Staff Reports

SPRING GARDEN – Brady Ruark gained 176 yards on 18 carries and scored a touchdown. He also completed 6-of-7 pass attempts for 89 yards and two scores – both to Ben Baker – to lead Class 1A, No. 10 Spring Garden to a 52-33 victory to open Region 8 football play on Friday night.

Baker also accumulated 129 yards on 13 carries with Spring Garden’s first three touchdowns on a pair of 7-yard runs in the first quarter and a 4-yard run to open the second.

After a Zane Edwards 10-yard touchdown run later in the second put Spring Garden up 26-0, Baker capped the first-half scoring for the Panthers with his third touchdown of the game from 8 yards to give Spring Garden (2-1, 1-0) a 32-0 advantage.

Ragland (1-1, 0-1) managed to score just before the half ended on a touchdown pass to make the score 32-6.

The Purple Devils opened the third quarter with a rushing touchdown to make it a 32-13 game, but Spring Garden countered with a Ruark 5-yard scoring run with 6:58 remaining in the third for a 38-13 lead.

Ragland closed out the third quarter with two more touchdowns to tighten the game at 38-25, but the Panthers put the game away in the fourth on Ruark’s 4-yard touchdown run with 8:20 remaining and Ryder Kraika’s 17-yard score with 3:18 to go.

Ragland managed to score a touchdown with just under three minutes remaining for the final.

Spring Garden travels to Woodville next Friday.