By MICHAEL MURRAY

DAWSON – The Southland Academy Raiders hit the trail on Sept. 9, heading to Dawson to take on the Terrell Academy Eagles.
After a long, hard-fought battle, the Raiders eventually succumbed to an offensive onslaught from the Eagles, taking a 41-27 loss in the match. The loss leaves the Raiders’ overall record at 3-2 on the 2016 season.
Entering the field with a pair of big wins and one narrow loss under their belts, the Raiders took the field confidently, ready to show their former-region foes that they meant business. Unfortunately, for Southland fans, the Eagles had the same idea, and came out swinging in their home match.
Terrell struck first in the initial quarter, putting seven points on the board before Southland answered at the 4:42 mark, capping off an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard keeper by quarterback, Alex Roach, to narrow the gap to 7-6.
Early in the second quarter, Roach connected on a touchdown pass to Brody Shattles in the end zone, ending an 11-play, 69-yard drive, but not before the Eagles had added another seven points to their tally. The Eagles exploded over the remainder of the first half, expanding their advantage to 34-12 before the half-time break.
Early in the third, the Raiders made the board again, as Logan Morris broke the plane on a 10-yard jaunt to conclude a seven-play, 37-yard drive. Roach connected with Shattles for the two-point conversion, leaving Southland down 14 points.
12 minutes later, Stephen Taggart scored the Raiders’ final goal of the contest, running in a 40-yard touchdown to finish a seven-play, 80-yard drive. Raider place kicker, Zane Hines, split the uprights to bring the team’s total to 27 points.
Terrell added one more touchdown later in the fourth to bring the final score to 41-27.
Shattles set the pace for the Raiders in the match, contributing 71 yards on the ground on eight carries while pulling in a pair of passes for another 33 yards. Taggart followed close behind with 59 yards on six totes while Morris and Roach contributed 42 and 29 yards on the ground, respectively. Townsend Ray, Parker Weldon, and Clay Owens each added rushing yards to the Raiders’ total of 237.
Roach connected on eight passes in the game, with Weldon, Shattles, and Saige Batten each on the receiving ends of two. Batten added another 47 yards to the Raiders’ total on his two catches. Morris and Ray each caught one pass.
The Raiders return to Harvey Simpson Field in Americus on Sept. 16 to host Holy Spirit Prep, of Atlanta. The following week, on Sept. 23, the Raiders open region play in Chula, taking off to battle the Tiftarea Panthers.