AMERICUS – Tyran Goober's two fumble returns for touchdowns gave the Panthers an early 14-0 lead, but it took two scores in the final 2:33 to help Americus-Sumter prevail with a 40-28 win against Harris County on senior night.
"It was a big win for us to send the seniors out with a win," said coach Mark Wilson. "It was a really good game to watch, a lot of exciting plays. We pick up a couple of turnovers and run them back, and they score on us, and then the offense takes it down, a lot of back and forth. They tied us up, and if we followed the script we've been following, we would have lost the game. But we didn't do that. We put it in another gear in the fourth quarter."
Harris (5-5, 4-4 1-AAAA) will go into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed since Bainbridge and Hardaway both lost.
Harris rallied from a 28-14 halftime deficit to tie the game with a pair of Calvin Franklin touchdown runs of 19 and 10 yards.
The Panthers (4-6, 2-6) answered with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that was capped with a Shawn Robinson 1-yard touchdown to put them ahead 34-28. The key play on the drive was a 21-yard gain from Keon Wiggins on a reverse on a third-and-14.
Marcus Wise picked off a Tay Buggs pass on the next possession, leading to Sean Stewart's second score of the game on a 16-yard run with 1:37 left in the game.
The Panthers played the second half without two starting offensive linemen. Ralph Wilson broke a finger, and Curtis Terry was ejected.
"I think we've been there and done that a few times, and the kids learned from that," said Wilson. "We came out with our backup (linemen) and everybody kicked in a higher gear on offense. Those guys stepped up and blocked well. It showed the kids never gave up, and they have worked hard all year."
The Panthers forced four turnovers, turning three of them into 21 points. They had two of their own, with one leading to a touchdown. Thomas Haugabook picked off a pass before dropping it, and the Tigers recovered it.
Harris was 0 of 8 passing with the two picks, and the Tigers rushed for 316 yards on 55 attempts. Franklin had 119 yards, and Sean Jeppeson had 118 yards and two scores.
Stewart had 119 yards on 14 attempts, and Robinson was 4 of 8 passing for 80 yards to lead the Panthers.
Goober was in the right spot to start the game, picking up the two fumbles for scores.
"That was great; I don't know if I've ever seen that where one guy picks up both of them," said Wilson.
The Panthers led 21-14 in the second quarter when they went on a 11-play, 68-yard drive that was completed with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Robinson to James Burton.
The Tigers almost pulled to within a score right before halftime, but Franklin was pushed out by Devante Burns at the 2 on a 70-yard run as time expired.
Stewart also had 12 tackles and two sacks on defense. Haugabook had 11 stops with the interception; Wise had nine tackles with a pick; and Kyle Champion had six tackles with two for a loss and a forced fumble.
Americus-Sumter finished its fourth season under Wilson, which included four different offenses.
"We had to do that with our personnel a little bit, and we felt like our kids were comfortable with what we did this year," said Wilson. "Our kids learned how to practice and learned how to prepare. The senior class really showed that, and I think it will show the program will turn around with the way they did things.
"They could have packed it in three to four weeks ago after a tough loss to Jones County. The seniors built a foundation I think. We have a lot coming back, and I think it's good to get a win and have that taste in the offseason to work on."
Realignment is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, and many expect the Panthers to be moved down to Class AAA. Wilson said the GHSA will place in regions this time in 4-year terms instead of two.
"I think we've been able to do pretty well against 3A opponents we've played," said Wilson. "We match up well with the same-sized school. It would be a good move for us. We were the sixth-smallest school in 4A the last two years."
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