Gallia Academy controls the field against Portsmouth
By: Zachary Knight
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GALLIPOLIS, Ohio (WOUB) — The first signs of fall were showing in Gallipolis for the conference matchup between two powerhouse teams in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gallia Academy Blue Devils and the Portsmouth Trojans are both in the top four teams of the conference, and this game would determine who would stick around in the upper echelon. Going into this matchup, the Blue Devils held a confident 4-0 record, and the Trojans had a hard-fought 2-2.
In the first quarter, Gallia Academy showed out with their offensive efforts. Hudson Shamblin received an 84-yard touchdown, putting the team up and showing that their offense was one to reckon with. Portsmouth was slow to respond and was unable to put anything on the board early.
The Gallia Academy defense shut them down and scored the team two extra points with a safety, building on their lead. For the rest of the first, the Blue Devils held the Trojans down, keeping them scoreless and reinforcing their own, ending the quarter with 30 points.
It was a slow second quarter for both teams. Neither team put anything up until over halfway through, when Noah Livingston for Portsmouth stepped up to catch a pass and put his team on the board. The Blue Devils once again displayed their stellar offense when team leader Kenyon Franklin caught a pass in the endzone.
After another Portsmouth touchdown just before the end of the half, the score was 36-12. Gallia’s offense operated efficiently and quickly and showed that they deserved their spot in the top tier of the conference.
The game ended with a score of 50-18, with the Blue Devils pulling even further ahead in this game, and the conference. Next week, they’ll face the Fairland Dragons, who are 4-1 this season.