Bibb County Choctaws Wash Out Gordo Green Wave
The Bibb County Choctaws picked up its first win of the season after defeating the Gordo Green Wave 56-21 on Friday night.
"Well, this week we came out had one of the best weeks of practice we've had since I've been at Bibb County. And it shows. I mean, to beat a team like Gordo 56-21 I mean, hats off to them. They're a heck of a team, heck of a program, do a great job. I have a lot of respect for this town, this program, this coaching staff, a heck of a job. Just very proud of our guys and how we respond to this," said Bibb County head coach Matt Geohagan.
Both teams traded scores to open the game. Gordo got on the board first, after a one-yard run and a two-point conversion by quarterback Brax Garrison to give the Green Wave an eight-point lead.
Bibb County answered back with a one-yard touchdown from running back Jaison Taylor, however missed the two-point conversion to tie it up, trailing 8-6.
The Green Wave fumbled on its second drive, but the defense held up and forced a Choctaw fumble. On Gordo's third possession of the night, the team scored its second touchdown with a 41-yard pass to wide receiver Ethan Wilder to take the 15-6 lead.
Bibb County punted on its third drive of the evening, however a fumble recovery by linebacker Ty Burkes gave the ball back to the Choctaws and scored on an 18-yard run by Taylor to cut the deficit 15-12.
Gordo's offense went ice cold, ending the half with two punts, while the Choctaws offensive was on fire, scoring two more times to take the lead going into halftime.
The first of the two was an 87-yard drive which ended on a 13-yard run by Taylor to give Bibb County its first lead of the night. The second was a 33-yard field goal as time expired by kicker Blaize Bishop. Bibb County led 22-15 going into the break.
The Choctaws came out of halftime with all the momentum after its comeback, scoring on five of its total six drives in the second half.
Quarterback John Downs led the opening drive of the half with a five-yard run, a 40-yard pass, and two handoffs to Taylor to extend its lead to 29-15.
The Choctaw defense recovered Gordo's fumble and Taylor ran a 24-yard rush into the end zone, his fifth of the night, giving Bibb County the 36-15 lead.
The Green Wave's fumble trouble continued, fumbling the ball on the kickoff, giving the explosive Bibb County offense the ball back and backup quarterback Jordan Leverette his first rushing touchdown of the night to up the score 43-15.
Gordo responded back with a 13-yard run by running back Willie Fonville to attempt to get back into the game to cut the deficit 43-21 after missing the two-point conversion. The Green Wave picked off Bibb County's next possession, but the offense could not find a rhythm and Gordo was forced to punt.
The Choctaws would go on to score two more times prior to the end of the game: Taylor ran in a four-yard handoff and running back Jeremiah Jones would score the final touchdown of the night on a two-yard run to seal the 56-21 victory.
Taylor finished his night with 22 carries for 215 yards and six touchdowns, while the Bibb County offense totaled 503 yards.
"We got our ass whipped, that's what happened," said Gordo head coach Gus Smith. "After I saw they lost last week, I knew we were gonna, you know, kind of be in trouble a little bit because you know Bibb County doesn't lose two games in a row. So I knew he put it together and he had these guys ready. We turned the ball over way too much, they started every single drive on about the 50-yard line. We got to do better at special teams, we have to tackle better... We just have to do better."
Next week, Gordo hosts Winfield and Bibb County travels to West Blocton. Both kickoffs are set for 7 p.m. CST.