HARLEM - The Long County Blue Tide football team was coming off a 53-0 loss to the Lowndes Vikings and looked to make a big statement in their first region game of the season. They traveled to play the Harlem Bulldogs on Friday, September 25.
Down as much as 17 in the fourth quarter, the Tide made a furious comeback effort that ultimately came up three points short as they fell to the Bulldogs 35-32.
The Bulldogs used a prominent rushing attack on the opening drive of the game as they went 65 yards in seven plays before scoring from 4 yards out to take a 7-0 lead.
Just three plays into their first drive, the Tide got the first of many big plays from sophomore running back Markyl Allen. He took the handoff from the 29 and went up the middle for 71 yards and the touchdown.
It was the start of a big night for Allen, who ran for a school-record 294 yards and scored four TDs.
The two point conversion was no good, the first of four failed conversion attempts on the night, as the Tide trailed 7-6.
After the kickoff return set up the Bulldogs up at the Tide 47, Harlem cashed that in on a Finn Martin 39-yard touchdown run and a 14-6 lead.
The Tide got the to the Bulldogs 29-yard line on their next possession as Donovan Antoine got the handoff on a jet counter and found room to run down the Harlem sideline for a 29-yard gain. The drive ended when the Bulldogs forced a fumble on the next play and recovered at their 23.
A holding penalty negated a Harlem touchdown on the drive play before the Bulldogs found success through the air two plays later as Carter Smith connected with Trisdon Hill on a 19-yard pass to make the score 21-6.
The Tide drove to the Bulldogs 3, but on fourth-and-goal, Zayne Vaughn and Zaccheaus Paxton could not connect on a pass and Harlem took over.
Paxton and Tjayden Vaughn forced a fumble on a big hit as the Tide took over at the Bulldog 30. Allen found the endzone for the second time of the night as he went up the middle for 30 yards to make the score 21-12.
Martin answered with a 45-yard touchdown run to put Harlem in front 28-12 late in the second quarter.
Allen opened the second half with a 3-yard TD run for his third touchdown of the night.
After forcing a turnover on downs at their own 29 to start the fourth quarter, the Tide fumbled again and Harlem recovered. Smith turned that into his second touchdown pass of the game and a 35-18 lead.
Allen found the endzone for the fourth time of the night as he went 53 yards from the 47 to make the score 35-26 after the successful two-point try, the only of the night for the Tide.
Once again, the defense came up with another stop as they forced a punt as the Tide took over from their own 35 with just over four minutes left in the game.
Two plays later, Vaughn found a wide open Paxton down the Tide sideline for a 49-yard pickup to the Bulldogs 10. Vaughn finished off the drive a couple plays later to make the score 35-32 with 1:30 left in the game.
The Tide nearly recovered the onside kick attempt, but the Bulldogs took over and ran out the clock, ending the Tide’s last minute comeback attempt.
With the loss, the Tide fall to 1-4 and 0-1 in region play. They will have a week off before traveling to take on rival Liberty County on Thursday, October 8.