BLOUNTSTOWN – After losing to Blountstown at home last season, the Baker Gators had a real test ahead of them: playing the Tigers on the road.
While the Gator defense shut down the Tigers in the first quarter, Baker’s offense went three-and-out in their first series deep in their territory.
It was the first time the Gators ever punted this season, and Blountstown returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. However, junior linebacker Zach Brown blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the Tigers’ lead to six.
The Gators went three-and-out again on their second offensive series, giving their defense more time on the field much earlier in the game. Blountstown faked a punt and brought the ball all the way to Baker’s 15-yard line. Momentum was on Blountstown’s side.
Baker’s defense faced the Tigers on a 4th and goal at the 7-yard line to start the second quarter. The Gators made the stop and, in the ensuing offensive play, sophomore running back Junior McLaughlin ran for 26 yards. Momentum shifted in an instant.
Later in the drive, sophomore Derek People Jr. went for over 50 yards in a reception from junior quarterback Kalee Ciurleo, followed by a 6-yard touchdown run by Jalen Ciurleo. The extra point from senior kicker Joshua Springle gave the Gators the lead 7-6.
The Gator defense mounted another fourth-and-goal stand on their own 5-yard line, leading to what was another long offensive drive for Baker, only to be stopped short by their first turnover of the game with a fumble at the Tiger 25-yard line.
Blountstown’s next offensive play gave them a touchdown. After a failed 2-point conversion, the Tigers regained the lead 12-7 with less than a minute left in the half.
Baker’s attempt at a last-minute drive came up short, with Kalee Ciurleo throwing his first interception of the season to end the half.
The Gators got the ball to start the second half. Two big 10-yard runs by Jalen Ciurleo, followed by two consecutive off-sides penalties from a jumpy Blountstown defense, led to a ground-and-pound drive for Baker that took nearly eight minutes off the game clock.
In that drive, Junior McLaughlin passed the ball twice, the second time going to Kalee Ciurleo for a touchdown to give the Gators back the lead, 14-12.
“We were trying to make something happen and they were stuffing us a little bit,” Baker coach Matt Brunson said of his decision to let McLaughlin pass the ball.
In the fourth quarter, the Gator offense committed another turnover with a fumble in their own territory, giving Blountstown a short field to score another touchdown with another failed 2-point conversion. Blountstown leads 18-14.
The Gators got good field position in the following kickoff, resulting in a drive that brought in Kalee Ciuleo’s first rushing touchdown of the season. Baker led 21-18 with a minute and 19 seconds remaining.
A botched kickoff and a 60-yard pass play brought Blountstown to Baker’s 25-yard line.
In Blountstown’s final drive, the game should have ended three times. First, the game clock prematurely stopped before the play was called dead, leaving a little over seven seconds left.
The next play, the clock stopped early again, leaving 0.3 seconds and one last play for Blountstown. In what would have been the final play, Baker was flagged for defensive pass interference, giving Blountstown an untimed down.
A bobbled pass in the end zone fell incomplete, giving the Baker Gators their second victory of the season and their first road win.
“This is a big step for our team,” Brunson said. “We’ll build on this and hopefully get better as we go. We’ve got next week off so we’ll see how we come back. We have to go to Walton after a week off.”
The Baker Gators will play in DeFuniak Springs against the Walton Braves at their Homecoming game on Sept. 16.
The Gators will have to continue conditioning during their bye week.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker Gators have close game against Blountstown