BLUE RIDGE — Fannin County built a 24-0 halftime lead and then held on for a 31-15 win over Dawson County in a key Region 7-AAA contest for both teams.
The win for the Rebels (4-3, 2-1 Region 7-AAA) moved them into a three-way tie for third place and within one-half game for first place in the region standings. The loss for Dawson County (4-3, 3-1) nullified a big win over Franklin County last week that left the Tigers alone in first place.
Fannin County opened the game with a field goal on its first possession and then got a pick-6 off Dawson County quarterback Coey Watson less than two minutes later for a 10-0 lead.
The Rebels extended the lead to 17-0 in the second quarter on a 4-yard touchdown run by Jack Roper and pushed their lead to 24-0 with just 43 seconds left in the first half when Brad Davis connected with Adam Ingram on a 15-yard touchdown pass.
The Tigers climbed back in the game midway through the third quarter when Watson scored on a 5-yard run to go with a 2-point conversion to trim the lead to 24-8.
Barely two minutes later Fannin County increased the lead 31-8 on a 9-yard touchdown run by Roper. The Tigers cut the lead to 31-15 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Logan Hurst with 11:38 left in the game but they could get no closer.
