The Swainsboro Tigers’ modest two game winning streak came to an end Friday night as the undefeated Dublin Irish came to town and rolled to a 48-14 victory.  Swainsboro (2-5) was unable to find an answer for Dublin’s rushing attack as the Irish amassed 256 yards on the ground.  

   Early on, special teams played a big role in the scoring as the Irish returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Tigers’ 30 yard line.  A 13 yard touchdown run and extra point with 9:34 to go in the 1st quarter made it 7-0.   The Tigers answered back in a big way as returner Jemerico Bell took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a game tying touchdown and the Tigers looked as if they were ready for a war.  However, Dublin was following a different script and their offense picked up speed and Swainsboro’s never got going.  

   Dublin scored again in the 1st quarter on a 25 yard run to take the lead for good.  The second quarter belonged to the Irish, scoring 3 touchdowns to take a 35-7 halftime lead.  The Tigers could neither slow down the running game nor the passing game (123 yards) and the mid game break awarded them some time for soul searching.  

   The Tigers came back in the 3rd quarter determined to answer the bell in lieu of being completely embarrassed on their home field.  They forced Dublin to punt for the first time early in the quarter and then went on their own scoring drive.  QB Deantae Johnson pushed ahead for a 1 yard score and extra point to pull to 35-14 with 3:55 on the clock.  Dublin answered back with a touchdown less than two minutes later for a 42-14 lead.  

   The 4th quarter was uneventful, though a late fumble turned into a touchdown to close the game and Dublin walked away with a resounding victory.  

   The Tigers’ 32 rushes only netted 65 yards, their worst results of the season.  RB Quan Gardner led the way 49 yards on 14 carries.  QB Johnson had his best game of his tenure, completing 8 passes for 92 yards.  The most impressive part of his game will not show up in the stat book, though.  Johnson was a master at eluding rushers (and they were frequent and constant) and buying time to either pick up yards with his feet or find an open receiver.  It is obvious that the QB is getting more comfortable and he is becoming more of a weapon with the ball in his hands.  He need only to avoid forcing passes into tight coverage or scrambling into situations where a bad play becomes a disastrous play (as happened on the final play of the game).  

   The Tigers will need to win their remaining 3 games of the season to stand a chance at making the playoffs.  Bleckley County, Screven County, and Laney are what’s left on the schedule.  Bleckley County showed the region that they are for real as they knocked off a very strong Laney team last Friday night, 38-36.  The Royals surrendered a double digit lead in the 4th quarter but were able to answer with a 28 yard field goal in the waning seconds to secure the important win and take over sole possession of 2nd place in the region.