Dylan Gale + Jansen McCurdy Light Up Redwater in White Oak’s 39-3 Win

[By Johnny Green, Special to ETSN.fm]

GILMER -- White Oak's success on the basketball court has apparently carried over to the football field.

That's not to say the Roughnecks are going to add a Class 2A football title to the two won by the basketball team, but they were quite impressive in clobbering a respected Redwater team, 39-3, in the season opener for both teams Friday at Buckeye Stadium.

Quarterback Dylan Gale was in midseason form in the Roughnecks' no-huddle offense, completing 16 of 22 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns. Jansen McCurdy caught nine of those aerials for 195 yards, including touchdowns of 40 and 46 yards, and running back Riley Lakin ran for 102 yards and TDs of 3, 1 and 2 yards in the rout.

White Oak's other TD came on a 5-yard Gale toss to Hayden Nichols that boosted the lead to 18-0 before Redwater's Michael Cochran, who missed last season after tearing an ACL on the first series of last year's loss to White Oak, toed a 44-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the first half.

Gale was 10 of 14 passing for 143  yards and a touchdown in the first half to spark the 'Necks to an 18-3 lead. He was 2 for 3 for 30 yards to set up Riley Lakin's 3-yard TD run that capped a 7-play, 57-yard drive on WO's first possession, then set up Lakin's 1-yard plunge with a 50-yard bomb to McCurday after Redwater's second straight punt. The Roughnecks covered 60 yards on just three plays to make it 12-0 with 8:37 still left in the first quarter.

Gale overcame a 7-yard loss on a sack to hit Nichols for a 5-yard score with 8:38 left in the half. His 16-yard strike to McCurdy set up the score after the Dragons appeared to have the 10-play, 72-yard drive stopped.

Redwater had its most serious first-half drive halted by an illegal block, but finally got on the board on Michael Cochran's 44-yard field goal with 43.5 seconds remaining in the half.

White Oak scored twice in the third quarter, one coming on the 40-yard Gale bomb to McCurdy and the other on Lakin's 2-yard run that capped a 15-yard drive set up by a fumble recovery.

Redwater's ground-eating triple-option offense managed just 141 yards against White Oak, and the Dragons also had 60 yards in penalties.