Jasper, Ga — There is a lot going on this weekend in Jasper with it being a Holiday weekend and also the annual Jeep Fest. The main attraction however, is the Pickens vs Gilmer game that took place on August 30th. The Bobcats came away with the win in Ellijay last year, and the Dragons were looking to return the favor. As expected, this game was back and forth all game long. The Bobcats, would survive an overtime thriller picking up the 35-34 win.

On their first play from scrimmage, the Bobcats wasted little time getting on the board as Kyle Cowart took the pitch from Issac Rellinger 77 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was good and with 11:33 left in the first quarter, the Bobcats held a 7-0 advantage. Cowart, would make his presence known on the defensive side of the ball as he would pick off the pass attempt from Hayden Jones and return it near midfield. The Bobcats, would make their way down field with that triple option offense looking to extend their lead.

The Dragons, finally picked up a little momentum as the defense forced a fumble at the 2-yd line with Hunter Dimauro recovering the ball. Late in the first quarter, the Dragons, had a sustained drive going that started on their own 2-yd line. The Bobcats, would recover a fumble inside the 10 to put an end to that drive. Going to the second quarter, Gilmer led Pickens, 7-0.

The Dragons defense, would force a Bobcat punt early on in the second quarter. After a low snap, the knee of punter Douglas Callihan, was determined to be down at the Bobcat 1-yd line. That’s where the Dragons took over as Landon Poole, would score to cut the Bobcat lead to 1. The PAT from McCord Purdy was good, and with 10:23 left in the first half, the game was all tied up at 7. The Bobcats, would untie the game at the 8:28 mark of the second quarter with a 5-yd TD run by Hunter Britain to make it 14-7 Gilmer.

The Bobcats, would extend their lead later on in the quarter as Rellinger found Callihan for a 34-yd TD pass. The PAT was good and with 1:09 left in the first half, the Bobcats held a 21-7 lead. With little time left in the half, the Dragons marched down the field, and capped off the drive with a 1-yd TD run by McCord Purdy. Purdy would then make the PAT, to make it 21-14 Gilmer heading into halftime.

The second half began in exciting fashion as McCord Purdy would take the kickoff back 90 yards for the touchdown. He would connect on the PAT to tie the game at 21 with 11:42 left in the third quarter. No other scoring would be done in the quarter as both teams were able to get stops. The Dragons, were driving as they headed to the fourth.

To start the fourth quarter, Hayden Jones broke a few tackles on the way to a big 36-yd run down to the Bobcat 27-yd line. After an intentional grounding penalty, the Dragons would be forced to punt, and the Bobcats would takeover at their own 21-yd line. A big run by Rellinger helped set up what would end up being a 20-yd TD run by Rellinger. The PAT was good and with 8:18 left in the game, the Bobcats led it, 28-21.

The Dragons, knew they needed an answer and they got one in the form of the Purdy brothers. Jones, would hand the ball off to Carson Mitton, who then tossed it to McCord Purdy on what looked like a reverse run play. Instead, McCord threw it to younger brother Sawyer, who was wide open down the field for a 54-yd TD pass. The PAT by McCord was good and with 6:29 left in the game, the Dragons and Bobcats were tied at 28.

The Bobcats, would chew up a lot of game time as they looked to drive down for a potential game winning field goal. With 31 seconds left, the Bobcats set up dead center for the field goal attempt. The kick would be pushed wide left, and the two teams would be heading into overtime.

The Bobcats, got the ball to start the overtime period. Wyatt Stokes, would cap off the drive with a 1-yd TD run. The PAT was good and Gilmer led it, 35-28. The Dragons, would get into the end zone after a 5-yd run by Poole. Dragons head coach Craig Bennett, made the decision to go for two and the win. The pass by Jones would fall short in the end zone and the Bobcats would hang on to win, 35-34.

The Dragons, finish the non-region portion of the schedule at 2-1. If you’re a Dragon fan, I’d say you’d be satisfied with that record heading into region play. The Dragons, will now have two weeks to prepare for region play when they host the White County Warriors on Friday, September 13th. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.