Staff Reports

SAND ROCK – Spring Garden senior quarterback Chapel Pope ran for two scores and caught another in leading the Class 1A, No. 7 Panthers to a 48-22 season-opening football victory at Sand Rock.

It was also the first win for new head coach Barrett Ragsdale.

“To win the first game was big. It kind of knocks the edge off,” Ragsdale said. “It was good for our kids to get out on the field tonight and perform like I know they could. We’ve got three seniors on this football team (Pope, Jacob Dempsey and Caden Buttram). I’m proud those guys started off their senior year with a win.

“What we’ve been preaching all week is us coming out and executing, limiting our mistakes, and just being mentally and physically tough. I thought the guys did just that. We didn’t have many penalties on either side of the ball tonight. That was our goal: be crisp, play fast and limit our mistakes.

Pope accounted for Spring Garden’s first two touchdowns on runs of 49 and 6 yards in the first quarter.

John Welsh put the Panthers (1-0) up 21-0 on a 26-yard run. He led the Panther rushing attack with 83 yards on five carries with a score.

Jacob Welsh returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to give Spring Garden a 28-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Pope caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Noah Barber for the lone score in the second quarter. The Panthers took a 35-0 advantage into halftime.

Jacob Sadler opened the third-quarter scoring with a 19-yard run providing the Panthers a 41-0 lead.

Sand Rock (0-1) finally got on the scoreboard on the first of three Alec Ashley touchdown passes with 1:15 to go in the third. Ashley finished the game completing 12-of-18 pass attempts for 116 yards. His other two touchdown tosses came in the fourth quarter.

Brady Ruark added a 14-yard touchdown run for the Panthers’ final touchdown with 7:17 remaining in the game.

Spring Garden hosts Coosa Christian on Friday, while Sand Rock entertains Cedar Bluff.