Defensive game turns into offensive show for Dragons

 Holley's defense was solid in the first half. Pembroke's was throughout the game.

That meant the Dragons picked up a solid 41-0 victory in Holley Saturday afternoon, holding the Hawks to just 56 total yards of offense.

While Pembroke started slow, a multitude of players put up solid numbers.

Mike Dibble rushed for 92 yards on 18 carries and Josh Phillips gained 56 on seven rushes.

Andrew Wright had another huge day, rushing the ball 10 times for 118 yards and catching a pair of passes for 55 yards.

Quarterback David Kleckler ended up going 4-of-10 for 104 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 28 yards.

The Holley defense had done a good job of holding the Dragons in check early on the opening drive, but the first score of the game came on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Kleckler to Wright on a fourth-and-15.

Holley punted the ball away, then managed to force Pembroke to do the same thing.

Guy Hills picked up a rushing first down for the Hawks and then Mike Pernicano picked up 25  yards on a rush, but the play was called back on a holding call. The Hawks wound up attempting a punt, which was blocked.

The Dragons started at the Holley 20 and Wright went for 15 yards and Kleckler scored from five yards out, giving Pembroke a 13-0 first quarter advantage.

Wright broke off a 25-yard run early in the second quarter before Ken Babcock made the play of the game a few plays later, hauling in a 25-yard TD pass.

Babcock actually caught another touchdown pass in the first half, but it was called back due to offensive pass interference.

With the Pembroke defense shutting down the Holley offense, the Hawks were almost able to get a score near the end of the half because of their defense.

Hills intercepted a pass near midfield with 39 seconds left, allowing Kyle Steadman to get a 10-yard run. Unfortunately, time ran out on the Holley offense.

Wright had a 15-yard touchdown run and Phelps added one from six yards out to give Pembroke a 34-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Dragons did add a final score midway through the fourth quarter.

Backup quarterback Andy Gabbey found Dibble on a screen and he took it in for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The Dragons improve to 3-0 and will be hosting Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-2) next Saturday.

Holley falls to 0-3, but is showing signs of life, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

They will be at Alexander (0-3) next Saturday in a matchup of teams looking to win for the first time this season.

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