Gretna celebrates homecoming by hammering Appomattox

GRETNA — It didn’t take long for the Gretna Hawks to shake off last week’s loss to William Campbell.

Senior quarterback Jayme Barksdale rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns and also threw for 86 yards and a score as the Hawks cruised to a 43-9 homecoming victory over Appomattox on Friday night.

Gretna improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Dogwood District, while Appomattox dropped to 6-2, 2-2.

“They’re a good group of kids,” Hawks coach Chris Thurman said. “They worked hard all week and I knew if we played like we practiced, we were going to be in really good shape. The kids came out and performed. I was happy.”

On Gretna’s second play from scrimmage, Campbell raced 47 yards into Raider territory. But the Hawks’ drive stalled following a holding call, and they had to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Sebastian Jakob and an early 3-0 lead.

Appomattox promptly marched 67 yards on nine plays and pulled even on a 23-yard field goal with 3:40 remaining in the opening period.

Early in the second quarter, Barksdale slipped through a seam in the Raiders’ line, cut to the left sideline and scampered 68 yards to put the Hawks in front to stay.

Less than four minutes later, he found sophomore receiver Ted Jennings in the right corner of the end zone for a 23-yard scoring strike and a 17-3 Gretna lead.

The Hawks added to their advantage on their next possession, when Barksdale scored from 21 yards out to make it 24-3 heading into the intermission.

Barksdale tacked on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, and then, on the second play of the fourth, Darien Jefferson fumbled on his way into the end zone. Teammate Commillious Waller fell on the loose ball for a touchdown that gave the Hawks a 37-3 lead.

Appomattox finally found the end zone on its ensuing possession. Rico Rose returned a kickoff 55 yards, and Neal Thomas hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kenny Scott, cutting the Raiders’ deficit to 37-9.

Gretna closed out the scoring on a 6-yard run by Kwame Berger midway through the final period.

The Hawks limited the Raiders to 107 yards of offense, including a combined total of minus-5 yards in the second and third periods. During that stretch, Gretna recorded three sacks and recovered a fumble.

“If you’re going to be a good team, you’d better play good defense,” Thurman said. “And that’s been our hallmark here forever. And those kids went in there and they really got it done.”

Gretna compiled 429 yards of total offense, including 343 on the ground. Barksdale had 188 yards on just 10 carries in the opening half and rushed 11 more times in the second half. Berger, meanwhile, added 55 yards on 13 carries.

A converted wide receiver, Barksdale replaced sophomore quarterback Nick Miller, who suffered a potentially season-ending leg injury during the summer. 

“For a backup quarterback — and for a team to ride a backup quarterback the way we have — we’re fortunate to have him,” Thurman said.