Before his last football game ever against his school's oldest rival, quarterback Alex Gonzalez put into action what his coach asked of him in a 33-7 win for Silverdale Baptist Academy on the road against Grace Academy on Friday.
"I told Alex, 'I expect you to run some tonight,'" Silverdale coach Al Rogers said. "Once they flush you out of the pocket, you are going to get some yards. We knew they were going to be rushing a lot tonight, so he executed some big runs and his quick passes worked, too."
The senior had two touchdown runs and completed 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards. Most importantly he controlled the football, allowing no turnovers before being given the rest of the night off up 33-0 with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Gonzalez, who ran for touchdowns of 5 and 12 yards. "It's another great team win, and it was not just one person doing all the work. We played great as a team, and we get to go out as seniors with a victory over our rival."
A well-settled secondary also created a huge advantage for the undefeated Seahawks (3-0) against the Golden Eagles (2-2) under the bright lights.
Dylan Bryant came away with two interceptions and half a sack, while Collin Lovell and Elijah Irwin also picked off passes. Grace was able to complete only three of 10 passes for a total of 19 yards. Silverdale's two interceptions in the first half by Bryant and Lovell were returned for a combined 75 yards and helped set up scores.
"Our key focus coming into this game was just maintaining our jobs," Bryant said. "We stuck to our coverages and were able to make some big plays in the secondary. The reaction time was there for us tonight."
Silverdale scored on its opening possession, despite several penalties making the 12-play drive a little challenging. Senior running back Alex Burks came up big on the drive with 32 receiving yards and 23 yards rushing, which included a 12-yard touchdown run to the left side.
"Burks worked so hard this offseason," Rogers said. "He is so much stronger and he runs the ball with tenacity. I'm very proud of him."
Burks finished the night with 54 yards rushing on five carries, while fellow senior Hayden Spencer led the way for the run game with 87 yards on eight carries and had a 10-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter for the 33-0 lead.
"We have 12 seniors and they have all considered this a big rivalry game," Rogers said. "Grace Academy (people) are our brothers in Christ, but on the field we both play like it's a battle. Our seniors rose to the occasion and were able to come out with four wins against them."
The lone score for the Golden Eagles came on a 64-yard fumble return by sophomore Mathew Lindon, helped by a big block. Sophomore Grace running back Cade Tinsley finished with 86 yards on 12 carries after entering the game with 430 rushing yards on the season.
Grace will host Sale Creek next week, while Silverdale will open its home schedule against Meigs County.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at sports@timesfreepress.com