The Liberty County High School Panthers came achingly close to victory Friday night in Thomson, but in the end fell just a smidgen short.
Looking to capitalize on a Thomson fumble, LCHS drove the ball downfield and with 2.7 seconds left on the clock and lined up for the winning field goal. But it just wasn’t in the cards for them. The Panthers’ field goal missed its mark and the Bulldogs won, 16-14.
It was a heated battle between the 2-5 Panthers and the 2-4 Bulldogs.
Thomson scored its first touchdown off a fumble.
Liberty’s offense answered back near the half. Feeding off an interception by Panther Tucker Lyda, quarterback Jaalon Frazier mounted a drive that culminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jacquez Williams. At intermission, it was a 7-7 ball game.
In the second half, the Bulldogs gained the edge after scoring on a safety. Soon after that, they scored a touchdown to go up 16-7.
In the fourth quarter, Frazier connected to Williams again and the touchdown brought the Panthers within reach. They trailed 16-14 with 3:27 left in the game.
The Liberty boys got the break they needed and recovered a Bulldog fumble. Frazier, Williams, Jacari Roberts and Richard LeCounte set up the final field-goal attempt, but the Panther kick sailed wide.
Liberty falls to 0-3 in Region 3-AAAA and 2-6 overall.
Two games remain for the Panthers. LCHS hosts Windsor Forest for a region game next Friday. On Nov. 7, they host a non-region contest against Richmond Hill.