GASTONIA — Tuesday isn’t a typical night for a high school football game. Then again, much of the past week hasn’t been normal for Ashbrook and Forestview football players.
Out of school the past several days and having no time on the practice field following Hurricane Helene, the Gastonia city rivals clashed Tuesday night at William Eccles Field at Ashbrook Stadium. The Ashbrook defense turned in another dominant effort, posting its second shutout of the season with a 34-0 victory.
However, Green Wave head man Darius James admits the time off did his team no favors.
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“We weren’t able to practice, and you could tell,” James said. “We were sloppy throughout. But we had some kids who made plays to help overcome some of that.”
Scoreless through a quarter, running back Savion Lindsay scored on a 9-yard touchdown run to give Ashbrook a 6-0 lead. On the Green Wave’s following possession, quarterback A.J. McClain found all-purpose man J.J. Gordon on a 20-yard touchdown pass. It was the first of two trips to the end zone for Gordon, who also had a 20-yard TD scamper in the fourth.
McClain added a 25-yard touchdown run, while Martino Smith had a 40-yard TD run of his own.
Such was more than enough for the Ashbrook defense, which allowed two first downs in the game — one on Forestview’s initial possession, the other on a roughing the kicker penalty in the second half.
“I really believe we have one of the top 10 defenses in the state,” James said. “They are really playing well on that side of the football.”
It was the first of two games this week for both teams. Ashbrook (4-1, 1-1 Big South 3A) travels to North Gaston on Friday night, while Forestview (1-4, 1-1) hosts Kings Mountain.
While a taste of normalcy was certainly welcomed, James reminded his team about the opportunity it has to play sports at a time some are wondering what the next day may hold.
“One of the messages we put out Saturday was for them to take advantage of what they have, it can be taken away quickly,” James said. “You have guys in the mountains who don’t have football right now, many of them are struggling, grieving, looking at the loss of homes, things more important than football. The past week has really put a lot of things in perspective.”
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA football: Ashbrook makes light work of rival Forestview
