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Straughn made a goal-line stand on the final play of the game and held on for a wild homecoming win against Ashford, 21-14, in a back-and-forth region matchup Friday night.

The Tigers move to 3-3 overall and 3-1 in 4A Region 2, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 2-5 and 2-2.

“The first two words that come to mind right now are super proud,” Head Coach Garrett Windham said. “We talked about this game being a blow-for-blow and wanted to win it in the fourth quarter, which is exactly what we did. These guys laid their guts on the line, especially on homecoming in front of this crowd. It was pretty special to see, and we earned a huge region win.”

Ashford began the game at the opposing 47-yard line and picked up two first downs inside the red zone. Straughn’s defense passed an early test when Clark Gay made a huge tackle for a turnover on downs.

Pinned at their own 2-yard line, the Tigers moved the chains twice on two runs by Charlie Jordan before the drive stalled. Braylon Bigham had a first-down carry of 12 yards, but the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on downs after a stop by Charlie Jordan.

Cameron Adams earned 13 yards and a first down on the final play of the first with both teams still scoreless. Jordan converted a third-and-6 with a 7-yard run and kept the drive alive before a 47-yard field goal attempt was no good with 8:20 left until halftime.

Coy Paramore recorded three straight first-down carries on the next possession for Ashford. Brayden Gunter then dropped Bigham for a 6-yard loss, and Clark Jordan forced fourth down with a clutch tackle. A bad snap and intentional grounding penalty on the punt attempt gave Straughn the ball at the opposition’s 11-yard line.

Adams capped a three-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Brenden Bartholomew added the PAT for a 7-0 lead at the 3:10 mark of the second quarter. Ashford responded right back on four plays when Paramore found Xavion Johnson on a 64-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good and made the score 7-7 at halftime.

Adams returned the second-half kickoff to the opposing 43-yard line. Charlie Jordan converted another third down and finished a seven-play drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. Bartholomew split the uprights as the Tigers took a 14-7 lead with 8:43 to go in the third.

The ensuing kickoff was returned for a touchdown, but it was nullified due to a block in the back penalty. The Yellow Jackets faced a fourth-and-12 but broke even when Paramore threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Tylan Peterman. The PAT was good and tied the score at 14-14 at the 5:33 point.

Mack McIntyre had a big kickoff return to the 46-yard line, but Straughn went three-and-out. Cade Pittman pinned the visitors deep at their own 5-yard line. Gay came up with a huge third-down sack as Ashford also had to punt.

A shanked punt gave the Tigers the ball at the visiting 21-yard line at the end of the third quarter. After Charlie Jordan converted a fourth-and-1 with a 3-yard carry, Adams crossed the goal line from four yards out. Bartholomew was true once again for a 21-14 lead with 10:05 remaining in the game.

Hunter McBride made a huge tackle on the kickoff as the Yellow Jackets started their next drive at their own 28-yard line. Paramore had a 27-yard run to the home 12-yard line before Adams broke up a second-down pass. Bigham followed with two runs, but the defense rose up and regained possession at the 4:15 mark of the fourth.

Starting at the 4-yard line, Adams opened the next drive with two runs. Charlie Jordan converted a third-and-2 before a costly fumble gave Ashford the ball at the Straughn 9-yard line with 1:34 to go.

Gunter delivered a huge sack for a 6-yard loss on first down before Paramore had an 11-yard run to the 4-yard line. Pittman followed with the biggest tackle yet and stopped Paramore on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line as time expired.

Straughn travels to Pike County (3-3, 3-1) for another critical region game on Friday, Oct. 11.

“This win puts us in a good spot for the region, but we have to go to Brundidge now. They are a very talented football team with tremendous athletes and play in a tough environment. We will celebrate this win tonight and get ready for Pike County on Sunday,” Windham said.