ALMA – A tightly contested game between Brantley County and Bacon County turned ugly when a third quarter melee broke out.
The Herons (2-7 overall, 2-3 Region 1A), led 14-7 when officals stopped play with 3:30 remaining. They were declared a 7-0 winner because of “unsafe conditions.”
The score reverted to the halftime score with the second quarter as the last period completed per Georgia High School Association rules.
The game had been marred from the outset with continued tussles after whistles blew plays dead before the bench-clearing event occurred.
“I had told my players all week to play this game between the ears,” said Herons’ head coach David Shores. “I told them to live in their (Red Raiders) head and we did. They started started arguing amongst themselves after our first touchdown and it carried on the rest of the game.”
Brantley County broke a 7-all tie, the Red Raiders evened the score on their second series of the third quarter, on a Kaden Hendrix to Anthony Walker 79-yard touchdown pass. Rylen Smith’s PAT made the score 14-7 at the 3:43 mark of the third quarter.
During the kickoff, the Herons’ Malachi Saunders and Bacon County’s Adian Cothern became entangled with punches being thrown. Nearly every member of the Red Raiders’ team left their sideline while the Brantley County coaches were able to keep their players on the sideline.
Game officials stopped play and a few minutes later, after fans had entered the field of play, the stadium was emptied. After approximtely 45 minutes, the game was called.
“That (melee) was the wildest thing I have seen in my 25 years of coaching,” Shores said. “It was just a bad scene.”
The Herons took the opening drive and marched 77 yards in 11 plays and chewed 7:01 off the clock, mixing the pass and the run in one of their most effective drives of the year. The big play was Walker’s 28-yard catch from Hendrix one play before Mason Kicklighter bulled his way in from a yard out. Smith’s PAT gave the visitors a 7-0 lead with 4:59 left in the opening period.
A Hayden Hickox strip and recovery by Clark Carteron a 4th-and-one on the Red Raiders’ initial drive was followed by another long, time-consuming possession by Brantley County.
“Defensively, I thought we were more physical,” said Shores. “We tackled pretty good.”
A 35-yard pass completion from Hendrix to Walker on 3rd-and-seven was the big play. Five straight running plays — all by Kicklighter — advanced the ball to the Bacon County seven.
After getting a stop on 3rd-and-goal, the Red Raiders stormed through to block Smith’s field goal attempt leaving the score at Bacon County’s was able to move the ball into Herons’ territory on the ensuing drive before stalling and being forced to punt late in the half. It was after the shanked punt tempers really started flaring.
A late hit by the Red Raiders was not flagged leading to pushing and shoving. Bacon County was penalized for a personal foul for the pushing and shoving.
