TROJAN FIELD — After his Trojans defeated long-dominant Gaston in week one, Gaylesville coach Brian Clowdis admitted that being 1-0 in overly-competitive Class 1A Region 7 was “huge.”

Consequently, after Friday night’s 21-7 win over Spring Garden it was not too hard to imagine how Clowdis felt after his team went to 4-0 in region play.

“This is huge, too,” Clowdis said with a grin after the Trojans resoundingly defeated Spring Garden 21-7 Friday night.

The Trojans (5-1 overall) overcame a week filled with injuries to dominate the Panthers.

Last week, starting quarterback Luke Murphy broke his leg in a win over Ragland. Friday night, starting tailback David Sanford – who rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown in the first half against Spring Garden – missed the second half with a wrist injury.

Starting for Murphy against Spring Garden was junior Levi Morgan. In his first game at quarterback, Morgan completed two passes for 17 yards. He also carried 8 times for 38 yards, including two critical third down rushes late in the game that kept the chains moving and the clock running.

Clowdis said Morgan's performance wasn’t bad for a kid who had never started at quarterback before.

“I’ll tell you, Levi is one of those guys who doesn’t let stuff bother him,” Clowdis said. “He showed he is an athlete, and he’s only going to get better.”

Morgan also picked off a pair of passes while playing safety on defense, and was named the Trojans’ co-defensive player of the game.

The Trojans defense completely dominated the game. Overall, the Panthers rushed for only 56 yards on 35 carries. Quarterback Jacob Grogan added another 38 yards in the air. Clay Joseph and Andrew Lindsey both had double-digit tackles for the Trojans, who swarmed the rush-heavy Panthers all night.

The Gaylesville offense established the tone for the night on its opening drive. In 11 plays, the Trojans stayed on the ground, marching from their own 40-yard line. The drive ended on Trey Jordan’s two-yard run with 7:22 remaining in the opening quarter. Freshman Dylan Cavin nailed the point-after for a 7-0 Gaylesville lead.

“Tray got eligible and stepped in, carried a few more than he has in the past,” Clowdis said.

Jordan, who transferred from Cedar Bluff last year, had to sit out the first four games of this season to regain his eligibility to play. He finished the night with 47 yards on nine carries.

After Morgan ended Spring Garden’s opening drive with his first interception of the night, the Trojans marched back into the end zone. Sanford carried the final five yards with 3:53 left in the first. The score was set up by a bruising 43-yard run by senior Andrew Lindsey on the previous play.

Lindsey finished the night with 108 yards on 15 carries.

The Panthers threatened to make a game of it on the ensuing kickoff. Sophomore Forrest Livingston darted through Trojan defenders then down the left sideline for a 74-yard touchdown. Brian Jones’s PAT made the score 14-7.

Neither team threatened again until early in the fourth quarter. After a defensive stand led to a short Panther punt, Gaylesville took over near midfield then put the game out of reach when Lindsey blasted through the middle of the Spring Garden defense from 11 yards out. Cavin was again perfect with the point-after, for the 21-7 final score.

In the closing minutes, Morgan picked off his second pass, then Jordan and Lindsey ground valuable minutes off the clock as they pounded the ball between the tackles.

The Trojans refused to use injuries as an excuse for a letdown before Friday night. Clowdis said the attitude won’t change this week, when his team faces another “huge” Region 7 challenge.

“We’ll have a fight when we go to Collinsville,” Clowdis said. “We’re banged up and beat up, but we’re going to show up.”

Spring Garden (1-5, 1-3) hosts Cedar Bluff (4-2, 3-1), in another important Class 1A Region 7 matchup.