Written by Alexandra McClain
Last Saturday, the Harding Bisons came away with a Homecoming and Gulf South Conference victory with a 42-7 win over the Wonder Boys of Arkansas Tech. The hero of this game was junior running back Kale Gelles, who rushed for 257 yards and made four touchdowns.Entering Saturday’s game, the Wonder Boys were ranked fourth in Division II in rushing defense, allowing only 66 yards per game.”Our offense did great,” head coach Ronnie Huckeba said. “We ran the ball well, and the offensive line gave us just what we needed from them.”But Harding’s victory last Saturday was not the only positive outcome from that game. Gelles was named GSC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts and is only the second Bison ever to rush for four touchdowns.”I am really honored to get that award, but I have to give it to the offensive line and the quarterback for making the right reads,” Gelles said.Huckeba said the Homecoming crowd’s support was a huge boost for the team and it felt great to get a big victory after several losses late in the game.”I really enjoyed playing in front of all those people and so did the rest of the team,” Gelles said. “We were all feeding off the energy from the fans.”The offense was not the only part of the team doing work on Saturday. The defense sacked the Wonder Boys’ quarterback seven times, which was their goal going into the game.According to Huckeba, the Bisons’ defense is leading all of Division II in sacks per game.With the Homecoming victory in their pocket, the Bisons are looking to their final game of the season against the University of North Alabama. The game will be played Saturday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. at First Security Stadium.”Going into the season, we really thought we would be playing postseason football,” Huckeba said. “Those four late-game losses really hurt us. We’re looking at UNA as our bowl game. “Huckeba said a big focus for the Bisons in the upcoming game will be special teams.”They put all their best athletes on special teams, so we’re preparing for that; it will be the deciding factor,” Huckeba said.And the team is not slowing down just because the season is nearing its end.”We are preparing for this game like it is our last, which it is, and we want to go out there and have fun,” Gelles said. “We are all really excited, and we will be ready.”
