Unfortunately, a penalty by Crestview and a decent run by Lincoln allowed the Trojans to kick a field goal with four seconds left to win the game 13-10.
When looking back at how the game started, Crestview had Lincoln’s number. In a game of inches, the Bulldogs had the Trojans fighting for yards. Defensive end, Landon Scott, was anywhere and everywhere on the field for Crestview.
In the first quarter, Lincoln was making haste towards the end zone, but Scott had been shedding past the offensive line and getting in the backfield in a hurry. He did so once again and caused Lincoln to fumble the ball that was then secured by Ali Ingersoll.
With the ball in Crestview’s possession, Zy Tassin entered the game for what many thought would be a true first look at the senior quarterback. A quick scramble to the outside three plays in set Tassin on the sideline for the remainder of the game, making room for Brock Spears to take the field.
Spears commanded the offense for the rest of the game for Crestview. The first half was all ground game for the Bulldogs with Manwell Robinson, Trevin Ford, and Jayden Goldsmith each getting reps in the backfield. Robinson had two great runs once Crestview finally trudged its way downfield, finding the endzone with 5:35 left in the first quarter.
The Trojans were eager to answer Crestview back, but not before JD Dortch jumped in front of a quick screen pass for an interception. As the Bulldogs took over on offense, they began having some issues moving the ball downfield. Eventually, Crestview settled for a field goal from Elijah Rice to make the score 10-0.
Crestview was about to enter the half with a 10-point lead, but Lincoln still had time on the clock. A quick out route was successful in getting the Trojans within field goal range where they settled for three seconds before half time.
The second half of football was a defensive battle between the two teams. As each team fought to gain traction, neither could make their way downfield. Crestview had a chance to increase its score by another three points after Rayshaun Cargle caught a deep pass down the middle of the field, but the field goal attempt was wide.
With four minutes left in the game, Crestview needed to run out as muach time as it could. Try as they might, the Bulldogs were unable to move the chains to try and get the game clock to zero. Lincoln took over and found a receiver in the back right corner to tie the game 10-10.
The Bulldogs fought hard all the way until the bitter end, a chip shot field goal with four seconds left was all the stood between starting the season 1-0 or 0-1. The Bulldogs will travel to Enterprise, Alabama on Friday where they’ll face another top tier opponent.
Aubrey Kelley is a reporter for the Crestview News Bulletin.
To contact him, email him at aubrey@sandpaperpublishing.com