Staff Report
Kendrick Benton’s 20-yard interception return on the final play of the game lifted Pierce County Middle School to a 20-14 come-from-behind win Saturday morning in “The Pit” at Ware County Middle School in 6th-7th grade football.
The Bears finished the season 4-0 with a second win over the Gators. PCMS escaped 8-0 in the September 14 meeting in Bearville.
Pierce Middle tied the game at 14-apiece with 48 seconds left on a 70-yard run by Jack McClellan. His two-point pass attempt fell incomplete.
Noah Delaney intercepted an errant Ware Middle pass, the second of three picks by PCMS, with 20 seconds remaining having his touchdown return nullified by a penalty at the Gators’ two. Ware Middle’s Justin Hampton returned the favor on the ensuing snap as Pierce Middle threw to the end zone.
A third interception in three plays followed with Benton’s theft and return for the game-winner.
The Bears struck first after getting a defensive stop on Ware Middle’s opening possession at the Gators’ 30. Benton bolted 25 yards PCMS’s first snap to the Ware Middle five. McClellan scored from a yard out on third-and-goal for the lead. Benton’s two-point conversion gave the Bears an 8-0 lead with 4:34 left in the opening stanza.
The Gators closed the deficit to 8-6 with 35 seconds left in the half on Mykaden Patterson’s one-yard keeper capping a 12-play drive. The two-point conversion was stopped by Pierce Middle.
The scored remained 8-6 until 3:15 remained. Ware Middle moved 63 yards in nine plays eating up 4:39 off the clock scoring on Ma’slyer McKoy’s 10-yard run. Patterson added the two-point conversion for a 14-8 advantage.
