Seminole silenced its doubters Oct. 24, downing favored Hagerty 27-24 behind Anthony Gay III’s three-touchdown performance.
Down 3-0, Gay broke loose on a 58-yard touchdown run, going untouched for the host Seminoles’ first score of the game with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. The two-point conversion failed, but the Noles never trailed again. Gay finished the night with 237 yards on 19 carries.
“(Anthony) said he needed a big game, he wanted a big game, and he came out and played big like he has all season,” said Seminole coach Karl Calhoun Jr. “He just had a big-time performance tonight.”
On the ensuing Hagerty drive, the Seminoles recovered a Husky fumble on the 46-yard line but were unable to capitalize, turning the ball over on downs inside the visitors’ 20.
Following a Hagerty punt, Seminole drove 72 yards for Gay’s second touchdown of the night when the senior powered in from a yard out, giving the Noles a 12-6 lead at halftime.
Much of Gay’s performance came out of the Wildcat formation — a look the Seminoles used against Hagerty for the second year in a row.
“They did a better job against us this time, but Gay just made big plays,” Calhoun said. “He found the holes and made big plays at a time when we needed it. All night he was patient, let his blocks develop, and took advantage of it.”
Following a Markel Barber touchdown grab, Gay’s final score of the night came on a 20-yard pass from Jaysen Williams with under three minutes left in the third quarter. Barber added the two-point conversion, giving the Noles a 27-10 lead.
Hagerty kept pounding the ball up the middle, as it had most of the night, before scoring on a 74-yard pass to start the fourth quarter. The visiting Huskies later added a 93-yard run off a fake punt for the final points of the game.
“Hagerty came to play. They are coached well and executed their game plan,” Calhoun said. “They ran effectively and threw the ball effectively.”
