Using a tried and true rushing offense against a not so much tried and true Bath defensive scheme, the Riverheads Gladiators jumped to a 24-7 halftime lead and rolled to a 44-21 win Friday evening at Carl F. Williams Field.
The Gladiators took the three free yards Bath gave them each down from the 3-5-3 defensive set and pounded out 316 yards on 63 carries for the game.
They got started after receiving the Bath kickoff to begin the game. Using half the first quarter, Riverheads went 65 yards in 12 rushing plays and scored on a 2-yard plow by Demetrius Younger to light the scoreboard. The extra point was short and the Gladiators led 6-0.
The Chargers came right back. A flag on a fair catch by Matt O'Conner gave Bath the ball inside Riverheads' 50. After a run by J.P. Plecker, Charger quarterback Michael Robertson aired it out to receiver Jim King streaking down the center of the field. King snagged the ball, scored, and kicked the extra point to give Bath their only lead of the game 7-6.
 | | Bath's Jim King gets body-slammed by the Riverheads coverage after making a catch. King had four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown on the evening. |
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King's 41-yard catch was the only Bath highlight of the first half. After the quick score the Bath defense re-took the field not so rested and the Gladiator offense went back to the grind.
The clock ran out on the quarter 13 running plays later with the Gladiators on the Bath two-yard line. On the first play of the second period Younger followed his blockers into the end zone and after converting a two-point pass Riverheads led 14-7.
Since it appeared the Bath defense could not hope to stop the Riverheads game plan, worry saturated the home crowd and took them out of the game.
Following a Bath four-and-out a pin dropping could be heard on the Charger sideline as the powerful Riverheads rushing show took the field.
 | | The Bath County defense fight off the Riverheads blocks to keep Gladiator Montana Puffenbarger from scoring a touchdown. Puffenbarger was one of nine rushers for Riverheads and contributed 71 of the team's 316 yards on the night. |
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It only took 10 plays (all rushing) and four minutes for the Gladiators to score again. Again it was Younger pounding the ball in for the score, this time from four yards out to give the big red a 14-point lead.
Silence filled the air as the Charger offense returned the kick and crossed midfield on a 17-yard run by Plecker. A 13-yard strike to King had Bath itching to score at the Riverheads 35. Life returned to the fans in the stands anticipating a Charger score, but only for a minute.
An interception two-plays later by Gladiator Joseph Cash killed the scoring opportunity and gave the ball back to Riverheads on their own 45 with two and a half minutes left.
Until there was a minute left the ball stayed in the hands From GLADIATORS, page 29
of the Riverheads backs. With the clock ticking down, the Gladiators went to the air to get more yards per play. A 22-yard reception put the ball inside the red-zone at the 18.
The Charger defense held through three passes and forced the Gladiators to try a field goal with six seconds left. Brandon Campbell came on to try a 27-yard kick. His attempt went 27 and a half yards, hit the crossbar, and bounced over for three points as the half ended.
A TV-worthy performance by the Charger band filled the half as the teams discussed strategy. There were no changes and after a four-and-out by the Chargers to start the half Riverheads hit the ground running.
Cash scored on a one-yard carry seven plays later and Riverheads enjoyed a comfortable 31-7 lead with a quarter and a half to play.
The squads traded four-and-outs and Bath took over on their own 24 with four minutes and change in the third quarter. A 26-yard screen pass to Dustin Bratton put some life in the Chargers and a 14-yard catch by King on fourthand seven had the Chargers knocking on the door.
Riverheads answered the knock, forced a fumble, and ended Bath's visit. When the Gladiators scored with 9:10 left to go to take a 38-7 lead Charger fans began to leave the stadium.
Diehard fans stayed and the crowd began to get behind the Chargers. They were rewarded by some hot action to end the game.
First the Chargers scored on a 14-yard touchdown catch by Josh Robertson and on the kickoff Bath tried an onside kick but the Gladiators recovered.
Substitutions from the Gladiator side made little impact on the effectiveness of their running game and eight rushing plays later the scoreboard read 44-13.
Riverheads chipped the kick with little under two minutes left and Charger lineman Harvey Wolfe made the most of catching the ball. He rumbled 20-yards down the sideline before being forced out of bounds.
An eight-yard TD run by Plecker and a two-point conversion to Dillon Fry narrowed the gap with 41 ticks left.
Bath tried and executed an onside kick but it was too little too late and the Gladiators took the win.
Riverheads coach Robert Castro offered his opinion of the Chargers 3-5-3 defense after the game.
"That's the dumbest defense I've ever seen in the history of high school football," he said. "I wish we could get every team to run that defense against us."
Bath coach Will Fields said "Last year we put six in the box and couldn't stop them.
"This is disappointing but all the goals we set for ourselves are out there for us," he added.
The game was the last in a long series between the two schools, at least for a couple of years. "We've had a great relationship," said Castro, noting that in the last seven years Bath had won three times and Riverheads four.
The Chargers are 2-3 heading into Friday's game with Craig County.
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