By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SAND ROCK – Sand Rock sophomore quarterback Alec Ashley knew he would have to have a solid night throwing the football against Class 2A Region 7 rival Gaston on Friday night.
The Bulldogs’ defensive tendencies are to stack the box in a 5-2 set in an effort to take away the run game, and Ashley responded to that challenge well.
He completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 203 yards and five touchdowns in leading the Wildcats to a much-needed 47-8 victory that keeps their playoff hopes alive.
“They stacked it, and we had to come out ripping,” Ashley said. “I had really good protection from my guys up front. All the thanks goes to them and to the receivers for going up and making plays for me. They really worked their butts off.”
Ashley spread the ball around to his receivers. He connected with six different targets on the night, with three of them catching touchdown passes.
Gavynn Cunningham was Ashley’s top target. He finished with eight catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats (4-5, 3-3). Ryker Woodall had two catches for 27 yards, both for touchdowns. Ty Traffanstedt tallied a 47-yard catch for a score.
“Alec reminds me so much of his brother in his development as a quarterback,” Sand Rock coach Alan Heath said. “We saw flashes when Ace was a sophomore and I’m seeing that progression (with Alec). I’m seeing him become more comfortable reading the field, knowing who’s open and what coverage the defense is in. I’m really proud of his progression as a quarterback, and our receivers too. For the most part they ran good routes.”
Four of Ashley’s touchdown passes came in the first half, in which the Wildcats led 26-8. Sand Rock scored the game’s first three touchdowns on Ashley’s 13-yard connection with Woodall in the first quarter, a 20-yard scoring toss to Cunningham early in the second, and a 47-yard strike to Traffanstedt later in the second to take an 18-0 lead.
Gaston (2-7, 1-5) finally got on the scoreboard with 4:18 to go in the first half on Keller Skaggs’ 82-yard touchdown run. Skaggs also ran in for the 2-point conversion to make it an 18-8 game, but the Wildcat offense responded with a 9-play, 71-yard drive in which Ashley hit Woodall again for a 14-yard score.
Kane Robison ran for a 2-yard touchdown and the ensuing 2-point conversion to push the Wildcat lead to 34-8. He finished with 108 yards on 20 carries with a score.
Ashley threw his final touchdown pass of the night to Cunningham on a 15-yard toss late in the third quarter. Nick Clanton scored Sand Rock’s final touchdown on a 13-yard run with 5:22 remaining in the fourth for the final.
Skaggs led Gaston’s run game with 98 yards on six carries with a touchdown. Quarterback Chapman Clay connected on 5 of 12 pass attempts for 66 yards for the Bulldogs.
“We came in tonight and played like we’re capable of playing. We played hard,” Heath said. “We played with confidence tonight. We played with a fire about us. There have been some games this season where we haven’t played with a fire about us, but tonight we did. That makes me feel better as a coach to see that we played up to our potential.”
The Wildcats have the potential of making their first playoff appearance since 2021. A win next week over Whitesburg Christian would go a long way in helping break a three-way region tie with North Sand Mountain and Cedar Bluff. All three teams are at 3-3 in region play, but only two will qualify for the playoffs.
“We’re still alive,” Heath said. “It’s all still up in the air, but that would be huge (to make the playoffs).”
