Defense was a rare sight Friday night (Oct. 2) as the Fordyce Redbugs and Drew Central Pirates found themselves in a high-scoring conference shootout. When the dust settled, the Redbugs had done enough to leave Drew Central with a 62-50 road victory, improving to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
Fordyce piled up 534 yards of total offense, including 427 yards on the ground, as the Redbugs used an explosive rushing attack and several big plays to keep the Pirates at bay.
Senior Micah Gamble turned in a huge two-way performance for Fordyce. Gamble carried the ball 29 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns, averaging more than 11 yards per carry. He also caught one pass for three yards and added a successful two-point conversion.
Gamble made his presence felt on defense as well, recording three tackles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. His pick-six gave him four total touchdowns on the night.
Fordyce also welcomed back junior quarterback Andreas “Cadillac” Ellison, who made his first appearance of the season after missing the opening weeks due to injury. Ellison completed 12 of 17 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns in his return to the lineup. He was intercepted twice, but showed flashes of the playmaking ability Fordyce had been waiting to get back on the field.
Both of Ellison’s touchdown passes went to senior Jamartez Stroud. Stroud led the Redbugs with eight receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns while also catching a two-point conversion.
Stroud nearly added even more points on defense. He finished with five tackles, an interception and a forced fumble and had multiple defensive touchdowns called back because of penalties. Those penalties were part of a night in which Fordyce made plenty of big plays but also gave itself several things to correct moving forward.
Triston Winston provided another explosive option in the Fordyce backfield, rushing four times for 93 yards and two touchdowns, including scoring runs of 41 and 47 yards. Winston also caught a three-yard pass and a successful two-point conversion.
Cones added 11 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Through the air, Deramion Mitch-ell caught a 38-yard pass, Chase Humphries had a 14-yard reception, and Gamble and Winston each added a catch.
Defensively, Hornaday led Fordyce with 11 tackles. Cones finished with 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Petty recorded nine tackles and a sack. Stroud and Gamble combined for two interceptions, with Gamble returning his for a touchdown.
“A win is a win, enjoy it. But we have a lot to clean up,” Fordyce head coach Tim Rodgers said.
Despite allowing 50 points and battling penalties throughout the night, Fordyce found a way to get the job done on the road. The 62-50 victory moves the Redbugs to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play as they continue their push through the conference schedule.
Fordyce will be back on the road next Friday when the Redbugs travel to the Helena-West Helena Cougars (2-2, 0-1) for another conference matchup. Fordyce will look to clean up Friday night’s mistakes, improve to 3-0 in league play and keep its winning momentum rolling.
