New Hope High School first-year head coach Shawn Gregory’s goal entering the season was to increase the “tempo” of the game.
Gregory accomplished that goal in the Trojans’ first game here Friday evening.
New Hope ran more than 80 plays and racked up 425 yards total offense, 229 through the air and 196 more on the ground.
Unfortunately, Gregory’s debut as head coach at his alma mater was a disappointment, as back-to-back-to-back fumbles in the first six minutes of the third quarter turned a 10-7 lead into a 28-10 deficit that Aberdeen translated into a 28-25 victory.
“Despite all the turnovers and giving Aberdeen a short field too many times, we had the opportunity to win the ballgame,” said Gregory, who had an outstanding career as a quarterback at Jackson State University and is a member of the JSU Athletic Hall of Fame. “The kids battled hard. They fought to the end, but we came up a little bit short.”
On a hot, muggy night, New Hope’s frenetic offensive tempo took its toll on Aberdeen’s defense, as New Hope averaged more than 20 snaps per quarter en route to its 400-plus total yards.
In the end, though, the six-minute stretch to open the third quarter proved to be the difference.
“That six minutes did us in,” Gregory said. “We gave Aberdeen the ball on our side of the field three-straight times, and, to their credit, Aberdeen took advantage of our mistakes.”
Gregory said Aberdeen’s status as a Class 3A school shouldn’t disguise the fact that the Bulldogs’ offense has quality skill people.
“Aberdeen has an outstanding football team with great talent on both sides of the ball,” Gregory said. “Offensively, their skill people do great things.”
Aberdeen’s offensive prowess took center stage on a six-play, 65-yard drive on its initial possession. A 50-yard pass from Josh Williams to Tyreke Gates on the third play of the game set up Williams’ 5-yard touchdown scamper less than two-and-a-half minutes into the game. Demarea Dobbins added the kick.
The Trojans answered with an 11-play march that reached the Aberdeen 9-yard line, but the Trojans had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by senior Jerrod Bradley to make it 7-3 with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
New Hope took the lead on its next possession following an interception that gave it a first at its 23. A 36-yard pass completion by quarterback Brady Davis and a 35-yard run by Brandon Spann set up a 1-yard plunge by Davis with less than a minute to play in the first period. Bradley’s kick was good for a 10-7 lead.
Neither team scored in the second quarter, but Aberdeen took advantage of three fumbles to start the third, the first of which took place on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage.
Williams responded with 21 yards on a couple of quarterback keepers. He connected with Gates on two completions to give the Bulldogs a first down at the New Hope 5. Two plays later, G.G. Blanchard muscled his way into the end zone to give his team a 13-10 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, New Hope turned the ball over at the 25. Williams ripped off a 21-yard gainer, and two plays later Blanchard punched it in from the 1. A Williams to Jerrick Orr two-point pass made it 21-10 with 8 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third quarter.
Four plays later, New Hope fumbled at its 34. Williams had a pair of completions to Sammie Burroughs for 15 yards. He added a couple of keepers, the second of which resulted in a 4-yard TD run with 5:56 to go in the third. Dobbins added the kick for a 28-10 lead.
New Hope responded 17 seconds later with a 24-yard kickoff return by Victor Deloach and a 46-yard scoring toss from Davis to Jason Dickerson. Bradley’s kick made it 28-17.
Less than a minute into the fourth period, New Hope capped a 7-play, 66-yard march with a 27-yard TD pass from Davis to Jaylon Bardley and then an Austin Talley lateral to Darron Temple on a trick play for the 2-point conversion pulled the Trojans within three points of a tie.
New Hope had two chances to take the lead later in the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on downs at the Aberdeen 31 and 39, the last of which came on a fourth-down dropped pass at the Aberdeen 10 with 14.3 seconds left in the game.
Although his team came out on the short end in its season opener, Gregory was pleased with the overall effort.
“We took some chances, gambled a lot and executed at times, but we just didn’t finish,” Gregory said.
Aberdeen coach Mark Bray said his team needs to play every play like the game is on the line and focus for four quarters, not just in spurts.
“We came out after halftime and played Aberdeen-style football for about six minutes,” Bray said. “But for most of the game the heat took its toll on us and we slipped back into our bad habits — things like receivers not sprinting on their routes and the linemen not moving their feet to get in front of people. If we could play four quarters like we played that six minutes in the third quarter, there’s no telling how good we could be.”
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