REIDSVILLE -- The Long County Blue Tide football team had lost 11 straight times to the Tattnall County Battle Creek Warriors before Mike Pfiester took over the reins in 2021.
On Friday, Aug. 25, the Tide extended their win streak against the Warriors to three games with a 38-0 win, their first shutout victory over Tattnall County.
The Tide defense got things going early as they forced a three and out and swallowed up the Warriors’ punter after a mishandled snap.
This set the Tide offense up at the Warrior 16, which turned into the 11 after an offsides penalty. Quarterback Jashaun Manghane called his own number on the first offensive play and he walked into the endzone for the touchdown to put the Tide up 6-0.
Two plays into the next Warrior drive, Tide linebacker Kenny Pickens forced and recovered a fumble at the Warrior 34.
Just a few plays later, running back Ahmari Douglas took the toss from Manghane and flipped his way into the endzone from 22 yards out to make the score 14-0 after the two-point conversion.
The Warriors found a little room down the field as a long pass set them up in Tide territory. However, that was the only positive play of the drive as they faced a third and medium from the 46 before freshman Jason Familia came up with a sack to force another punt.
The third drive of the night for the Tide produced a touchdown once again, but this time it took around five minutes as opposed to the first two drives taking a total of three minutes combined.
Senior running back Keshawn Smith finished off the drive from 3 yards out to make the score 22-0.
That score held until the halftime break as neither offense got across the goal line in the second. The Warriors believed they had with just over two minutes left in the half, however.
From the Tide 1, the Warriors seemingly scored their first points of the night. However, the ball popped loose in the pile and Pickens recovered for a touchback.
On the first play of the next drive, Manghane found Jesse Magly deep down his sideline for a 37-yard pickup into Warrior territory.
With time running out, Manghane took a few shots to the endzone, including one to a wide open Smith that was just off his fingertips. The Tide turned the ball over on downs as time ticked off the clock in the second.
The third quarter opened about as well as the Tide could have hoped for as Douglas fielded the kickoff at the 20 and found space to return the kick 80 yards for the touchdown to make the score 30-0.
After a Tattnall County punt, back-to-back long runs from Manghane for 22 yards and Cortney Charles, for 27 yards, set the Tide up at the Warrior 29.
Douglas took a toss from Manghane and found his way into the endzone from 5 yards out to make the score 38-0.
The fourth quarter had a running clock as the Tide cruised to their first win of the season. They are now 1-1 on the year and return home Friday, Sept. 1 against the Treutlen Vikings.