Scoreboard: Mary Persons takes down Peach County 13-7 in the rain, plus other scores
A steady, misting rain did little to dampen the spirits of the Mary Persons crowd assembled at Dan Pitts Stadium in Forsyth as the Bulldogs earned a gritty 13-7 win against the Peach County Trojans on their senior night Friday.
Star running back Duke Watson proved to be the difference in a contest that centered around the ground game. He struck for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the only points Mary Persons would need.
“Wet, misty, rainy, you know, you gotta run the ball,” Bulldogs head coach Brian Nelson explained after the game. “And when you gotta run the ball, having a guy like Duke Watson ain’t the worst thing in the world to have.”
All the big motivators were there for Mary Persons in its final home game of the year. Standout alumnus Malik Herring, now a reserve defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, was on hand for senior night and in the locker room with the team.
“Like I told the guys, the dude played in an NFL football game less than 24 hours ago. He could be doing a million different things, but what’s he wanna do? He comes back here to support his hometown football team,” Nelson said. “I think that gets our guys kinda juiced up when he comes around.”
In what was a defensive standoff, neither team scored until the fourth quarter. However, the rushing game and offensive line made the difference for Mary Persons. The Bulldogs moved to 6-1 headed into an off week, while Peach County fell to 2-5.
A special senior night
Neither team had a drive reach the red zone until the very end of the second quarter in a slow-moving first half. The dreary elements combined with a muddy field and stout defenses forced both teams to try and execute on the ground, but the offenses struggled to build momentum.
Penalties played a role in the low-scoring duel as well. Each team’s offensive line had trouble with false starts throughout the contest.
The Trojans came closest to scoring in the final two minutes of the half, but a strip sack by Mary Persons on the final play of the second quarter kept the game scoreless headed into the break.
The third quarter featured more of the same as the game remained scoreless. The Bulldogs threatened to score when they lined up for a field goal with about six minutes left in the quarter, but the Trojans sneaked past the blockers and deflected the kick before it could get airborne.
Mary Persons finally did break through in the fourth quarter, though, when Watson tore through the defensive line and struck for a 23-yard score to put Mary Persons up 7-0 on the first play. Watson struck again with about 7:45 to play, scoring from eight yards out. A missed PAT made it 13-0.
The Trojans made the game interesting late, scoring with about four minutes to play and recovering their own onside kick. They failed to score a second touchdown, however, as a hook-and-ladder play failed as time expired to give the Bulldogs the win.
Other scores
- Jones County 35, Dutchtown 28
- Perry 33, Baldwin 16
- Upson-Lee 43, Jackson 0
- Tattnall 47, Mount de Sales 14
- John Milledge 40, Stratford 6
- Brookstone 64, Crawford County 16
- Spalding 43, West Laurens 6
- Wilkinson County 28, Twiggs County 0
- Swainsboro 63, East Laurens 0
- Westside 29, Griffin 16 (Thurs.)