Florala’s Wildcats fell 33-14 to Samson’s Tigers and their own former head coach Friday night.

It was the first regular season game at which Chris Buckler was calling Florala’s plays; similarly, Stan Gooden was on the Samson sidelines for the first time.

And Gooden’s Tigers put on a show, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Samson scored first on a 50-yard fumble recovery. The Wildcat drive began on a 15-yard Austin McNeill pass, followed by a 25-yard pass to Brock Goodwin. But McNeill fumbled with 7:50 left in the first quarter and Samson’s Tyler Thompson recovered for the score. The point-after was good, and the Tigers were up 7-0.

Samson’s Williams Baldwin scored on a 12-yard run up the middle to advance the Tigers to 13-0. The PAT was no good.

Both teams were plagued with turnovers in the second quarter. With 8:56 left, Wilfred Smith intercepted a McNeill pass and returned the to Wildcat 2, where Florala was able to mount a successful defense.

Later in the second, Samson’s Hunter Aplin scored the Tigers’ third TD, and the first half ended, 19-0.

Fresh out of the locker rooms, Samson’s William Baldwin ran 60 yards to score. Florala blocked a two-point attempt, and the Tigers were up 25-0 with 10:50 left in the third.

The next score was set up when Florala punted from the 15. The ball was fumbled by Samson and recovered by FHS’s Brock Goodwin. The recovery, coupled with a roughing the kicker penalty against the men from “Snuff City,” put the ‘Cats into scoring range. The Wildcats’ Zac Fleming scored a 65-yard touchdown with 2:45 left in the third. The point-after was no good, and FHS still trailed, 25-6.

In the final quarter of the game, Aplin rushed for another Tiger TD. This time, the conversion was good and the Tigers were up 33-6.

In the final minutes of the game, Florala’s Hunter Oswald scored on a 12-yard run. McNeill kept and went up the middle for a two-point conversion, ending the scoring at 33-14.