The Beach football team hosted Long County Friday night in a game that didn't kick off until around 9 p.m. because of lightning delays.
But the fans who stuck around to see the finish at Groves Stadium were on the edge of their seats until the final whistle soundedas Long County held off a Bulldog rally to pull off the 34-32 non-region win.
Once the game got started, it didn't take long for the fireworks to ensue.
Long County junior Donovan Antoine took the opening kickoff back for a 90-yard touchdown that sent the Blue Tide side into a frenzy ― but his mom was running late and just missed her son's big play. She heard the roar of the crowd and got a phone call from her husband detailing the play and she ran a sprint of her own to get into the game.
It was the start to a back andforth affair that showed the mettle of both teams.
"I like the way our kids fought through adversity tonight," said Beach coach Michael Thompson, in his sixth season leading the program. "When things didn't go our way, we found a way to fight back and keep the game close. There was just a call here and there that determined the game. We just need to keep focusing on the little things and we'll be OK."
Beach responded to Antione's kick return by closing out the first quarter with a flourish. Willie Mayes Jr. scored on an 8-yard run to tie the game at 6-6.
Then Bulldog quarterback Jayvion Williams ran a middle screen to perfection and he found Jordan Newton open on a 4th and 12 that went for a 42-yard score as Beach went up 12-6 with 1:35 left in the quarter.
Long County came back with a 9-yard scoring run by Jason Scriven Jr. and a well-executed play action touchdown pass from Zane Vaughn to Zacheaus Paxton as the Blue Tide took a 20-12 lead with 4:12 left in the half.
Williams went to work again with the throw of the night and he let loose with a perfect deep ball that hit Dionte Riley for a 42-yard touchdown that closed the gap to 20-18 with :29 left in the half.
In the second half, Williams connected with Mayes Jr. for a 32-yard score. Long County kept it's run game going, grinding clock as Paxton and Vaughn scored on short runs that put the Blue Tide up 34-24.
But Williams never let down as he led his team on a 15-play, 65-yard drive that he closed out with a one-yard touchdown plunge on fourth down, before scoring again on the two-point conversion.
But Long County (1-2) ran out the clock to close things out behind their Power T run game.
"It was a a very physical game ― I wish we could have got some more stops, but I like the way our guys responded," Long County Coach Michael Pfiester said. "We controlled the ball and played the game the way we wanted to ― but credit to Beach, they got some dang ballers, are very well coached and they played a great game."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How Long Co. held off Beach in a tightly contested football game
