Gavin Bridgewater

CHARLES CITY — The South Tama football team dropped its sixth straight contest against Charles City last Friday night, falling 19-6 to the previously winless Comets on the road.

In keeping with a recent trend, STC (1-7) played a strong first half and actually led 6-0 heading into the locker room, but the Comets (1-7) stormed back and scored 19 unanswered in the second half to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

STC once again struggled offensively, finishing the night with just 184 yards from scrimmage as junior quarterback Gavin Bridgewater accounted for all but 26 of them. Bridgewater ran the ball 19 times for 80 yards and a three-yard touchdown, and he also completed 7-of-17 passes for 78 yards and an interception.

Senior receiver Nolan Upah hauled in three passes for 64 yards, and Rudy Papakee added a single catch for 14 yards. Defensively, Kyan McBride led the way with 8.5 tackles, including six solo and one for loss, and Bridgewater tacked on eight more for the Trojans. Damien Benner also recovered a fumble for STC.

Seniors Nathan Lopez (15 carries, 96 yards, one touchdown) and Kayden Blunt (17 carries, 90 yards, one touchdown) were the offensive leaders for the Comets, and Ethan Peterson also finished eight carries for 81 yards and a 52-yard score.

The Trojans will wrap up their regular season at home on Friday night against Hampton-Dumont-CAL (5-3) with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.