Second-half explosion sends Ringgold to 3-0
Landon Eaker boots winning field goal with 8.7 seconds remaining
Ringgold High School didn’t need long to score each time they put up points on the road at North Murray on Friday night, so the Tigers had to feel confident with the ball in a tie game with just over a minute left.
The game was tied at 28 when
Ringgold’s Marcus Fortson picked off Mountaineer quarterback Seth Griffin on the North Murray 44 and, just like they had on each of their previous scoring drives, the Tigers moved quickly. A few plays later, Ringgold kicker Landon Eaker was setting up for a 43-yard field goal with 8.7 seconds left.
The ball just eked over the crossbar, and a game that appeared to be securely in North Murray’s hands several times went instead to Ringgold, 31-28.
The scoring drives were quick for Ringgold, but it took them a long time to put the first one together.
The Mountaineer defense stymied
the Tigers a few times in the first half of the Region 6-AAA opener for both teams, picking off one Mason Parker pass and locking down on another Ringgold drive that started at the Tigers’ 1-yard line.
Meanwhile, Griffin was making plays down the field through the air, and North Murray held a 14-0 lead after a Devin Hunte 2-yard plunge and a 23-yard Griffin strike
to Michael McDade.
North Murray seemed poised to go up 21-0 late in the first half, but a Coleton Carlock pounced on a fumble inside the Ringgold 5-yard line and the score remained 14-0 at the break.
Once the second half opened, the quick-strike Tiger offense made its first appearance.
Ringgold needed less than a minute after receiving the opening kickoff to march down the field, with Parker finishing the drive on a 26-yard touchdown run.
The Mountaineers struck
back after another deep Griffin pass to McDade got North Murray inside the 5-yard line, and Griffin powered his way in from two yards out to make the score 21-7.
Then, it was an in-rhythm Ringgold offense’s turn, and Peyton Williams busted through for a long run to set up a 5-yard TD run by Dumas with 1:55 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, North Murray’s Owen Hannah punted for just the second time on the night, with both kicks being downed at the Ringgold 1-yard line. The Tigers couldn’t
move the ball the first time it happened in the first half, but they needed just four plays to traverse the 99 yards in the second half as the final 79 came on a TD scamper by Williams.
On the Mountaineers’ ensuing possession, Griffin hit a twisting Jadyn Rice, who somehow turned mid-air to catch the ball before backing his way into the end zone while draped by a defender for a touchdown with 2:55 to go. North Murray led 28-21.
Yet another quick Ringgold scoring drive, this one in two
plays, ended with a 31-yard Dumas run to tie the game with 2:25 left. Then, after Fortson picked Griffin with 1:11 to play, Eaker was free to boot the gamewinner.
Williams had a monster night, especially in the second half. He finished with 233 yards rushing on just 11 carries, hauled in three catches for 60 yards and added a 45-yard kick
return. Kori Dumas picked up 105 yards on 14 carries, while Parker was 5 of 14 in the air for 72 yards, but was picked twice.
The Ringgold offense finished with 383 total yards, 313 coming in the second half alone. The Tigers ran just 22 plays in the second half and had the ball for only 5:43 over the final two quarters. Cole Carlock had a fumble recovery and 2.5 tackles for loss to aid the defense.
Ringgold (3-0, 1-0) will be back at Don Patterson Field this Friday to host LFO.