GAINESVILLE, Ga. — There is still work to do but Dawson County took a big step toward securing a Class 3A state playoff berth with a 22-20 Region 6-3A win over Chestatee on Friday.
“We started out the season pretty bleak, but we’ve been rolling along,” said Dawson coach Sid Maxwell, whose team won its third straight game. “It’s nice to see these young men improve. They stay focused each week. They battle. We are probably not the most athletic, but we play well as a team.”
The Tigers (4-4, 3-2 Region 6-3A) jumped out to a 20-0 lead and then held off a second-half rally by the War Eagles (3-5, 2-3 Region 6-3A). Dawson’s victory pulled them into a tie for third with Lumpkin County in the region standings.
Dawson used Preston Bannister’s 17-yard run on a fake punt to convert a first down and run the final 4:55 off the clock. Bannister saw he had the advantage on the left side of the Chestatee defense and made the play.
“He was reading that,” Maxwell said. “I don’t have that kind of guts. He saw it and had the edge. He’s one of our best players and that was a big-time play.”
Down 22-7 early in the third quarter, Chestatee used two big plays on consecutive drives to get back in the game. Ben Plemmons, who finished with 144 yards rushing, broke several tackles on a 70-yard touchdown run with 9:18 to play.
After the Tigers’s defense got a stop, quarterback Gage Reese hit a wide-open Charlie Bradshaw for a 69-yard scoring play that brought the War Eagles within 22-20 with five minutes to play.
But they never touched the ball again.
The Tigers have a home game next week against Lumpkin County, which may be for a final playoff spot after the Indians fell to North Hall, 21-16, on Friday. They close the regular season at North Hall on Nov. 1.
“They are going to be challenging,” Maxwell said. “Both teams are very athletic and have a lot of talent. We have a chance with these boys. They don’t give up and they play hard.”
The War Eagles are not out of the playoff race. They visit White County next week then close the regular season at home against Greater Atlanta Christian.
The War Eagles showed a lot of fight in the second half as their defense held Dawson without a touchdown and their wing-T offense started producing.
Izayah Ledford scored on a 15-yard run at the end of Chestatee’s 10-play, 66-yards for the first score of the second half. Dawson’s only points came on a safety after Ledford’s score.
Dawson raced out to its 20-0 lead led by its defense that entered Friday’s game coming off consecutive shutouts of Johnson and White County. The Tigers’ offense did its part scoring on its first three possessions.
Quarterback Gunnar Weaver scored on an 11-yard run three minutes into the game. Cody McBrayer added a 4-yard touchdown run five minutes later to cap a 45-yard drive.
Chestatee put together a good drive in the second quarter, but Bannister’s interception stopped the War Eagles at the Dawson 17. Bannister then capped the Tigers’ 83-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Weaver. The score was set up by Weaver’s 47-yard pass to Dylan Edwards.
