After battling to a 7-7 tie after the first half, Pearl River used the legs of Will Reed and James Gillum and the lead blocking of Jeremiah Levy to move its record to 3-0 on the season with a 35-13 drubbing of the Class 3A Loranger Wolves Friday night at home. The loss dropped the Wolves to 1-2 on the year.

“They are a bunch of tough kids and so are we, and we were fortunate to come out on top tonight,” said Pearl River coach Joe Harris.

“We didn’t execute on offense tonight, and we had far too many penalties which we need to correct,” said Wolves’ coach Sammie Messina.

PRHS' James Gillum

On the night Loranger committed a dozen penalties for 125 yards while the Rebels had seven for a negative 65 yards.

The opening quarter ended with neither squad putting any points on the board.

Pearl River would score first midway through the second period as Kendall Twillie went between the tackles from five yards out capping off a 12-play 80-yard drive and with Kevin Dancer’s extra-point kick the Rebels led 7-0.

On Loranger’s next offensive series the Wolves would knot the score at 7-apiece when Nate Robinson carried it in from three-yards away and Mikiel Oltman’s PAT tied things up at seven. Robinson’s score was preceded by Wolves’ quarterback Taylor Abdalla hooking up with split end Bryan Cook on a 51-yard strike down to the Rebels three. On the evening, Cook grabbed six balls for 131 yards for Loranger.

The Rebels padded their lead to 13-7 when Reed, who finished with 15 carries for 181 yards, did the honors on a three-yard burst to put Pearl River ahead for good with just over seven minutes remaining in the third stanza. Reed’s touchdown was set up when Eric Brown fumbled near midfield and Craig Domingue recovered for Pearl River.

Brown led Loranger’s rushing attack with 15 totes for 86 yards before finishing the match at quarterback and hooking up with Cook on a completion that covered 47 yards.

On the ensuing kickoff the Rebels attempted an onside kick but the Wolves grabbed the ball in mid air before a Rebel defender ran roughshod over the unexpected kick returner.

Before the end of the third quarter Reed would break loose down the left sideline on a 68-yard gallop putting the Rebels in prime scoring position at the Loranger five-yard line. Two plays later senior signal caller Matt Smith scored on a quarterback sneak from a yard out and Pearl River led 19-7 as Reed’s two-point run was unsuccessful.

At the end of the third period Loranger added its final touchdown of the game when Abdalla hit Dayton Prudhomme on a 13-yard toss with no time on the clock. In fact the Wolves final two plays of the quarter came with no time remaining, the first was a defensive penalty and the second on offense before the quarter officially ended with the score 19-13 after three quarters of action.

Gillum took in the ensuing kickoff and raced 95-yards to open the final quarter putting the Rebels up 25-13. With Smith’s completion for two to Jacob Rester the Rebels led 27-13.

Loranger would get the ball back only to go four and out and suffer a high snap which sailed over the head of punter Brad Childress who recovered the pigskin but the Rebels took over at Loranger’s 10 and two plays later Gillum added his second score of the tilt on an eight-yard scamper followed by a two-point conversion run to bring the tally to 35-13.

The Wolves now found themselves behind by 22 and with nine minutes left attempted to move downfield through the air, but Gillum, now at defensive back picked off Abdalla to ward off a possible comeback.

By the end of the contest Gillum had accumulated 92 yards on the ground with a touchdown, a kickoff return for a score and an interception on defense.

Next week Pearl River goes on the road to play Albany while Loranger returns home to take on former district foe St. Thomas Aquinas.