Bulldogs finish off Red Devils for title

8-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP

STRONG 66, MOUNTAIN PINE 60, 2OT

With his captain headed out to midfield for the overtime coin toss, Strong Coach Sirl Wright went into teacher mode.

He wasn’t sure how many of his players knew how the extra session worked, so Wright wanted to be sure they had the rules down pat.

By the time Treveon Daniels was busting it across the goal line a few minutes later, the Bulldogs understood overtime plenty well.

Strong came from 18 points down with fewer than 10 minutes remaining Thursday, sending the inaugural 8-man state championship to overtime before edging Mountain Pine 66-60 in double overtime at War Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs had a 22-6 lead shortly before halftime but let the Red Devils back into the game with a string of six touchdowns in seven possessions.

“This was a hell of a game for everyone to realize that 8-man is real football,” Wright said. “It was a grind all the way to the end.”

After Brice Langley’s 1-yard rush put Mountain Pine up 52-34, Strong (11-0) needed only seven plays and 2:23 to answer with a touchdown. Game MVP LaQuincy Shelton — 17-of-27 passing for 246 yards with 5 touchdowns — tossed 26 yards to the end zone, deflecting off a Red Devil defender and into the arms of his cousin, freshman Shundarius Shelton.

The teams then traded turnovers, setting up Mountain Pine (8-4) inside their own 5. A pair of penalties backed the Red Devils up toward their own end zone and the Bulldogs made them pay, with Daniels bringing down Keelan Dobbins for a safety.

LaQuincy Shelton marched Strong down the field for the tying score at 52-52 with 2:11, and while the Red Devils got inside the Bulldog 10 on the ensuing kickoff, they couldn’t punch in the game-winning score, going backward instead of forward and sending things to overtime.

“They changed up their defense,” Mountain Pine Coach Sam Counce said of the crucial series. “[Strong] was pretty quick off the ends and we couldn’t keep up with them.”

The teams managed touchdowns and two-point conversions in the opening overtime session, leading to a second extra period.

With the choice to choose offense or defense, the Bulldogs opted to defend first. They stopped the Red Devils on fourth down and on the very next play, Daniels walked in for the game-winner.