Gretna manhandles Chatham

Published: October 10, 2008

GRETNA — Jayme Barksdale ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more as Gretna rolled up 41 points by intermission and hammered Chatham 69-0 in a Dogwood District game Friday night.

Gretna (6-0) running back Kwame Berger strolled into the end zone for the winning score on a 14-yard run a little more than a minute into the game. He finished with 82 yards rushing and added another six points when he returned one of Chatham’s seven fumbles for a touchdown. 

Barksdale accounted for four touchdowns while rushing for 85 yards and passing for 123 yards and Gretna racked up 521 yards of total offense.  Chatham (1-6) gained just 84 total yards.

Not only did the Hawks shine in every aspect of the game, they did it in a clean fashion, committing only two penalties.

“Our boys really improved on their play tonight.  It was obvious last week against Nelson County that our young guys didn’t know what the heck was going on all the time,” Gretna coach ChrisThurman said. “We coached them up this week, and they responded, reducing the penalties.”

Thurman said the true test for his undefeated team comes next week against rival William Campbell. 

“A win against those boys will show everybody what the Gretna Hawks are made of,” Thurman said.

As he headed toward the sideline, he turned back and said quietly, “We’ll be ready.”