They didn’t get the win, but the Gloucester Dukes gave the Bethel Bruins a good scare in Peninsula District football action at GHS Friday night. Gloucester took an early lead and held a 35-22 advantage in the fourth quarter, but a pair of Bethel touchdowns gave the Bruins a one-point advantage and the 36-35 win.

"It wasn’t perfect, but we played a good game against a good team. And we got a lot of contributions from a lot of different players," said Gloucester coach Sonny Merchant. "But we made enough mistakes, especially on defense and special teams, to give them the opportunities to keep coming back."

The Dukes were not intimidated by the Bruins, who share an unbeaten record with only Phoebus and Hampton in the PD. Gloucester got on the board first when quarterback Zack Tarpey capped a 12-play drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to J.B. Bennett. Patrick Bains hit the first of his five extra points on the night and Gloucester was up 7-0.

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