LUDOWICI — The Liberty County Panthers gave the Long County Blue Tide a dose of their medicine — and the prescription may have saved their postseason hopes.
Trey Aiello’s 20-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in the game Friday night gave the Panthers a 33-32 win over Long County at Veterans Stadium in a back-and-forth and significant region game.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 5-3 on the season and more importantly, to 3-2 in Region 3-AAA. The Blue Tide fell to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in the region.
Even with giving up 383 rushing yards to the Blue Tide, Liberty County coach Tony Glazer praised his defense, which stopped four of five two-point tries.
“The difference in the game was our defense,” he said. “We let them get one two-point conversion out of five, and that made all the difference.”
The Blue Tide, behind their run-heavy T formation attack, struck quickly in the first quarter. They led 12-0 less than 7 minutes into the game on touchdown runs from Christian Glenn and Steven Wyatt. The Panthers answered with scores on their next five possessions, as the lead changed hands five times in the second quarter alone.
“We have tough, resilient kids,” Glazer said. “Our game plan was to get ahead. We knew what they could do. Their offense is very tough to stop. Just stay in the fight.”
The Panthers, who normally run a fast-pace, no-huddle attack, dabbled in the clock and ball control philosophy against Long County. Instead of going with multiple receivers and spreading the field out, they condensed and tightened their line, using 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive tackle Demarai Booker as a tight end. Carlos Singleton, ordinarily in shotgun, went under center, with Paul Brown as his tailback.
Liberty broke out the formation in the second quarter and then again for the final two drives of the game in the fourth quarter.
That formation served a two-fold purpose for the Panthers.
“Part of the plan was to milk the clock,” Glazer said. “When we got the ball on the last drive, I told our staff we’re not giving them the ball back with any time, because we knew how dangerous they are. Our strategy was to help our defense a little bit.”
No play defined the Panthers’ radical approach more than a third down play early in the fourth quarter. Brown gained 12 yards on a third-and-1, as he pushed forward, with help from the Panthers offensive line, and pushed the Blue Tide defense backward to the Long County 18.
The two teams combined for six touchdowns, 41 points and more than 250 yards of offense in the second quarter alone. The defenses dug in a little more during the second half, allowing only a total of 12 points — a touchdown and two field goals.
Ron Golden pulled down a high snap, and Aiello kicked a 32-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead 30-26 early in the third quarter.
Long County held on fourth-and-2 at their 10 with 7:46 left in the game, and three plays later, Christian Glenn shot through the Panthers defense for a 67-yard touchdown run. The Panthers drove 74 yards in 14 plays, setting up Aiello’s game-winning kick.
Golden, who had taken a high snap on an extra point and turned into a two-point conversion, pulled down another high snap and got it down in time for Aiello to put it through the uprights.
Ahmari Douglas ran for two touchdowns, setting a new Long County record for rushing touchdowns in a season at 17. Douglas ran 17 times for 156 yards, and Glenn added 131 yards on just four carries.
Brown ran for three touchdowns for the Panthers, gaining 141 yards on 28 attempts. Singleton, who was 8-of-11 passing, added a 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, darting untouched through the Blue Tide defense for Liberty’s first lead of the night.
Liberty hosts Beach on October 28 while Long County visits Calvary Day.
