John Bynum
news@dawsonadvertiser.com
For those who come to the game to see plenty of offense, Friday night was a treat for fans of both teams as Dawson County and White County traded blows until the final possession.
On homecoming weekend in Dawsonville, the Tigers and Warriors combined for 13 touchdowns as White escaped with a 47-42 win in a big Region 7-AAA matchup.
The Tigers took a firm stand right from the beginning with a scoring drive punctuated by a touchdown run by senior Zach Martin.
But the Warriors quickly answered. After a sack by Logan Hayes, White County completed a 37-yard touchdown strike to tie the game 7-7.
To begin the second quarter, Dawson was again on the move with a long pass from quarterback Tyler Dominy to Cody Lamar down inside the red-zone. Martin then punched it in from one yard out for his second touchdown of the game and a 14-7 lead.
But the celebration would be short-lived as White answered again with a 70-yard touchdown pass to tie things up again.
The Tigers kept their next drive alive with a gutsy fourth-down pass to the speedy Chris Sayler all the way to the Warriors 14-yard line. Senior Will Anglin quickly hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass to re-take the lead 21-14 with five minutes remaining before halftime.
The back-and-forth affair continued as White returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield. The Warriors then put together a quick seven-play drive capped by a 20-yard touchdown strike to tie the game 21-21.
The momentum seemed to shift on the next possession, with White forcing the first punt of the game and taking possession on the Dawson 48-yard line. The Warriors moved the ball to the five before completing a touchdown pass with 17 seconds remaining for a halftime score of 27-21.
If the Tigers were looking for a way to take back the momentum in the second half, they found it on the first play as the Warriors fumbled the kickoff and Dawson recovered inside the 10-yard line. Martin then muscled his way across the goal line for his third touchdown of the game to give Dawson a 28-27 lead.
But good starting field position on the next possession set up a 58-yard drive by White, as a quarterback keeper for a touchdown gave the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish 33-28.
After an eight-play drive, Dawson found itself punting for just the second time as Dominy placed a kick on the White 16-yard line. But a 71-yard completion erased the advantage and soon the Warriors scored from eight yards out for another touchdown and a 40-28 lead.
The Tigers continued to make noise on the next possession as Sayler energized the home fans with a 37-yard reception to the White 18-yard line. After Martin carried the ball to the one-yard line, Dominy kept it himself for the first of his two rushing touchdowns, slashing the lead to 40-35.
But just as they did all night, the Warriors answered again, this time with a 10-play drive to use up half the fourth quarter before the quarterback added another touchdown from 20 yards out, giving White a 47-35 lead.
The Tigers werent about to go quietly, however, as they came back with their own 10-play, 76-yard drive. On a critical fourth-and-goal play, Dominy kept the ball and dashed to the far corner of the endzone for the touchdown, cutting the lead to 47-42 with four minutes remaining.
It was Whites steady ball-control, however, that allowed the Warriors to chew up the remaining time on the clock.
The game saw the highest combined points total of any Dawson contest this season.
With the victory, White jumped into second place in Region 7-AAA with a 3-2 record, while Dawson occupies fourth position with a 2-3 mark.
This Friday, the Tigers will look to recover some ground as they travel to Blue Ridge to take on Region 7-AAA foe Fannin County (1-7).
Dawson (4-4) will be looking for its third-straight win against the Rebels and also to keep its own playoff hopes alive.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.