Gap gets win No. 23

SWOOPE – It seemed fitting Friday night that Buffalo Gap’s home jerseys were black — the color of mourning.

The emotion could be felt all around the field as the Bison played their first football game since losing fellow student, Cody Hassett in a car accident.

Balloons were let loose before the game in honor of Hassett before the Bison let loose on Stonewall Jackson, shutting out the Generals 37-0 on Friday.

The Bison started with the ball, marching down the field on 10 plays, punching into the end zone on a two-yard Pickle Nuckols run.

“I’m extremely proud of the boys tonight,” Bison coach Rob Maxwell said. “They were able to put their heads together and play for themselves, and play for Cody.”

After forcing a three-and-out by the Generals, the Bison regained possession on the 50-yard line. After a short drive, forcing a fourth-and-five, Buffalo Gap utilized a fake punt.

Ryan Sheridan found Michael Johnson wide open on the home sideline for a 35-yard gain.

After two more plays to get the ball close, Johnson took the pitch wide, turned the corner and sprinted into the end zone. Sheridan hit Boone Jones in traffic for the two point conversion.

Up 15-0, and time winding down in the first half, Buffalo Gap had one more opportunity to cash in before the mid-game break.

On the Bison 28-yard line, Sheridan ran the ball up the sideline for seven yards before stepping out.

After a Nuckols run up the middle, Sheridan hit Daniel Wise for a 16-yard reception.

After a timeout, Sheridan once again took the air, hitting Johnson for 10 yards before getting ran out of bounds.

With 6.1 seconds left in the half and the ball close to midfield, Sheridan launched the ball towards Johnson. Johnson came down with the ball and fought through several tackles before being brought down at the four-yard line.

A forward lateral by Johnson brought the ball back to the 11-yard line of Stonewall with one untimed down to be played.

Sheridan once again dropped back, scrambled around in the pocket, once again placing the ball into the hands of Jones in traffic for the touchdown heading into half.

“Pickle [Nuckols] was doing his job blocking,” Sheridan said. “Michael [Johnson] can run, catch, do everything. Boone [Jones] catches everything and Daniel [Wise] did well.”

With the help of the receiving core, Sheridan ended the game 8-for-11 passing for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Nuckols picked up two more rushing touchdowns in the second half to put the game away for the Bison.

Buffalo Gap plays host to Riverheads for Senior Night next Friday.