From BleckleyProgress.com

High School Sports
Royals edge Tigers to claim region title. ***Offensive stats added***
By Dave Whitaker
Oct 28, 2023, 20:22

While BCHS has had home games to determine whether they’d make the playoffs, having a home game to determine a region champion was a different story. Friday’s contest was one of the biggest in school history..

Markeze Brown tries to wrap up a player.


According to Georgia High School Football Historians, BC had won just three out of the past nine previous matchups against the Tigers. Last night’s game got off to a rough start as Swainsboro connected on a 73-yard touchdown pass with 10:08 left in the first.

Dykes Pharmacy/Needle N/A Haystack were Friday's game sponsors. Touchdown Club President Jennifer Childers presented a game ball to Needle N/A Haystack owner Dani Dykes.


The game clock would go out before the end of the first quarter. With 2:10 left in the half, the Tigers used a reverse to go up 14-0. BC finally got on the board in the final minute when Kam Everett connected with Markeze Brown on a 34-yard touchdown.

Bleckley trailed 14-7 at the half. With 3:44 left in the third, Everett hit Marcus Newson on a 22-yard pass to tie the game. In the fourth, set up by a 66-yard run and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the defense, Swainsboro retook the lead on a 6-yard touchdown run with 8:19 left.

Iverson Baker is among several players in on the stop.


The extra point was missed though. BC got the ball back with under three minutes left on their own 40. They got to the 10 in the final minute. It appeared the Tiger defense had forced BC to for it on fourth down, but Swainsboro was flagged for calling timeout when they had none left.

This sack by Amarian Burns helped seal the win.


That penalty was half the distance to the goal. With 17 seconds remaining, Everett scored from five yards out. Ford Childers made the PAT. Bleckley’s defense stopped any thought of a last-second Tiger rally as the Royals won the second region title in school history, 21-20.

Everett was 9 of 14 for 126 yards. Josh Stanley, Jr. rushed for 159 yards on 21 carries.

BCHS will open the playoffs at home the weekend of November 10.


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