Gar-Field still in district title hunt

Little things mean a lot.

The line from the old song rang true Friday night in Gar-Field's 16-14 victory over Hylton as the Indians held on to win the "Outback Trophy" and kept its hopes for a Cardinal District title alive.

If Gar-Field beats host Woodbridge next week, the Indians would share the ch ampionship with the Vikings and Osbourn Park.

While both teams made mistakes, the Indians (6-3 overall, 4-1 in district) avoided major mistakes, committing only one turnover. Meanwhile, Hylton threw two interceptions and committed a key fumble late in the game that led to the final points for Gar-Field.

A seemingly relieved Gar-Field coach Tom Gryder said the rivalry with Hylton led to an increased intensity for the Indians, which helped them take advantage of optimal field position.

"It's a win, and it's nice," Gryder said. "They (Hylton) are a good team and they had everybody up (to try to stop the run). The rivalry definitely helped our guys get up for the game, but we still had to execute. We made some mistakes, but we didn't make big ones and that was the difference."

Gar-Field hurt itself on its first offensive possession despite initially moving the ball well. Aaron Jackson completed consecutive passes of 18 yards to Reggie Dingle and 28 yards to John Portee to move the ball to the Hylton 29. On the next play, Bryce Miller appeared to score a touchdown on a 29-yard run, but the touchdown was called back by a holding penalty.

Despite outgaining the Indians 142-113 in the first half, Hylton missed on its only two scoring chances.  But Gar-Field was able to break through late in the second quarter. After Hylton's Manny Rodriquez missed a 33-yard field goal attempt, Gar-Field moved 80 yards in seven plays for a touchdown.

Miller scored on a 4-yard run, but the drive was punctuated by two long passes by Jackson.  De' Vonte Piggott caught a 26-yard pass in the middle of the drive that moved the ball from the Gar-Field 33 to the Hylton 41 before a face mask penalty added 15 yards to the gain. One play later, Johnathan Butler hauled in a 25-yard pass from Jackson, setting up Miller's scoring run.

Late in the first half, Hylton moved from its 31 to the Gar-Field 8, thanks to a couple long passes from quarterback Jabari Dukes. He connected with Andre Coleman on an 18-yard pass before hitting A. J. Grady with a 30-yard pass that moved the ball to the 20. Two plays later, Indians' senior defensive back Domonique Campbell intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the scoring threat.

Hylton took the second half kickoff and moved 67 yards in 11 plays to tie the game 7-7. Michael Hunter capped the drive with a 7-yard scoring run. Dukes completed three passes for 47 yards during the drive.

Jordan Miles intercepted a pass from Dukes at the Hylton 17 late in the third quarter to give Gar-Field a great scoring chance. The Indians converted the break when Miller ran it in from the 1 three seconds into the fourth quarter. Jackson had kept the drive alive with a short run on 4th and 1 from the 8 in the waning seconds of the third quarter. But the extra point attempt was missed, keeping the score at 13-7.

Gar-Field got another break when Hylton fumbled on a punt try and the Indians took over at the Hylton 14. Four plays later, Anthony Ayala booted a 22-yard field goal to give Gar-Field a 16-7 lead.

Hylton (4-5, 2-3) hurt itself again in the fourth quarter when Dukes lobbed a long pass to Andre Coleman near the sideline that was good for a 30-yard gain to the Gar-Field 35, but the pass was called back by an ineligible receiver penalty, all but killing the drive.

Yet in spite of the turnovers and 90 yards in penalties, Hylton still had a chance to win it late in the game. The Bulldogs were at the Gar-Field 47 with 1:32 to go when Dukes just overthrew a pass to a wide-open A. J. Grady on fourth down, sealing the victory.

"Anytime our kids play hard I am proud of them," Hylton coach Lou Sorrentino said. "It is frustrating to lose, no matter how it happens."

Jackson finished with 152 yards and Miller scored twice, gaining 43 yards on 22 carries. Hylton outgained the Indians 222-170, but rarely won the battle for field position after turning the ball over numerous times.