Reynolds, Gretna shut out Tunstall

GRETNA — Gretna senior linebacker Antony Reynolds forced an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter and finished off the scoring with a touchdown run as Gretna shut out Tunstall 18-0 on a sloppy, fog-filled Friday night.

“Defense, we did an outstanding job holding them up,” Reynolds said. “We told the offense we were going to lead them.”

Reynolds and the Hawks’ defense held Tunstall (2-2) to 70 yards of total offense and three first downs. The Trojans running attack, which had averaged 182 yards in the first three games, was held to 24 yards on 32 attempts, including minus-3 yards in the second half.

The turning point came late in the second quarter when Reynolds hit Tunstall senior quarterback Tae Gunter as he was throwing the ball. The pass sailed right into Joe McGhee’s belly and he ran it back 14 yards for a touchdown that gave Gretna (2-1) a 6-0 lead with a little more than 3 minutes left in the half.

“I don’t know how big the interception was for the touchdown by them, but you’ve got to score to win,” Tunstall coach Buddy Brown said. “Kind of deflates you.”

Neither team was able to establish much on the offensive side as an early-afternoon drizzle left the field damp and the slick conditions made things difficult on both sides.

The Hawks were able to get things moving in the second half, recording 179 of the team’s 300 yards of total offense. Quarterback Nick Miller, who was still nursing a sore ankle, completed 7 of 16 passes for 78 yards and ran for 44 yards on six carries. Miller completed only one pass in the second half.

Ted Jennings rushed for a game-high 67 yards, which included a 57-yard run in the third quarter that set up Andre Dickerson’s 10-yard touchdown run that gave the Hawks a 12-0 cushion.

“I felt like me being a playmaker, when I got the ball, I seen the hole and I cut it up and I just ran,” said Jennings, who also had game-highs of three receptions and 54 yards.

Justin Williams, who had rushed for more than 100 yards in the previous two games, was held to a season-low 24 yards rushing. Gunter rushed for 19 yards, passed for 14 and also caught a six-yard pass from Evan Huffman, who led the Trojans with 32 yards passing.

Tunstall was victimized by four turnovers — two interceptions and two lost fumbles. While Gretna lost two fumbles as well, the Hawks were able to score two touchdowns off Tunstall turnovers.

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We thought we had some stuff,” Brown said. “They made some adjustments. We mishandled the balls in the backfield some.”

Dickerson finished with 47 yards on 16 carries. Reynolds added 37 yards on the ground, which included a 20-yard touchdown scamper with less than a minute left in the game.

That score was set up by Kevin Dale’s interception that he returned 32 yards to the Tunstall 38. The Hawks scored six plays later to seal the deal.

“It’s a ‘W’ but you got to do what you got to do with who you got in there,” Gretna coach Kevin Saunders said. “We’ve got some kids who are dinged up and banged up, but our kids rose to the occasion and battled.”

Gretna 18, Tunstall 0
Tunstall 0 0 0 0 -  0
Gretna 0 6 6 6 -  18
Second quarter
G – McGhee 14 interception return (kick failed), 3:13
Third quarter
G – Dickerson 10 run (run failed), 4:06
Fourth quarter
G – Reynolds 20 run (run failed), :58
Individual statistics
Rushing: T-Williams 8-24, Gunter 6-19, Thomas 3-6, Gore 3-5, Huffman 5-1, Scates 4-(-9), Team 3-(-22). G-Jennings 2-67, Dickerson 16-47, Miller 6-44, Jefferson 3-39, Reynolds 3-37, Team 2-(-12).
Passing: T-Huffman 2-3-0 32, Gunter 2-5-1 14, Gore 0-1-1 0. G-Miller 7-16-0 78.
Receiving: T-Moon 1-26, Williams 1-7, Clear 1-7, Gunter 1-6. G-Jennings 3-54, Dickerson 2-15, Dale 1-7, Reynolds 1-2.
Interceptions: G-McGhee 1, Dale 1. Sacks: G-Rouff 1.
Records: Tunstall 2-2, Gretna 2-1.