Gardendale quarterback Tyler Nelson ran for 3 touchdowns and almost 200 yards to power the Rockets to a 34-14 victory over Minor on Friday in a Class 6A, Region 5 showdown at Tony Lunceford Field in Adamsville.

“He’s our most athletic guy and probably our toughest guy,” Gardendale coach Chad Eads said. “It’s nice to have him because he can turn a bad play into a good play in a hurry. He keeps focused in the game and stays the same kid when things are going bad.”

Gardendale (5-2, 4-0) and Minor traded empty possessions to open the game and Nelson got the scoring started with a 59-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Rockets’ second possession.

The Tenacious Tigers responded near the end of the first half, capping a 7-play, 36-yard drive on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kareem Keye, but the extra-point attempt was no good to leave Gardendale with a 7-6 lead.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the opening half, Nelson guided the Rockets down the field to extend the halftime lead to 10-6 on a 34-yard field goal by Kyle Norris as time expired.

Minor began the second half with possession, but quickly went three-and-out, allowing the Rockets to extend their lead on the ensuing drive.

Nelson once more carried Gardendale down the field, capping the possession with a 22-yard rushing score. The Rockets blocked a punt on the next Minor drive and Nelson scored three plays later on a 21-yard run to push the lead to 24-6 with 3:44 left in the third quarter.

Minor (4-3, 2-2) managed to answer in the final frame, capping a short 3-play, 39-yard drive on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Keye to Darrian Jackson.

Gardendale added another score on its next drive, a 7-yard run by Bryan Gilmore, and pushed the final margin to 34-14 on a 28-yard field goal by Norris.

Star(s) of the game: Nelson. The senior did the heavy lifting for the Rockets, finishing 5-of-16 passing for 35 yards and amassing 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 rushing attempts.

“We kind of have an arrow on our back. We feel a little bit disrespected and we needed to take our respect. We’re trying to get better in the passing game, working on small things, and we’ll get there,” he said.

By the numbers: 18, the total number of tackles for loss combined by both teams. …16, the number of wins for Gardendale in the series, the Rockets lead 16-15 overall. …6, the number of third-down conversions out of 25 combined attempts from both teams.

Stat sheet: Gardendale – Kedrick Story led the running committee, producing 68 yards on 11 carries, and Gilmore and Jonathan Harris combined for 17 yards and a score. Carter Jenkins led the receiving effort, hauling 3 catches for 36 yards.

Minor – Keye finished 6-of-20 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown, also adding a score on the ground, and Jackson pulled down 2 receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Malachi Threatt led the rushing attack with 5 attempts for 21 yards, adding 20 yards on 3 catches, and Javarrie Allen had 7 carries for 34 yards.

Coachspeak: “There are times we get frustrated with our defense, but we look up at the scoreboard and we’re not allowing many points. They keep finding ways to make a big play, a couple of sacks in the second half and a blocked punt really helped us out. I’m really proud of our kids. We’re undefeated in region, they understand the meaning of these games and it’ll give us a good chance in the postseason.” — Gardendale’s Chad Eads

“I saw some fight. I saw some resiliency. I saw, especially in the first half, that when we play disciplined ball we’re really stingy on defense. I saw my defense picking up my offense. We’re going to do a better job of playing some complementary ball and shore up some things on special teams. Looking forward to next week.” — Minor’s Adrian Abrams

He said it: “It was kind of personal for me. At the beginning of the week, they were calling me a suspect DB. I wanted to come out and prove I’m not. I can cover, I can do it all. Thankful for the defense I have, we’ve worked really hard to get where we’re at.” — Gardendale’s J’dyn Arrington

What’s next? The Rockets host Woodlawn while Minor hosts Parker.