Mo-Town Mashing: Garden City shuts out Community Christian

Detroit, MI-Garden City left no doubt.  

Dejuan Lacy rushed for 126 yards and three scores, the defense forced three more turnovers, and the eighth-ranked Broncbusters obliterated Community Christian College, 63-0 at East Village Prep on Saturday afternoon.  

Garden City, which improved to 4-1 overall, forced three more turnovers and limited the Lions to just 163 total yards (58 of those came on one pass play late in the second half). 

Julius Tikoisuva carried the ball five times for 90 yards and a score, and Gene Sledge Jr. had five totes for 85 and a touchdown as the Broncbusters had six different players record a rushing td.   

This was a pretty clean game for Garden City minus their lone gaff, which came on their opening possession when Tyler Nelson, who returned from a shoulder injury, was intercepted by Trey West. 

But the Lions, as they did most of the day, stumbled to get anything going on offense. And after Jayden Dennis punted the ball back to the Broncbusters, Lacy, the reigning Jayhawk Conference Offensive player of the week, ripped off a 63-yard run that set the visitors up inside the Lions' 10. Two plays later, Nelson sprinted into the end zone from nine yards out to give Garden City a 7-advantage.  

"It wasn't the cleanest game, but we figured some things out," Head Coach, Kiyoshi Harris said afterwards. "We have to clean up some stuff."

That touchdown was all part of a 21-point opening quarter that included Lacy's first rushing score of the day on the Broncbusters' next possession. Tylik Burton added a 31-yard td run with 5:30 remaining.  

"We wanted to dominate upfront, and for the most part, we did that today," Harris added.  

The Broncbusters rolled up 426 yards on the ground with Lacy, Tikoisuva, and Sledge Jr. combining for 301. Throw in Burton's 61 yards, Zahmari Palode-Gary's 42, and Nelson's 22, and Garden City tallied one of their most prolific rushing games in program history.  

Following Nelson's 37-yard completion to a leaping Elijah Griffin on the final play of the opening period, Lacy added his second rushing td of the afternoon: a one-yard plunge in driving rainstorm to make it 28-0.  

"The main thing was to get the win, get some guys some playing time, and get out of here healthy," Harris explained. "For the most part, we did that."

Nelson capped off a six-play, 36-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown scamper off a zone read to give the Broncbusters a commanding 35-0 advantage at the half.  

Garden City just poured it on from there.   

With the two teams agreeing to a 10-minute clock in both the third and fourth quarters, Garden City scored on their first possession of the second half when Sledge Jr. powered in from 33 yards out. On their next drive, it was Tikoisuva breaking two tackles en route to a 14-yard score. 

But the most impressive play of the day didn't involve a touchdown. Instead, Sledge Jr. took a first-down carry around left end in the fourth period and used a vicious stiff arm that sent linebacker Davon Jackson flying backwards for an emphatic 27-yard gain. That eventually setup Lacy's third rushing score of the day: an eight-yard stroll into the end zone that gave Harris's bunch a 56-0 edge with 5:40 to go. 

Garden City has outscored their last two opponents 132-3. They held Community Christian to just 81 yards rushing on 35 carries, limiting them to just 2.3 yards per rush.