By Staff
Hartselle falls to DHS; Stover out at least two weeks
Nick Johnston, Hartselle Enquirer
DECATUR – The Hartselle Tigers gained 59 yards on its first drive last Thursday night. They gained 61 the rest of the game.
Hartselle fell to Decatur 23-0 at Ogle Stadium, its second shutout in as many trips to the field. Last season against Austin, Hartselle lost 7-0.
"We just played a good football team," head coach Bob Godsey said. "We gave them too much."
Wide receiver Nikita Stover left the game on the Tigers first possession with a foot injury, and returned only for three downs in the second half. At first, Stover feared the worst.
"I think I broke it," he said following the game. "It happened out-of-bounds. Somebody rolled over on my ankle, and I thought it was a late hit. I just hope I can come back."
It turns out Stover will be back. X-rays came back negative on a break, but he was diagnosed with a sprain. He will likely not see action in the next two games.
"We have to move on," Godsey said. "We can't force the issue, but we have to move on."
Stover caught two passes on the first drive of the game for 22 yards, as the Tigers reached the 23-yard line. A holding penalty, however, set Hartselle back and was forced to punt.
After holding Decatur to a punt on its first possession, quarterback Seth Watson threw an interception, setting up the Red Raiders on the 27 late in the first quarter.
On second and 11, Steve Shackelford, who rushed 24 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns, ran in from 13 yards. He later added a score from 20 yards.
Decatur led 9-0 until the third quarter when fullback Terrence Baker rumbled in from 11 yards.
Hartselle netted just 10 yards and one first down in the second half. Watson, who completed 8 of 22 passes for 70 yards, completed just one pass in the second half.
Justin Youngblood led the team on the ground with 50 yards on 13 carries.
How They Scored
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
Decatur – Steve Shackelford 13-yard run (kick failed) 11:50.
Decatur – Jackson Gamble 35-yard field goal, 6:17.
3rd Quarter
Decatur – Terrence Baker 11-yard run (kick good) 8:55.
Decatur – Steve Shackelford 20-yard run (kick good) 3:13.
4th Quarter
Team Stats
HHS DHS
First downs 7 11
Rushing yards 68 201
Comp-Att-Int 8-16-1 2-7-0
Passing yards 70 23
Total yards 138 224
Fumbles lost 2 0
Penalties-yards 6-55 6-50
Individual Stats
Rushing: Hartselle – Justin Youngblood 13-50, Isiah Herring 10-20, Seth Watson 1-(-9). Decatur – Steve Shackelford 24-117, Terrence Baker 5-56, Alex Casteel 4-20, Nick Patterson 3-7, Trent Dean 7-4, Matthew Kirk 1-3, Adam Riley 1-(-6).
Passing: Hartselle – Seth Watson 8-22-1, 70 yards. Decatur – Trent Dean 2-6-0, 23 yards; Adam Riley 0-1-0, 0 yards.
Receiving: Hartselle – Nikita Stover 2-28, Chris Wiley 2-18, Justin Youngblood 1-17, Luke Mise 2-5.