Dragons drop high scoring affair against GAC

Jasper, Ga — It was a cool, brisk evening on Friday, October 24th as the Pickens Dragons took on the Greater Atlanta Christian School Spartans in what was a key game for both teams in 6-AAA. Both Pickens and GAC came into the game tied for 2nd in the standings and were looking to get one step closer to potentially hosting a playoff game. The two teams would combine to score 84 points on the night as the Spartans would come away with a 49-35 win.

The Dragons, would win the toss and elect to differ to the second half. After converting several third downs on their opening drive, the Spartans, would strike first after an 11-yd touchdown pass. The PAT was good and with 7:59 left in the first quarter, GAC led Pickens, 7-0. The Dragons, would lean on their run game in their first possession of the ball game as they mixed in runs from Ike Wyngaard and Cal Morrison.

Morrison, would cap off the drive with a 1-yd touchdown run. The PAT was good and with 3:44 left in the first quarter, the Dragons and Spartans were tied at 7. The defense for the Dragons, would come up big during the next possession for the Spartans as Hunter Atkins would pick off the pass attempt and give the offense great starting field position on the run back.

The Dragons, would cash in on that turnover as Wyngaard would run it in from 33-yds out. The PAT was good, and as they headed to the second quarter, the Dragons led the Spartans, 14-7.

The Spartans, would tie things up with 8:26 to go in the first half after a 1-yd touchdown run. The Freshman, Cal Morrison, would once again find the end zone after a 2-yd run to put the Dragons back on top 21-14 with 4:04 left in the first half. The Spartans, would use up most of the time left on the clock during their next possession as they cashed in with a 26-yd touchdown pass. At the half, the Dragons and Spartans were tied at 21.

The Dragons, would go three and out on their first possession to start the second half. The Spartans, would retake the lead after a 57-yd touchdown pass to make it 28-21 with 9:05 left in the third. The Dragons, would answer back with a 5-yd touchdown run by Wyngaard. His 2nd of the game. With 5:06 left in the third quarter, the ball game was all tied up at 28.

The Spartans, would only use 2 minutes of game time as they would retake the lead after a 15-yd touchdown run. With 3:06 left in the third, GAC led Pickens, 35-28. After being backed up to start their next possession, the Dragons, pick up a huge play as Tanner Bail would connect with Hayden Jones, who snatched the ball over a GAC defender, for a 92-yd touchdown pass. The game was tied at 35 with 2:10 left to go in the third.

The Spartans, would reclaim the lead after a 60-yd touchdown pass. The PAT was good and they would head into the fourth quarter with GAC in front, 42-35.

GAC, would add to their lead after a rushing touchdown by the quarterback, would extend the Spartan lead out to 49-35 with 7:03 left in the game. Later on in the fourth, the Dragons, would look to cut the lead in half, but the Dragons were unable to convert on fourth down and the Spartans would run out the rest of the clock as they picked up a 49-35 win.

6-AAA Standings:

North Hall: 9-0 (6-0)

GAC: 7-2 (5-1)

Pickens: 7-2 (4-2)

Dawson: 4-5 (3-3)

Lumpkin: 5-4 (3-3)

White County: 2-7 (2-4)

Chestatee: 3-6 (1-5)

Johnson-Gainesville: 0-9 (0-6)

The Dragons, will be on the road next week for the regular season finale as they travel to take on the Lumpkin Indians on Friday, October 31st. It will be a critical game for both teams. There will also be eyes from Pickens and Lumpkin on the Dawson/North Hall game next Friday night as there is a possibility Pickens/Dawson/Lumpkin all end up 4-3 in region play. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.