Gardendale quarterback Dallas Tidwell (13) is pressured by Tuscaloosa County lineman Rodney Dunner (94) in the Wildcats’ 14-7 win over the Rockets. Tidwell was sacked twice for big losses in the game.

It wasn’t do much a case of Gardendale doing something wrong. It was more a problem of not doing enough, especially on rush blocking.

That enabled a stout Tuscaloosa County defense to hold the Rockets to a net of three yards on the ground Friday, as they churned out a 14-7 victory at Gardendale’s homecoming.

Much of the miniscule rushing game could be attributed to two pass rushes that resulted in sacks of Rocket quarterback Dallas Tidwell for big losses. The most damaging of those came with less than three minutes to go, when a three-man Wildcat rush dropped Tidwell on his own 3-yard line as the Rockets tried to put together a game-tying drive late.

“They completely whipped our front offensively,” Gardendale coach Chris Fancher said. “Our defense was outstanding; they played well enough to win. But offensively up front we just did not play well, and that falls on me.”

Turnovers were abundant early, as the Wildcats (5-2, 4-1 region) fumbled away the opening kickoff reception, only to see the Rockets hand it right back three plays later. The two teams each fumbled the ball away twice in the first two minutes of the game.

Neither side could get momentum in the early going, with a 10-minute, 74-yard Rocket drive coming up empty on a missed Adam Anderson field goal.

The Cats scored both of their touchdowns in quick succession in the second quarter.

The first was set up when running back Darieon Ranson broke an up-the-middle run wide open for 26 yards down to the Gardendale 11. Two plays later, Danny Gaines plunged in from the 1-yard line.

Not quite three minutes later after a Rocket three-and-out, Patrick Henderson broke through the middle of the defensive front and dashed 35 yards for a score, giving County a 14-0 lead with 1:10 left in the first half.

In the third quarter, a Wildcat fumble — one of five turnovers for the night — gave Gardendale good field position on the opponents’ 42.

After Tidwell turned a double reverse into a 32-yard pass to Ja’Micheal Willis, Tidwell found Warren Delaine for a 7-yard scoring toss with 9:10 left in the period.

The Cats had their chances to put the game out of reach, but both drives stalled out on downs deep in Rocket territory.

Likewise for the Rockets, a march from their own 31 to the County 9-yard line came up empty when an anderson field goal attempt from 26 yards out was blocked.

Gardendale’s last push went nowhere, after the Wildcats handed the ball over on the Rocket 16, but the big sack of Tidwell and a subsequent incomplete pass gave the ball back to County, who then kept the ball on the ground to run out the last two minutes.

Tidwell was 17-for-28 in passing for 172 yards. Tuscaloosa’s Tyler Gates was 10-for-18 for 85 yards, but the Cats were content with a no-frills ground game that gained 213 yards on 43 carries. Ranson had 75 yards on 18 rushes.

Willis led the Rocket receiving corps with 81 yards on six catches.

Matt Oliver had 10 solo tackles plus four assists, and Zac Smith tallied nine tackles and six assists to lead the defense for Gardendale (4-3, 3-2 region).