Gloucester High School lost its 2012 Peninsula District football opener last Thursday, bowing to the visiting Bethel Bruins, 41-0. Although it was not reflected in the score, the Dukes’ defense had a good debut and held the Bruins to just one touchdown in each of the first three quarters.

"Defensively, we handled them pretty well," said GHS head coach Sonny Merchant. "We had a couple of strong goal-line stands and the defense really played well. The problem was, we were playing in our half of the field all night."

Offensively, mistakes hurt Gloucester’s chances of putting points on the board. Four lost fumbles, an interception and three or four bad snaps on punt attempts hindered the Dukes’ progress. "That equates to nine turnovers and you can’t do that against anybody," Merchant said.

By the fourth quarter, injuries and Gloucester’s lack of depth on the roster had the Dukes sending in several second-team players. "We had to go to backups in the f...