Pirates Sink Barons in Overtime – The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

GATESVILLE — It was a thrilling end to the regular season, but not the final result Gates County expected.

The Barons tied the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, but Perquimans scored the only points in overtime as the Pirates escaped with a hard-fought 40-34 victory here Friday night.

Gates County finished the regular season 6-4 overall (2-3 in the Four Rivers Conference) and will now wait for state playoff seeding on Nov. 10 to determine its next opponent.

Perquimans (7-3; 3-2) used the win to earn the conference’s third seed in the state playoffs, which begin Nov. 15.

Trailing 34-26 with less than five minutes left and with Perquimans having the ball in Gates County territory, the Barons needed a big play from the defense to have a chance. That big play materialized when defensive end Cam Lee stopped Ataviyon White short of the sticks for the 4.^thThe -and-1 plays at the GCHS 36 yard line, giving the offense the ball with 4:14 left.

The Barons needed just four plays to score after that, as Chris Lee made a perfect pass over the middle between two defenders and into the hands of DeShawn Sherman for a 35-yard touchdown. Chris Lee then made the game-tying two-point conversion to deadlock the game at 34-34 with 37 seconds left.

Perquimans got the ball first in overtime and got the score at 4.^thPlay and goal from the two yard line. Ben Brown got the edge on this key play and was met by two GCHS defenders on the breakaway. However, it bounced off both and flew into the end zone, giving the Pirates a 40-34 lead after a failed conversion.

A costly penalty kept the Barons alive in their overtime possession, and things got worse when they lost a fumble at the 16-yard line that ended the game.

Gates County put points on the scoreboard on its first possession. Using the strength of their offensive linemen – Brier Vann, Lavonte Jones, Daniel Gallagher, Carson Stallings and Jauhiem Boone – the Barons passed for 82 yards in 10 plays. DeAndre Smith capped the drive with a 2-yard run to the finish. The conversion failed, giving GCHS a 6-0 lead at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter.

Perquimans tied the game early in the second quarter when Maddux Tah intercepted a 13-yard pass from Braylon Knapp. The PAT was blocked by Gates County punter Nigil Baskerville.

Gates County responded quickly. The drive started at the Perquimans 37-yard line after a short kickoff followed by

A 15-yard personal foul against the Pirates, Chris Lee scored first from there, calling his number to the quarterback keeper. The conversion failed, but the Barons were back on top, leading 12-6 at the 10:50 mark of the second quarter.

Gates County’s next possession ended in disaster when a hard drive on fourth down punt ended with Perquimans taking possession at the GCHS 8 yard line. They later scored two plays on an 8-yard pass from Knapp to Tyler Gregory. The conversion failed, leaving the second quarter tied 12-12 with 3:47 left.

Before the break, both teams managed to score one more goal. Gates County scored a big hit when Chris Lee, scrambling out of the pocket, spotted Jameer Riddick open over the middle and the two connected on a 58-yard touchdown pass. The conversion failed, but the Barons led 18-12.

Highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Knapp to Tuch, Perquimans responded with a three-play, 58-yard rush capped by White’s 10-yard touchdown and Knapp’s conversion run that gave the Pirates a 20–18 halftime lead.

Gates County’s defense put the lead back in their favor. Justin Powell had a big run on the third snap of the second half; the ball came loose and Baskerville recovered at the Pirates’ 30-yard line. Two plays later, Smith scored on a 19-yard run and then added a scoring pass for a 26-20 lead at the 10:12 mark of the third quarter.

The Gates County defense committed another turnover on the ensuing possession when Powell picked off a pass. The Barons drove inside the Perkiman 35-yard line, but the Pirates defense came up with a big play of their own, intercepting the ball and returning it to GCHS for four yards. That allowed Brown to score on a 2-yard run, but the conversion failed, leaving the two teams tied 26-26 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.

That score held until early in the fourth quarter when Purquimans brought out their bag of tricks, using a lateral pass from Knapp to Tuch, who then threw a 41-yard pass to Brown that went out of bounds at the GCHS three-yard line. Brown scored on the next snap and Tah added the two-point conversion to give the Pirates a 34-26 lead.

Gates County finished the game with 391 total yards of offense (217 yards on 45 attempts and a season-high 174 passing yards). Smith led the ground attack with a career-high 126 yards on 29 carries. Chris Lee was 5 of 9 passing for a game-high 174 yards.

Perquimans had 288 total yards of offense (192 passing and 96 rushing on 31 attempts). Knapp (14 of 25) threw for 151 yards to lead the Pirates.