SPRINGFIELD -- When Effingham County quarterback Tucker Perkins took a knee in the victory formation on Friday night, the game’s final play could also have been called the great sigh of relief.
The host Rebels had completed four quarters of action with Region 1-5A rival Glynn Academy, for which no lead was safe and nothing could be taken for granted. Low-percentage plays like an onside kick, an extra-point block, and a conversion pass after a botched snap all panned out.
A Red Terrors defender even punched out the football as a Rebels receiver was about to cross the goal line on a 68-yard pass play, resulting in a touchback instead of a touchdown.
So many individual plays, had they gone another way, could have changed the outcome in Effingham County’s 45-43 victory at Bob Griffith Stadium.
“Everybody got their money’s worth,” Rebels coach John Ford said. “If you bought a ticket at ‘the Griff’ tonight, you saw a great high school football game.”
A wild finish in the final minutes featured each team seemingly in position to win, only to fumble or throw it away and give the other side another chance.
“It was like that every play,” Effingham County junior Duff Davis said. “Momentum went back and forth every play. Luckily, it came out with us on top.”
Davis made the clinching play with 25 seconds left when he recovered Glynn Academy’s fumbled handoff exchange with the Red Terrors, down two points, on the ECHS 20 and in field-goal range.
He said his eyes got “very big, very big” when the ball hit the turf.
Ford had called a timeout with 31 seconds left after the Red Terrors had run 3 yards on first-and-10 at the 23. The coach later explained he was plotting that if Glynn Academy made the go-ahead field goal, there could be a few seconds left after the kickoff for Perkins, the Rebels’ strong-armed quarterback, to make a desperate heave to one of his speedy and talented receivers.
“That was kind of the thought process was if they kick it and make it,” Ford said, “let’s leave time left for Tucker to throw one up and see what happens because that’s this kind of game.”
It was “this kind of game,” with Perkins throwing for 389 yards – on just 17 completions (in 25 attempts) – for five touchdowns to four different receivers. It would have been six TDs to five different teammates had the punchout not happened. He also had a few passes dropped.
Perkins threw one interception, and that also was for a touchdown, for the Red Terrors’ Jamir Williams in the second quarter.
The ECHS junior entered the game with 2,092 yards passing for 24 touchdowns and four interceptions.
He had 198 passing yards in the first half, and the Rebels ran for 172 rushing yards. Sophomore Jmere Doe-Davis had 12 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown in the first half, along with a 21-yard TD catch. He finished the game with 22 carries for 210 yards, an average of 9.5 yards per carry.
“We try to stretch the field horizontally and vertically,” Ford said of Perkins’ selection of deep, medium, and short passes. “We want to be physical in A and B gap. Jmere Doe-Davis did a great job running the ball.”
Effingham County (5-4, 5-2 Region 1-5A) gave up a touchdown on Glynn’s opening drive, then matched and surpassed it with Doe-Davis’ TD reception and 40-yard scoring run.
Glynn Academy (4-4, 3-3 region) pulled even early in the second quarter on QB Tyree Chisolm’s 4-yard run, then took another lead just over a minute later on Williams’ pick-6 with 9:40 left in the second quarter.
The Rebels responded with the game’s next four scores, all touchdowns, in what might have provided their supporters with optimism that team has settled down after the early back-and-forth.
Trayvis Hunter ran a post pattern for a 49-yard score. When holder Noah Reese fielded the snap on the extra-point attempt, the Red Terrors were upon him, and he scrambled left to try to run it in. Reese saw more obstacles and turned across his body and lofted a conversion pass to Evan Downs for what would be a crucial two points.
“Noah did a great job of buying some time and finding Evan Downs in the back corner,” Ford said.
Perkins further highlighted an eventful second quarter with TD passes to Lamar Roberts (63 yards) and Bryson Horton (11) and found Roberts again on the first possession of the third quarter for a 36-yard score – with the kick blocked after a few close calls – leaving Effingham with a 42-21 advantage.
The Red Terrors answered with Chisolm’s second TD and Deuce Hidalgo’s conversion run for a 42-29 deficit. The first of Da’sean Howard’s two TD runs closed the gap to 42-36 with 3:17 left in the third quarter.
The Glynn defense made a huge play by causing a touchback and regaining possession, and the ECHS defense countered by forcing a three-and-out. When the punt bounced and touched a player on the Rebels return team, three teammates alertly covered it.
Then came the fourth-quarter craziness. ECHS fumbled on fourth-and-10 at the Glynn 29, then the Red Terrors muffed an exchange (foreshadowing) and gave it back.
Doe-Davis ran the ball six consecutive times. On the seventh play, on third-and-goal at the 3, Perkins recovered a fumble to keep possession, and Michael Deien kicked a 25-yard field goal for a nine-point lead, 45-36, with 4:36 left in regulation.
Chisolm, a junior, was injured on the next drive and replaced for the remainder of the game by freshman Max Noonan. Two plays later, Noonan handed the ball to Howard, who rumbled 60 yards up the middle. Tuck Tucker made the extra point for 45-43 with 2:35 left, and Glynn recovered the onside kick.
Rebels senior defensive back Damion Gordon appeared to stem the tide with an interception of a deep pass and his strong return, but a pass interference penalty negated the turnover.
The partisan crowd rode an emotional roller coaster as Glynn had a first down at the ECHS 37 with 1:25 to play and moved to the 20 before yet another turnover secured the hosts’ victory on homecoming.
“Our guys got heart. Our guys are made of the right stuff,” Ford said. “I know I will forever ride with these guys because no matter what, no matter the circumstances, they’re going to give you 48 minutes of everything they’ve got, and I love them, and they’re awesome.”
| Effingham County 45, Glynn Academy 43 | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Glynn Academy | 7 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 43 |
| Effingham | 14 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 45 |
| First Quarter | |||||
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GA—Sean Wallace 16 run (Tuck Tucker kick) |
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EC—Jmere Doe-Davis 21 pass from Tucker Perkins (Michael Deien kick) |
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| EC—Doe-Davis 40 run (Deien kick) | |||||
| Second Quarter | |||||
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GA—Tyree Chisolm 4 run (Tucker kick) |
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GA—Jamir Williams 25 interception return (Tucker kick) |
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EC—Trayvis Hunter 49 pass from Perkins (Evan Downs pass from Noah Reese) |
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EC—Lamar Roberts 63 pass from Perkins (Deien kick) |
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EC—Bryson Horton 11 pass from Perkins (Deien kick) |
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| Third Quarter | |||||
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EC—Roberts 36 pass from Perkins (kick blocked) |
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GA—Chisolm 10 run (Deuce Hidalgo run) |
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GA—Da’sean Howard 28 run (Tucker kick) |
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| Fourth Quarter | |||||
| EC—Deien 25 FG | |||||
| GA—Howard 60 run (Tucker kick) | |||||
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Records--Glynn Academy 4-4, 3-3 Region 1-5A; ECHS 5-4, 5-2 region. |
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WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Oct. 22 Tuesday
ECI 54, Savannah High 14 *
Oct. 24 Thursday
Liberty County 14, Beach 0 *
Oct. 25, Friday
Lowndes 28, Richmond Hill 7 *
Lakeside Evans 59, Bradwell 20 *
Effingham County 45, Glynn Academy 42 *
Statesboro 41, South Effingham 7 *
Perry 31, Benedictine 27 *
New Hampstead 40, Wayne County 7 *
Calvary Day 42, Groves 6*
Johnson 21, Windsor Forest 7
Savannah Christian 48, Swainsboro 12 *
Savannah Country Day 33, Episcopal School (FL) 10
MCA 46, Savannah High 6*
Frederica Academy 49, St. Andrew's 8
David Emanuel Academy 44, Memorial Day 12
Pee Dee Academy 25, Bethesda 22
Providence Athletic Club 74, Coastal Homeschool 26*
Oct. 26, Saturday
Islands at Jenkins (MS) *
Photo Credit: Courtesy Aaron Hoffman Photography
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- Dr. David Sedory: Benedictine Military, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County
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