Reed burns through defense as Dragons swamp Gators

Del Sol hit its first bump of 2009 in last week’s loss to Liberty, then found itself staggering in the second quarter Thursday at Green Valley.

Until Dezerick Reed got the ball rolling for the Dragons.

Reed sprinted in for 80-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to fend off a Green Valley rally, part of his 336-yard rushing assault in a 61-35 Del Sol victory.

The Gators (3-6, 1-4 Southeast) nearly tied the game when Ryan Lopez intercepted a Troy Miller pass along the right sideline and weaved his way into the end zone for a 30-yard return, but Jordan Corbett’s two-point pass attempt was knocked down to leave Del Sol (8-1, 4-1) with a 23-21 lead.

Reed took the first snap of the ensuing drive from the wildcat formation and raced around the right side with nothing to stop him. He also scored 8-, 3- and 1-yard touchdown runs to go along with his 33-carry effort.

The Dragons used a balanced attack to baffle the Gators. Miller threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Evan Weinstock caught all three of the scores en route to 161 yards.

Weinstock added a finishing touch to the victory in the fourth quarter. Reed fumbled at the Green Valley 33 after a 10-yard gain, but the ball fell at the feet of Weinstock, who ran it in for a 30-yard touchdown.

Green Valley’s offense broke out behind Rakeem Griffin, who rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Treveece Jackson added nine carries for 86 yards. Corbett threw for 102 yards on 6-of-10 passing.

The Gators fought back from an early 15-0 deficit in the first half.

Del Sol can win the league title with a home victory next week against Coronado. The Dragons own the head-to-head tiebreaker over co-leader Basic.