Tigers get the job done

SHEFFIELD - Facing a 27 point deficit in the second half of Friday night's Class 3A, Region 8 opener against Lauderdale County, it would have been easy for Chris Tucker's Sheffield Bulldogs to lay

down and accept defeat at the hands of a worthy adversary.

Instead, the Bulldogs rallied behind Tevin Jackson's 149 second-half rushing yards to cut the Tigers' lead to 5, holding the ball with a chance for the win with less than one minute to play in regulation.

With 55 seconds left on the clock, and no timeouts left in the bank, Sheffield's Demarcus Barnett set up a reverse play to sophomore receiver Zach Johnson that went for 33 yards before being negated by a holding penalty against the Bulldogs.

A 10-yard run by Jackson and a five-yard completion from Barnett to Laquintus Armstead gave Sheffield a manageable third-down attempt, but an incomplete pass intended for Johnson left the Bulldogs facing a long fourth-down attempt.

With 19 seconds left to play Barnett took the snap from center and rolled to his right, searching for an open receiver along the Sheffield sideline. With all of his receivers covered, Barnett cut for the sideline, losing his footing in the process. Barnett extended the ball as far as he could reach, but it wasn't enough as the ball was turned over to Lauderdale County, ultimately sealing the win for the Tigers.

For Lauderdale County coach Bob Grisham, the win, while not pretty, got the job done.

"Of course we would have liked to win with a score like 34-7, but you take what you can get," he said. "We are 1-0 in the region and that's all that matters. Now we will focus on Colbert Heights, and getting our second region win."

Sheffield got on the board first, scoring their only points of the first half when Armstead scored from two-yards out on the game's opening possession.

The Tigers answered on the next possession, scoring on a 19-yard run by fullback Trey Nance.

A fumble by Barnett on Sheffield's next drive gave Lauderdale County the ball in Bulldog territory, setting up a 42-yard touchdown pass from Joseph Patterson to Titus Legg.

A pair of field goals by Morgan Yadacus pushed the Tiger lead to 19-7 at halftime.

Lauderdale County came out of the gate strong in the second half, scoring on their first two possessions of the third quarter, both two-yard runs by Patterson.

Jackson cut into the lead on the Bulldogs first possession of the fourth quarter, taking a pitch from Barnett to the endzone from 17-yards out.

After Armstead scored on a 1-yard handoff from Barnett, Jackson brought the Bulldogs to within six points with a 65-yard scoring run down the sideline.

Despite recovering the ensuing onside kick the Bulldogs could get no closer.

Jackson finished with a game-high 165 yards for the Bulldogs (1-1), while Armstead added 122 yards on the ground.

Nance led the Tiger offense with 153 yards on the ground, while Patterson added 74 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

For Grisham, the win, his first as head coach of the Tigers, proves that things are turning in the right direction for Lauderdale County.

"You have to give Sheffield credit for not giving up," he said. "The kept fighting back, and really gave themselves a chance to win. Our guys came through, though, and that's big. They really played hard tonight."