Last Friday, the Pickens Dragons varsity football team took to the road yet again. This time, to take on the 2-A Pepperell Dragons in the “Battle of the Dragons.” This game, was originally scheduled to take place at Pepperell High School, but due to field conditions, the game was moved to Berry College. These two teams met last year in Pickens, with Pepperell coming away the 18-10 victors.

The Dragons in green got things started and wasted little time driving down the field. Pickens ended their opening possession of the game with a 27-yd touchdown strike from Jacob Brumby to Zach Goss, giving the Dragons an early 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the opening quarter. Pepperell took the lead at the 6:31 mark of the 1st quarter after a 4-yd run & successful two-point conversion giving them an 8-7 advantage. Pickens, took back the lead at the 1:45 mark as Brumby tucked it an ran it for an 11-yd score, giving the Dragons a 13-8 lead going to the 2nd quarter.

Early on in the 2nd quarter, Pepperell regained the lead in this back and forth affair with a 5-yd run at the 11:17 mark to put them up 15-13. Soon after, Robert Davis would scamper to the end zone from 46-yds away at the 9:45 mark to reclaim the lead for the Dragons. The 2-point try would be converted, and Pickens held a 21-15 lead. The final score of the 1st half came at the 5:04 mark as Pepperell connected on a 44-yd field goal. Pickens lead Pepperell going into the break, 21-18.

In the 3rd quarter, Pepperell got the scoring started with another 5-yd TD run to retake the lead 25-21, with 8:27 left in the quarter. Both teams went back and for the rest of the quarter as Pepperell took a 25-21 lead into the 4th and final quarter. At the 11:47 mark of the 4th, Pepperell added to their lead with a 4-yd run to make it 32-21 over Pickens. The Dragons however, wouldn’t go down quietly as the tandem of Brumby & Goss hooked up again at the 8:35 mark, this time, from 19-yds away. That cut the Pepperell lead down to 32-28. The Dragons had a couple of opportunities to take the lead before Pepperell scored at the 3:14 mark with a 7-yd run to make it 39-28. That would be your final as Pepperell took this one, 39-28.

Pickens will finally be at home this Friday as they host the 3-A North Hall Trojans for the home opener. The Dragons will have home games for the next several weeks, with another bye week sprinkled in between before taking to the road again on October 6th.