Ware County and Bartram Trail have been trying to play a football game since the coronavirus pandemic wiped out a homeand- home series scheduled in 2020-21.
When the power programs from their respective states finally made it to the field Friday night in Memorial Stadium, the match was worth the wait.
Bartram Trail, a member of Florida’s Class 6A and ranked sixth, claimed a 4342 overtime victory, scoring the winning points on a two-point conversion run. Ware County (2-2), ranked sixth in Georgia’s Class 4A, had taken a 42-35 lead on Jamir Boyd’s third touchdown of the game to start the overtime.
The teams entered the extra period after a see-saw four quarters. The Bears (2-1) led 21-0 after a quarter before the Gators tied it at halftime with a 21-point second period.
After a scoreless third, the teams traded the lead in the final quarter, each scoring two touchdowns. The last came on a 72-yard run by Arthur Lewis IV with 2:44 left in regulation. It was the speedy junior’s third touchdown among his 16 carries netting 200 yards.
His score came just 84 seconds after defensive back EJ Mathusala handed the Gators a 35-28 lead on a 51-yard interception return.
“He (Mathusala) got us the lead right there with a huge play and I really thought we were in pretty good shape,” Gators head coach Jason Strickland said. “But they’re (Bears) a really good football team with a bunch of talented guys.”
Lewis IV was just one of a handful who powered Bartram Trail.
Junior quarterback Jaden Weatherly completed 17-of-27 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Senior receiver De-Andre Caldwell caught six passes for 194 yards and a score as the Bears totaled 525 yards.
Senior slotback Neko Dawkins caught five passes for 30 yards and ran five times for 31 yards. Six of those rushing yards came on the Bears’ overtime touchdown before his winning conversion, which Ware County had defensed well.
On the decisive play, the diminutive Dawkins lined up in the backfield with two teammates and ran a power sweep left. The Gators strung out the play only to see Dawkins slice inside of two defenders protecting the sideline and slipped past a third with a dive to the end zone.
“We knew what the play was once they put him back there,” Strickland said. “That’s the reason we defended it well. You get a talented guy out there in space, one of the hardest things to do is make the tackle. The kid made a great play.”
Ware County, which has an open date this week, rode the running of Boyd and Tayshaun Franklin to first recover from the early deficit, and then challenge for the victory. The two juniors split time for injured senior R.J. Boyd.
Boyd, aka “Little” as the older Boyd’s brother, ran 32 times for 190 yards and the trio of scores — all career highs. Franklin, who began the season as a tight end, ran 19 times for 99 yards and a score — both career-highs.
“Those two ran so hard, really physical and tough,” Strickland said. “I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg what they’re going to be for us.”
The Gators other touchdown came on a 40-yard pass from Luke Hooks to Ja’Mario Rice with just 31.1 seconds left in the first half. The third of six conversion kicks by William Bates got Ware even at intermission.
The visitors had the Gators in catch-up mode on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Lewis IV took a late handoff from Weatherly up the middle off a run-pass option (RPO) play and once he broke the line of scrimmage there was nobody to keep him from finishing the 83-yard run to the end zone.
His fourth-quarter touchdown was off the same action.
“We didn’t do good enough job reading keys and getting to the gaps to make tackles,” Strickland said of the two long runs. “We’re talented enough with the guys we have to be able to make those plays and we didn’t. We have to do a much better job coaching them and getting them to execute at high level.”
After forcing a punt, Weatherly completed a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 20-yard scoring toss to tight end Landon Tippie with 7:21 left in the quarter for a 14-0 advantage.
Juniors Jamir Boyd (left photo, No. 2) and Tayshaun Franklin (right photo) had career nights rushing the ball against Florida’s Class 6A sixth-ranked Bartram Trail. Boyd rushed 32 times for 190 yards and three scores while Franklin carried the ball 19 times for 99 yards in his first game as a running back in the Gators’ wild 43-42 overtime loss.
Ware County’s Javonte’ Evans (15) tries to pull Bartram Trail quarterback Jaden Weatherly down from behind as Nick Simmons (11) applies pressure from the front during second half action. Photos By BO CARTER
Another three-and-out for the Gators led to the second touchdown by Lewis IV, this one of three yards with 3:56 left in the first period for a 21-0 lead. He scored a play after Weatherly hooked up with Caldwell on a 69-yard pass that traveled only 15 yards in the air.
“We came out sleepwalking,” Strickland said of the sluggish start. “We weren’t coaching well, playing well — just nothing.”
Ware County began to rally after the ensuing kickoff. The Gators went 80 yards in 14 plays, scoring on Boyd’s six-yard run with 10:39 left in the first half cutting the deficit to 21-7. Boyd and Franklin combined for 58 of the yards in the drive.
“The offensive line guys came to us, said, ‘coach, lets run the football, get it downhill and let (Boyd and Franklin) get behind us,” Strickland said facing the 21-point deficit. “These guys are willing to fight for each other and that’s how we were able to give ourselves a chance.”
The Gators smothered Lewis IV on a fourth-andone play from the WCHS 19 to set up their second score. Taking over at its own 48 courtesy of two Bartram Trail unsportsmanlike penalties after the stop of Lewis, Ware County closed the gap on Franklin’s four-yard run with 4:53 remaining as Ware County climbed to within 21-14.
Ware County forced a three-and-out on the Bears’ following possession, and converted it into the tying points with the help of a fake punt.
The Gators faced fourthand- two at the Bears’ 44 and Bates lined up to punt. The snap, however, went to Boyd, who skirted around left end with the help of a block by Jamar Birden.
“Coach (Brandon) Evans called that from something he’d seen (on video) during the week,” Strickland said. “He put it together to kind of give us a spark. We felt like we had momentum and wanted to keep it going, and ‘Little’ found a crease to get the first down.”
Hooks hit Rice on the next play to even the score at 21- apiece, and it was anybody’s game to claim in the second half.
Ware County drove to the Bears’ 23 with the second half kickoff only to come up empty midway through the quarter. Stalling after 49 yards and 12 plays, Bates came on to attempt a 40-yard field goal, but defensive back Damian Evans shot in from the right side for the block.
The Gators forced a punt on the ensuing possession and converted it into the lead just four seconds into the final period. Boyd capped the 12-play, 66-yard drive with a five-yard run giving Ware County its first lead at 28-21.
Boyd set up the touchdown on the previous play by getting eight yards on a third-and-seven play. Save a two-yard scramble from the pocket by Hooks, Boyd and Franklin accounted for all the possession’s yards on runs.
The lead lasted just 15 seconds as Weatherly found Caldwell on a crossing route on the first play after the kickoff for an 80yard touchdown tying the game at 28-apiece.
The Gators punted on their next possession to set up Mathusala’s interception return of a pass Weatherly intended for Caldwell. Under heavy pressure, on a third-and-10 play from the Bears 41, Weatherly slightly underthrew Caldwell along the sidelines and the senior undercut the receiver for the pick he took untouched to the end zone as Ware County regained the lead at 35-28 with 4:08 to play.
“We were not being very disciplined with our eyes at cornerback,” Strickland said of the Bears’ success with long passes. “(Mathusala) came to sidelines and said, ‘coach put me at corner and lets finish the game.’ He may be most instinctive player I’ve ever coached.”
Ware County head coach Jason Strickland (second from left) was recognized by the Ware County School System for his 150th career win in the season opener at Appling County. Pictured are (l-r) Principal Buford Kellog, Strickland, Athletic Director Matt Collins and Superintendent Bert Smith. Photos By BO CARTER
