The Long County Blue Tide 2026 football season had a late start when they traveled to Statesboro to take on the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers as part of the 15th Annual Erk Russell Classic at Georgia Southern University’s Paulson Stadium.

Lightning delayed the game before the Blue Tide’s game, slated to start at 9 p.m. The delay caused the Tide’s game to have an 11:30 p.m. kickoff, but it still ended with the Tide taking a 30-13 win over their rivals.

The Buccaneers took nearly 10 minutes off the clock on their opening drive, but a fourth-down pass attempt was just short of the sticks and the Tide took over from their own 7-yard line.

Two plays later, Sandejago Wilson took the handoff and raced 79 yards for the touchdown to put the Tide up 8-0 after the two-point conversion.

An inadvertent whistle stopped an apparent Bucs fumble return for a touchdown. With the Tide retaining possession, Zayne Vaughn found tight end Kyler Freeman for a first down through the air before Markyl Allen picked up 18 yards and Wilson gained another 15.

Wilson finished off the drive for his second touchdown of the night as the Tide went up 14-0.

The Buccaneers went 70 yards on the first play of the next drive to make the score 14-7 with just under six minutes to play until halftime.

MCA closed the gap to 14-13 on a fumble return for a score that stood up late in the first half.

A Buccaneers personal foul kept the Tide’s first possession of the second half going, and Zaccheaus Paxton turned that into a 48-yard touchdown run. The resulting two-point try put the Tide ahead 22-13.

After the Tide defense held on a fourth down at their own 37, Allen broke free for a 63-yard touchdown to seal the win.

For just the second time in the series history, the Tide took the win over the Buccaneers after an 11-year hiatus of the two teams playing regular season games.

The Tide will have a week off before taking on Screven County in Sylvania on September 4.