Double Overtime Win For Bulldogs
What a night it was in The Pit for the Toombs County High School Bulldogs football team. Not only did they pull out a double overtime win over the Red Raiders of Bacon County, but they also held a big halftime show in salute of our country and those that have served it.
During that halftime performance the Bulldog and Red Raider fans got to see a show put on by the Red Coat Marching Band, the TCHS JROTC, and the Toombs Vocal Arts Program that included a large American flag that stretched for 20 plus yards, and a fireworks show. It was also a pink-out in The Pit in honor of cancer awareness month. TCHS Atletic Director Bill Benton said, “There have been a lot of special nights in the Pit, but that was as good as it gets in my opinion! Where do I start? The program with Julio and Barney on it was amazing. Certainly a keepsake. The awesome performance of our band and choir celebrating and acknowledging our Veterans was outstanding. That performance and the fireworks afterwards made us all celebrate being Americans. The pink out for cancer awareness was great to see! So proud to see how many people wore pink including our kids. The crowd, their unwavering support and enthusiasm was over the top! Oh yeah…the game… an overtime win topped it all off.
“I am certainly biased, but there aren’t a lot of places that can match the atmosphere that’s created in The Pit on a Friday night. Thank you to our community for the support you always give our kids and our programs. It doesn’t go unrecognized!”
Now for that big Bulldog win. Toombs was minus a few key players on the night, but they worked hard and came out with the win.
It was a rough start for the Bulldogs as they gave up a couple of early touchdowns. Bacon scored their first touchdown on a 75-yard touchdown pass down the right side. With the extra point that put them up 7-0 on the Bulldogs with 4:48 left in the first quarter.
They added another touchdown on a fourth-andgoal play from a yard out early in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead with 10:45 on the clock. Toombs had a 30-yard pass play to Mincey for a touchdown called back on a penalty, but came away with a touchdown on the drive anyway. After working the ball down to the 7-yard line with runs by Mincey for 10 and 15 yards. Toombs got in on a 7-yard run by quarterback Chandler Lynn. Julian Marin-Vital added the extra point with 5:56 left in the half to close the lead to 14-7. Toombs tied the game later in the first half at 14-14. Lynn broke a run for 25-yards down to the 18-yard line on a broken play. TCHS worked the ball down to the 12-yard line, and from there Mincey found a seam and went in for the score. Marin-Vital added the extra point to tie the game at 14-14. On the final play of the first half a deflected pass was called caught in the back of the end zone for a touchdown by the Raiders. They added the PAT for a 21-14 lead at halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter of the game, but in the fourth quarter of the game the Bulldogs had to punt the ball away from their own 28-yard line. On the play the Raiders bobbled the ball, and Jamarion Robinson came up with the ball at the Bacon 37-yard line and took it in for the touchdown, but it was called back on a rule that you cannot advance a fumbled punt. With that Toombs took over at the 37-yard line still trailing with 8:53 left in the game.
Just a few plays later Mincey got loose for a 33yard touchdown run. With the extra point from Marin-Vital the game was tied at 21-21 with 8:05 left to play.
Toombs and Bacon had chances with less than a minute to go, but the regulation ended with the teams knotted up at 21-21.
In the first overtime Toombs was on defense first. Bacon started at the 15-yard line and took just a few plays to find the end zone to go ahead 28-21 after the PAT.
Toombs struggled on the first few plays and were facing a fourth-and-6 from the 11- yard line. TCHS called a timeout and coming out of that Lynn found Heath in the back corner of the end zone for a leaping touchdown catch. Marin-Vital drilled the extra point to tie the game at 28-28 to send the game to double overtime.
Toombs had the ball to start the second overtime. Lynn picked up six yards on the first play, and then Mincey went for eight yards to the 1-yard line. Mincey punched it in from there to give the Bulldogs a 35-28 lead over the Red Raiders. That was the first time all night that Toombs had been in the lead.
On the first play of Bacon's try, a bad snap was fumbled by the quarterback of Bacon with Wil Watts coming up with it to secure the Bulldog victory, 35-28 in double overtime.
The win moves the Bulldogs to 5-1 on the year and 1-0 in Region play. This week Toombs will have another test as they travel to Hazlehurst to take on the Yellow Jackets of Jeff Davis with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
