Last night, the PHS Dragons varsity football team hosted the LaFayette Ramblers for Senior Night. Pickens, needed a win to stay in the thick of the playoff race coming down the stretch of the season. Prior to the game, the seniors from the football team, cheerleaders, & band were recognized for the contributions during their time at PHS. Another special presentation that happened prior to kick off, was PHS presenting the family of the late Shawn Mask with his Letterman’s jacket.

LaFayette won the toss and elected to receive the opening kick to get the game started. The Pickens defense was able to get the Rambler offense off the field & it would be the Dragons turn to find the first points. Those first points of the game were scored by Junior RB Robert Davis after a 5-yd run to make it 7-0 Pickens with 7:11 left in the opening quarter. The Dragons found the end zone again in the 1st quarter, this time, through the air as Senior QB Jacob Brumby connected with Sophomore C.J. Streicher from 49-yds out for the TD. After one quarter of play, the Dragons held a 13-0 lead over LaFayette.

Pickens got on the board for the first time in the 2nd quarter at the 10:22 mark after a 7-yd TD pass from Brumby to Junior Zach Goss to make it 20-0. After Senior Zach Swaim recovered a fumble & took it to the 7-yd line, fellow Senior Jacob Brumby finished it off on the next play with a 7-yd TD run to make it 27-0 Dragons with 8:08 left in the half. After nearly scoring on the previous play, Senior WR Josh Cain finished off another scoring drive for Pickens with a 1-yd TD run to make it 34-0 Dragons with 5:14 left in the half.  The Dragons were getting it done defensively on the night as well. Junior Trevon Hawkins, took the ball away from the LaFayette runner & ran it back for the score to make it 41-0 Pickens with 4:53 left in the half. On the ensuing LaFayette drive, the Ramblers were looking for points prior to halftime. However, Kaleb Ray timed his jump, & made a great catch in the end zone to give the ball back to the Dragons. Pickens would turn that interception into points as Brumby connected with Streicher once again. This time, from 6-yds out to make it 48-0 Dragons at the half.

The Dragons picked up where they left off in the 1st half as they started the 3rd quarter with the football, & ended their first drive of the 2nd half with points as Streicher (now in at QB), strolled in from 7-yds out for his 3rd TD of the game & we would head to the 4th, with Pickens ahead of LaFayette, 55-0. The Ramblers got their first points of the game at the 10:27 mark of the 4th after a 4-yd TD run to make it 55-7 Dragons. The ensuing kickoff was a short pooch kick, & it was fielded by Hawkins, who then took it the distance for the touchdown making it 62-7 Pickens. Your final from Jasper would be 62-7.

With the win, the Dragons move closer to securing a playoff spot. With Southeast Whitfield’s win over Northwest Whitfield last night, that puts Pickens in 3rd for the moment. Next week, the Dragons will travel to Heritage to take on the Generals in what is more than likely, the biggest game of the whole region schedule. With a win next week over Heritage, the Dragons will vault into the #2 seed of region 6, & host a playoff game. A loss, makes things a lot more crowded & a lot more complicated.