WINDER — As if Winder-Barrow football needed anything else to add the excitement.
The Bulldoggs not only pulled off their fourth victory of the season in games decided by one possession on Friday, they did it with a former starter returning to a starring role.
After three first half turnovers stunted the Winder offense the Bulldoggs turned to quarterback Noah Chapman -- who had lost his starting position earlier in the season -- and the senior responded, tossing two touchdowns to key a 21-17 comeback win over Clarke Central in Winder.
"He made the throws when we absolutely had to have them; that was difference in the game," Bulldoggs coach Heath Webb said. "Clarke Central put seven defenders in the box and would not let us run the ball, so we had to do it through the air."
Chapman tossed fourth quarter touchdown passes to Andre Jackson and Ryan Evans to complete the fightback, while the Winder-Barrow defense also forced a turnover on downs inside its own 30-yard line to seal the win.
Undoubtedly, the night belonged to Chapman, who replaced Brock Landis -- who had replaced him earlier in the season.
"Noah's been awesome through this whole situation; he's been Brock's biggest fan, but he's also continued to work hard in practice and get better," Webb said. "He's not handled this like a teenager; he's approached it like a professional. And I can't emphasize how proud I am of him."
Clarke Central jumped out to a 10-0 lead only to watch Winder running back Cece Green find enough running room to make it 10-7 just before the half. After a scoreless third quarter Winder faced yet another late battle -- and the Bulldoggs (5-3, 5-2 Region 8-AAAAA) answered the bell.
"I feel good about the way the guys are playing and their resiliency," said Webb, whose team will take on region leader Lanier next week. "We take every week as something new. The past has no bearing on what's going to happen Friday night. That's how we approach it."
It's working. Winder is on a four-game win streak -- all of which have been decided by a total of 17 points. Their refusal to yield has the Bulldoggs alone in fourth place in the Region 8-AAAAA standings.
