CLEVELAND — A late fourth quarter fumble recovery and an interception helped White County hold on to beat Pickens County, 27-20, Friday night at Warrior Stadium.
J. Ben Haynes completed 14-of-23 for 207 yards passing and two touchdowns and added another 125 yards rushing and two scores in the win.
“He’s a true dual-threat,” White County coach Tim Cokely said. “It’s really awesome to see him do well. He had a big night and was our leader. It was fun to watch him.
Mason Thomas hauled in 125 yards on four catches and a touchdown. Riley Stancil also rushed for 82 yards.
“Jesse [Thomas] has really worked hard in his total game,” Cokely said. “He’s really worked hard not only on route running but at becoming an integral part of our team.”
Pickens County’s Jackson Whitmire was the go-to guy, with an opening 94-yard kickoff return for a score to take the lead 6-0; a 6-yard and a 3-yard rushing scoring in the first half.
Haynes answered all three Dragon scores with a 52-yard scoring strike to Jesse Thomas; a 7-yard TD pass to Cooper Turner and a 49-yard scoring run to put the Warriors ahead at the half, 21-20.
Four minutes into the second half, rain hit the stadium turned the game ugly, according to Cokely.
“It was just really hard to hold on to the ball in the second half,” he said. “We were just managing the situation. Our guys played really hard.
The Warriors drove into Pickens’ territory three times and failed to score.
In the fourth quarter, Pickens County was knocking on the door when CJ Striker fumbled the ball on the White County 10-yard line.
Jesse Moose grabbed the loose ball and scampered down to the Dragons’ 2-yard line, and a play later, Haynes dashed in on the 2-yard keeper. The two-point try failed, leaving the Warriors up 27-20.
Jackson Autry’s interception on Pickens’ next drive sealed the win for the Warriors.
“This team has a lot of character,” Cokely said. After the kickoff return, we took it down and scored. We left a lot of plays on the field tonight and so did Pickens County. It was an ugly win, but we’ll take it.
White County will travel to rival North Hall Friday. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
“We look ahead to that game,” he said. “We start on that in January. They have a team full of all-stars but it will be fun to play.
