TYLERTOWN — Over the past three years, the Franklin County Bulldogs always performed the comeback drill against the Tylertown Chiefs, but Friday night the Chiefs finally gave the Bulldogs a dose of their own medicine.
A capacity crowd of nearly 3,000 watched the Chiefs pull out a last-second 14-13 victory over the Bulldogs, ending Franklin County’s 15-game winning streak and 11-game District 7-3A streak as well.
“We played awful,” Franklin County head coach Grady McCluskey said. “Give Tylertown credit. They outplayed us.”
The Bulldogs (0-1, 4-1) committed five turnovers in the contest, helping Tylertown keep momentum and giving the standing-room-only crowd a game for the ages.
The Chiefs (2-0, 5-0) and the Bulldogs clawed to a 7-7 tie midway through the fourth quarter before the drama really began.
“Nobody gave us a chance,” said veteran Tylertown coach Walter Denton, who admitted before the game that his ball club didn't match up to Franklin County’s superior size and speed, especially on defense. “We found a way to win it, though.”
The Bulldogs used junior tailback Alex Smith’s second touchdown of the night late in the fourth quarter to take a 13-7 lead. Franklin County kicker Jace Carlock’s extra-point attempt was tipped at the line, causing the Bulldogs to settle for the 6-point lead with 2:21 remaining.
Denton then rallied his troops for one last drive at the defending Class 3A champions, barking out calls to his sophomore quarterback Jameon Lewis to take the game in his hands.
Lewis did just that as he found a wide-open J.D. Ratliff in the waning seconds to move the chains on a key third-and-long at the Bulldogs 33. Lewis hit Ratliff for a 31-yard reception, which gave the Chiefs first-and-goal at the Bulldog 2-yard line with 44 seconds remaining.
After three stops by the Franklin County defense, which backed Tylertown up to the Bulldogs 9-yard line, Lewis eluded Franklin County defenders to find teammate Brandon Thompson in the end zone for the game-tying touchdown with :05 left to play.
Tylertown kicker Larone Holmes added the game-winning extra point, which sent hundreds of Chiefs fans celebrating.
“That last drive was a miracle drive,” Denton said. “You’re not supposed to do that against the No. 1 defense in the state.”
Franklin County still had one last chance to pull off a miracle of their own, but Tylertown defensive lineman Ken Lampton sacked Franklin County quarterback Jamie Collins as time expired.
“Maybe this is the wake-up call we need,” McCluskey said. “We didn’t execute tonight.”
The Bulldogs fumbled the ball away three times in the game, their first fumbles of the season.
“This one hurts,” Bulldog senior defensive end Josh Tillman said. “We’ve got to regroup now. We’ve still got a lot to play for this season.”
Tillman finished with nine tackles and two sacks on the night.
Tylertown, which is off to its best start since 2004, broke a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. The last four games between Tylertown and Franklin County have been decided by seven points or less or in overtime.
“We always seem to play each other close,” Denton said. “Really close.”
