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Written by Caleb Thomas Courtesy of the Troy Messenger

Pike County (3-5, 3-2) lost to the Straughn Tigers (4-3, 4-1) 24-0 in a region matchup. The Bulldogs battled defensively, but Straughn broke the game open with a dominant second half.

Both squads played a tough brand of defense, especially in the first half. The Tigers held Pike County to just 70 yards of total offense in the first half.

Senior Quentavian Carter was a bright spot for the Bulldogs, rushing for 41 yards on 6 carries on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Carter proved pesky for Straughn. He recorded two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.

It was an uneventful first half, with both teams punting back and forth throughout the majority of the opening frames. The Tigers went for a fourth and short in the second quarter as they looked to get a spark, but the run play was stuffed by Gavin Mortellaro.

However, the Bulldogs were unable to get any momentum on offense.

With just under a minute left in the half, Straughn got some momentum. A 17-yard run by the Tigers was extended by a Pike County penalty, and they quickly capitalized.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Toole pulled in a 33-yard reception, and the Tigers scored a few plays later on a 7-yard touchdown catch from Clark Gay. They took the 7-0 lead into the locker room after scoring with just 34 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Tigers opened the second half with a long drive to wear down the Bulldogs defense. Freshman quarterback Tate Watson picked up a third down conversion with a 20-yard scramble, and then found tight end Dewayne Jordan for an 11-yard pickup to get another third down.

The six minute, 25 second drive ended in a field goal to make it 10-0 Tigers.

Pike County tried to punch back with a drive of their own. A few solid runs pushed the ball down the field, but the Bulldogs faced a fourth-and-one with a loud contingent of Tiger fans making the trip to Brundidge.

Ultimately, Pike County was denied at the Straughn 36-yard line, turning all the momentum in Straughn’s favor. The Tigers immediately followed up the stop with a 54-yard pickup to get the ball down to the Pike County five-yard line.

With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs got a tackle for loss to make it fourth and goal from the seven-yard line. However, Watson stood in the pocket and delivered a strike to put the game out of reach, 17-0.

The Bulldogs again faced a fourth and short situation in Tiger territory, but couldn’t convert as Carter came up just short on a reception.

After the stop, Straughn broke the game open with a 72-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0, and picked off Pike County quarterback Azhoree Eutsey to seal the deal.

The Bulldogs put together a gritty drive to end the game, but came up short again. Braylin Jackson made a few big catches to help the Bulldogs drive, and finished with three catches for 58 yards.

Straughn’s defense came up with a strip sack to end the game and run the clock out.

The Tigers return home next week and welcome New Brockton (3-5, 2-3) on Friday, Oct. 18.