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Tide notches first win over Vidalia to open the season
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It had been nine years since the Long County Blue Tide football team had opened the season with a win, but they finally broke that streak.

The Blue Tide welcomed the Vidalia Indians and came away with a 20-10 win Friday.

The first drive of the game could not have started off worse for the home team. On the second play of the game, quarterback Wyatt Huston found Dylan Tyler on a short pass. Tyler was tackled and subsequently fumbled, giving the Indians great field position at the Tide 27-yard line.

On the ensuing drive, Vidalia converted a fourth and 2 at the Tide 19, getting a first and goal at the Long County 1. The Indians converted and took a 7-0 lead.

Huston, also the Tide’s punter, ran for nearly 20 yards on a fake punt to the Indians 30 on the Tide’s next possession.

Cortney Charles got the call from the 18 a few plays later and made some fancy moves to get into the endzone and score, cutting Vidalia’s lead to 7-6.

Vidalia’s next drive took nearly 10 minutes off the clock, and the Indians overcame two holding penalties on third downs. It led to a field goal and a 10-6 with 3:04 left in the half.

A holding call on the kickoff put the Tide at their own 13, but Jason Familia broke loose for an 87-yard touchdown run, putting Long County ahead after he scored on a two-point conversion.

That was the first time the Tide led the Indians in their nine meetings.

Long County scored on its first possession of the second half, starting at the Indians 33. Familia broke a tackle and scored from 33 yards out, giving the Tide a 20-10 lead with 7:55 left in the third quarter.

Playing from behind and down two scores, the Indians had to switch from their Wing-T look to a spread look, which caused problems for them. The started off near midfield on a good return on the next kickoff, but eventually fumbled as the Tide recovered at the Indian 44.

A Huston punt bounced off an Indians player, and Long County extended its possession. The drive stalled and the Tide punted back to Vidalia.

The Tide were forced to punt and Huston’s actual first punt was very short. However, it bounced and rolled into an Indian player, allowing the Tide to recover and get a new set of downs at their own 45.

Vidalia converted a fourth and 3 at its own 30 with a 33-yard pass, but two plays later, the Tide forced another turnover.

Chris Hatfield’s interception stopped the next Vidalia drive, and Chase Bentley’s interception ended Vidalia’s last chance.

With this win, the Tide start off the year 1-0 for the first time since 2016. This was also the team’s first win over the Indians.

The Tide will have the week off before welcoming in the Johnson Atomsmashers for the first region game of the season. They will look to start 2-0 for the first time since the 2008 season.

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