On Friday, the Gladewater Bears took a blow against the New Diana Eagles, falling 56-14. The Bears were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-0.
Gladewater's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Grafton Morgan, who rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Gladewater was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in five consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Dejuan Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew for New Diana as he rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and also threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes. Johnson is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Davyon Mapps, who rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
Gladewater's loss dropped their record down to 1-1. As for New Diana, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Gladewater will venture away from home to take on West Rusk on Thursday. As for New Diana, they will challenge Sabine at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
