The Dawson County Middle School football team rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to grab a 15-14 win over Jasper last Thursday.

Dawson’s offensive team was stymied in the first half by a tough Jasper defense. The only threat from Dawson was late in the first half, but Jasper stopped the drive with an interception.

Defensively, the Tigers couldn’t stop the potent Dragon offense in the first two quarters. Jasper scored a touchdown in the first and second quarter to take a commanding 14-0 lead into the locker room.

“We did not do very good the first half,” said Tiger Head Coach Thomy Edwards. “We could not move the ball on offense or stop them on defense.”

Whatever Edwards said to his team during halftime ignited a fire in them.

After a three and out by Dawson’s offense, the Tiger defense rose to the occasion. Tiger Keaton Toal intercepted the ball on a pass from the Jasper quarterback.

Tiger running back Zach Guy scored Dawson’s first touchdown on a 5-yard run.

The extra point was good and Dawson cut the deficit in half, 14-7.

Edwards’ defense stepped up again when Chase Wilson grabbed an interception. The pick led to another touchdown from the Tigers, when Guy took the handoff and scampered 5-yards for his second touchdown.

Edwards decided to go for a two-point conversion. This was a big play, with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The week before, against Pickens County, the Tigers failed in a similar situation.

Quarterback Jackson Putnam gave the ball to Guy who dove into the end zone from 3-yards out. The touchdown gave the Tigers a 15-14 lead.

The Tiger defense got one more stop, which ended the ballgame.

“The defense did a great job the second half. The two interceptions could not have came at a better time. On offense, Zach Guy ran the ball hard. He was able to get the yards we needed because of the play of the offensive line, the blocking of the running backs,” commented Edwards. “It was a very exciting game.”

With the win Dawson moved to 2-3 on the season.

The Tigers will host Union County this Thursday at 5 p.m.