By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
Doddridge Middle School scored fast and from long distance Thursday night to record a 34-0 victory over homestanding Calhoun Middle School in the season opener for both teams.
The Bobcats, 1-0, got three touchdowns from Cordell Marple and two from Logan Gogan to seal the victory. All the scores came in the second and third quarters.
Gogan got the Bobcats on the board with 6:29 in the second quarter when he swept left and raced 50 yards for a score. Marple raced 45 yards for a second touchdown about a minute later to make it 12-0 as DMS failed on both extra point tries.
Gogan scored again, this time on a 19-yard pass from Tanner Lett with 3:12 remaining in the first half to make it 18-0 as another extra point attempt went awry.
With only :14.7 remaining in the half Marple picked off a pass at his 25 and raced 75 yards for another score. This time Lett was able to get the extra points making it 26-0.
Doddridge tried an onside kick after that touchdown but Calhoun recovered.
The Bobcats tried an onside kick on the second half kickoff which again failed.
But Marple was at the right place at the right time when Calhoun punted and he took the ball 63 yards for another score. This time Gogan added the extra point run to make it 34-0.
Doddridge tried another onside kick after this touchdown, despite being up by five scores, and this one succeeded as the Bobcats recovered.
The Bobcats left the starters in after that in an attempt to get some more points perhaps in an attempt to avenge the 66-0 shellacking Calhoun put on them the year before. But in that game Calhoun went to the bench and substituted often an early as ace running back Seth Moore carried the ball only four times, getting four touchdowns and 125 yards rushing as he was never tackled.
The Bobcats seemed disinclined to do the same and it almost cost them as Marple, who had 93 yards rushing to go along with his three touchdowns went down with an injury to his leg or ankle. He walked off the field after a few moments but did not return to the game.
Calhoun, which made no serious threat of scoring, was led by seventh grade running back Hayden Richards with 51 yards on eight carries.
Quarterback Caden Hicks added 39 yards on 16 carries while hitting on three of 10 passes for 29 yards. Hicks' favorite target was Ben Frederick who had two receptions for 15 yards while Soney Wilson added one for 14.
Wilson also had five yards rushing while Eli Stump added 15 yards on six carries.
Defensively Calhoun was led by Jordan Basnett who forced a DMS fumble and recovered it. It was the Bobcats only turnover.
One plus for the Red Devils was that they were not called for a single penalty while DMS was flagged seven times for 40 yards.
Calhoun will attempt to get its first win of the season next Thursday when Spencer Middle School travels to Mount Zion. Doddridge will try to keep its winning streak alive when it travels to Lumberport.
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