GREENCASTLE — Big Spring had a little too much Hope for Greencastle-Antrim on Friday night.
Bulldog running back Grady Hope scored on a pair of lengthy runs, including a clinching score in the fourth quarter, to lead Big Spring to a 27-17 Mid Penn Colonial win that spoiled G-A’s Homecoming game at Kaley Field.
Blake Witmer
“Our defense, at times, was where we needed to be, but we had a hard time wrapping up (Hope),” Blue Devil coach Jason Thurston said. “Our defense and special teams struggled with tackling, so that’s what we’ll be working on this week.”
Greencastle (1-4, 1-3 MPC) took the opening kickoff and burned more than 8 minutes off the clock before settling for a Blake Witmer field goal of 25 yards.
Big Spring (4-1, 2-1 MPC) came right back, with Hope finishing off a drive with a 20-yard TD run.
In the second period, a 5-yard touchdown run by Blake Reuter was sandwiched around a 6-yard run by Bulldog quarterback Chase Fry and a 45-yard field goal by Mayer as time expired, putting Big Spring up 17-10 at halftime.
Reuter got Greencastle even at 17-17 in the third quarter when he broke a scoring run of 37 yards.
But Big Spring’s Mayer put the go-ahead points on the board with a 43-yard field goal, and then Hope’s 29-yard run with 9:50 left in the game put his team up by 10.
Thurston said, “I was pleased with how the kids played. Big Spring is a good football and it was probably a lot closer game than they expected. Really, it could have gone either way.
“Our offense was pretty solid and we did a good job of moving the sticks. Reuter had a few nice runs and the offensive line played well.”
The Blue Devils travel to play at Trinity on Friday.
Big Spring 27, Greencastle 17
Big Spring 7 10 3 7 — 27
Greencastle 3 7 7 0 — 17
First Quarter
GA — Blake Witmer 25 field goal, 3:30
BS — Grady Hope 20 run (Landon Mayer kick), 1:40
Second Quarter
BS — Chase Fry 6 run (Mayer kick), 6:50
GA — Blake Reuter 5 run (Witmer kick), 0:22
BS — Mayer 45 field goal, 0:00
Third Quarter
GA — Reuter 37 run (Witmer kick), 9:37
BS — Mayer 43 field goal, 5:59
Fourth Quarter
BS — Hope 29 run (Mayer kick), 9:50