By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SPRING GARDEN – Coming into Thursday night’s football season opener against Gaston, Spring Garden head coach Barrett Ragsdale expected 6-foot, 210-pound sophomore transfer running back Zyien Dupree to get his share of carries

He most certainly did.

It took the younger brother of Gaston head coach Randy Dupree about a quarter to get his motor fully revved up, but once he did, he proved near unstoppable in leading the Bulldogs to a 36-12 victory.

Dupree accumulated 228 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns. He also caught a 74-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chapman Clay and had three 2-point conversions.

“As billed,” Ragsdale said of Dupree’s reputation on the field. “We didn’t have any film. We didn’t know what they were going to do offensively, but you know they’re going to give 5 (Dupree’s number) the ball. That’s exactly what they did. I think all their big plays were 5.”

Dupree admitted he was a little nervous in his first game after transferring from Lake Belton High School in Texas during the offseason. He called playing in Alabama “a whole different atmosphere from where I came from.”

“I’m just trying to adapt,” he said.

Dupree adapted quickly on Thursday night.

“I feel like I played well, but I do have some stuff to work on,” he said. “We’re just going to keep improving as the season goes along.”

“I think he’s brought a lot of energy to our program, a lot of energy tonight. Our guys were feeding off of it,” Coach Dupree said. “He was a big part of our win tonight, but we had a lot of young guys who stepped up. We had to play several eighth and ninth graders and they made plays. I think they look at him and they feed off of that positive energy and they’re ready to make plays as well.”

Gaston (1-0) took the opening possession, marched down and scored to take a 6-0 lead. Dupree capped the 9-play, 52-yard drive with his 1-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs attempted a 2-point conversion following the touchdown but a Jayce Gibbs pass fell incomplete.

Spring Garden (0-1) answered the Bulldog scoring drive with one of its own, capped by senior quarterback Brady Ruark’s 23-yard scoot for a score. Emmett Estes’s point after was no good, keeping the score tied at 6 with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter.

Ruark led the Panthers with 86 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown.

Following Ruark’s touchdown, Gaston scored 30 unanswered points. They took a 22-6 lead at halftime on Dupree’s runs of 38 and 73 yards on back-to-back Bulldog drives in the second quarter.

Dupree picked up where he left off in the third quarter, this time by catching a 74-yard touchdown pass from Clay. Following his 2-point conversion run, Gaston led 28-6 with 8:25 remaining in the third.

The Panthers had a scary moment on their ensuing drive. Ruark ran up the middle for a 3-yard gain on a third-down play at the 6:55 mark of the quarter, but remained on the ground after the play was over. He had to be helped off to the Panther sideline favoring his left knee.

Ragsdale said early indications of Ruark’s injury was a bruised knee. He never re-entered the game.

“I think he’s fine,” Ragsdale said. “It was at a point we were so far in the game it was precautionary (to hold Ruark out).”

Sophomore Hayes Guthrie replaced Ruark behind center the rest of the game. Guthrie finished with 39 yards on seven carries and scored Spring Garden’s final touchdown on a 9-yard run with 53 seconds remaining.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Gaston scored its final touchdown on a Rylan Fleming 32-yard reverse. Fleming finished with five carries for 55 yards and the score.

Ben Baker added 60 yards on nine carries for Spring Garden.

“I thought effort-wise we kept fighting through,” Ragsdale said. “I saw our lack of depth tonight in this hot weather. It really caught us. We had a lot of cramps tonight that slowed us down, but I’m not taking anything away from them. Gaston executed tonight. That’s a good football team we just played.”

The Panthers host the second of four home games to begin the season when they welcome Sand Rock next Friday. Gaston hosts Cedar Bluff, also next Friday.