Staff Reports
IDER – Sand Rock quarterback Ace Ashley completed 21-of-30 pass attempts for 254 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Sand Rock Wildcats to a 40-20 Class 2A, Region 7 football win at Ider on Friday night.
The win put an end to the Wildcats’ four-game losing skid.
Everett DeBoard was Ashley’s top target of the night. DeBoard finished with five catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Jace Turner tallied four catches for 56 yards and two scores. Brian Giles had five catches for 43 yards, and Gatlin Cox caught four passes for 12 yards and a touchdown.
However, the Hornets were first on the scoreboard as Dylan Grant connected with Austin Cross on a 42-yard touchdown pass. The extra point provided Ider a 7-0 lead with at the end of the first quarter.
Ashley hooked up with Turner on a 7-yard score to open the second quarter. The point after was no good, keeping the Hornets out in front 7-6.
Benjamin Smith extended Ider’s lead to 14-6 on a 38-yard run with 2:47 remaining in the first half, but Sand Rock scored two touchdowns in the half’s final 50 seconds to take an 18-14 lead into the locker room. Ashley hit Turner for a 26-yard score, then connected with DeBoard on a 40-yard strike. The Wildcats went for two on both touchdowns but were unsuccessful on both.
Ider opened the third-quarter scoring with Smith’s 46-yard touchdown run to put the Hornets back out in front 20-18, but the Wildcats went on a 22-0 run the rest of the game.
Ashley found DeBoard for a 55-yard touchdown then hit Turner for the 2-point conversion with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter. Ashley later connected with Cox on the 10-yard score early in the fourth. Cox also caught the ensuing 2-point conversion. Ashley threw his final touchdown pass to DeBoard with 4:30 to go on a 28-yard connection for the final.
Smith led the Hornets with 129 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. Grant connected on 10-of-16 pass attempts for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Turner and DeBoard both had an interception apiece for the Wildcat defense.
Sand Rock closes out the regular season at home against Whitesburg Christian on Friday.