Swainsboro vs. Fitzgerald (Round 2 State Football Playoffs)
By: TROUP BRINSON
The Forest Blade
The Swainsboro Tigers fought to within a point of Fitzgerald in the 4th quarter Friday night, but the final 10 minutes belonged to the Purple Hurricane as they nailed the coffin shut with 4 additional touchdowns to advance in the state playoffs, 64-36.
Swainsboro has no reason to hang their heads. They wanted to get in a dog fight with Fitzgerald and that’s exactly what they treated their fans to. Despite the lopsided final score, this game was a war from the opening kick.
Kick returner/ wide receiver Lynquez Blair took the opening kickoff to midfield and the Tigers were in business. On 3rd and 11, QB Malcolm Eady burst through the Hurricane defense for a 40 yard run down to the 11 yard line. Eady then lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone where WR Jemerico Bell made a terrific over the shoulder catch for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Fitzgerald’s vaunted offense ignited at this point. Averaging 46 points per game, the Hurricane scored on their first three possessions to take a 23-7 lead with 9:19 of the second quarter. Swainsboro’s defense responded and created some momentum for the Tigers by creating two turnovers. Eady converted those miscues into points with a 9 yard touchdown run and a 10 yard touchdown pass to Blair in the closing minutes of the first half to tighten the score to 23-21 at the break.
To start the 2nd half, both defenses forced three and out punts and one could wonder if halftime adjustments might give the scoreboard a rest. However, Fitzgerald would turn to their star playmaker, Vanderbilt commitment Trenton Pruitt and he delivered with a 41 yard touchdown reception to lengthen the lead to 30-21. Three minutes later, the Tigers answered on a 20 yard touchdown run by Eady and the Tigers were down two points once again.
Fitzgerald wouldn’t let up as they found the end zone once again with a 6 yard touchdown run and time was growing short as the Tigers faced a 37-28 deficit at the 10:14 mark in the 4th quarter. Of course, these Tigers were equal to the task as Blair turned a 10 yard pass reception into a brilliant 65 yard touchdown play. The drive took all of 12 seconds from the clock but Swainsboro sensing the urgency added a two point conversion to close to 37-36 with 10:12 remaining in this wild affair.
However, the juggernaut that is Fitzgerald’s offense was just hitting its stride and scored the final 4 touchdowns to provide the final separation. The Swainsboro defense, as cohesive and fundamental a unit as Tigers fans have seen in years, broke under the constant pressure from Fitzgerald’s relentless attack.
Swainsboro’s Head Coach Scott Roberts admitted that this offense was one of a kind. “I've never faced an offense that had that many quality weapons and a quarterback that puts it on the money every time,†said Roberts. Going into the game they had four running backs that combined to average over 13 yards per carry on the season. I've never heard of that before.â€
Malcolm Eady played with the ferocity and fearlessness that Tiger fans have come to expect from this black and gold clad warrior. In his final football game for the Tigers, Eady carried the ball 25 times for 176 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Lynqez Blair also matched the effort as the junior WR pulled in 6 catches for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also returned 3 kickoffs to midfield to put the offense in striking distance.
“I'm extremely proud of the effort and heart our kids played with during the game,†said Coach Roberts. When we were down 23-7, our kids never flinched. They fought with everything they had to get back in the game and left it all on the field. As disappointed as I am with the loss, I know that our kids and coaches did everything they could to win.â€
The Tigers close out the season with a final record of 10-2. Congratulations to the players and coaching staff on an entertaining and successful season. Keep hammerin’!
Swainsboro has no reason to hang their heads. They wanted to get in a dog fight with Fitzgerald and that’s exactly what they treated their fans to. Despite the lopsided final score, this game was a war from the opening kick.
Kick returner/ wide receiver Lynquez Blair took the opening kickoff to midfield and the Tigers were in business. On 3rd and 11, QB Malcolm Eady burst through the Hurricane defense for a 40 yard run down to the 11 yard line. Eady then lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone where WR Jemerico Bell made a terrific over the shoulder catch for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Fitzgerald’s vaunted offense ignited at this point. Averaging 46 points per game, the Hurricane scored on their first three possessions to take a 23-7 lead with 9:19 of the second quarter. Swainsboro’s defense responded and created some momentum for the Tigers by creating two turnovers. Eady converted those miscues into points with a 9 yard touchdown run and a 10 yard touchdown pass to Blair in the closing minutes of the first half to tighten the score to 23-21 at the break.
To start the 2nd half, both defenses forced three and out punts and one could wonder if halftime adjustments might give the scoreboard a rest. However, Fitzgerald would turn to their star playmaker, Vanderbilt commitment Trenton Pruitt and he delivered with a 41 yard touchdown reception to lengthen the lead to 30-21. Three minutes later, the Tigers answered on a 20 yard touchdown run by Eady and the Tigers were down two points once again.
Fitzgerald wouldn’t let up as they found the end zone once again with a 6 yard touchdown run and time was growing short as the Tigers faced a 37-28 deficit at the 10:14 mark in the 4th quarter. Of course, these Tigers were equal to the task as Blair turned a 10 yard pass reception into a brilliant 65 yard touchdown play. The drive took all of 12 seconds from the clock but Swainsboro sensing the urgency added a two point conversion to close to 37-36 with 10:12 remaining in this wild affair.
However, the juggernaut that is Fitzgerald’s offense was just hitting its stride and scored the final 4 touchdowns to provide the final separation. The Swainsboro defense, as cohesive and fundamental a unit as Tigers fans have seen in years, broke under the constant pressure from Fitzgerald’s relentless attack.
Swainsboro’s Head Coach Scott Roberts admitted that this offense was one of a kind. “I've never faced an offense that had that many quality weapons and a quarterback that puts it on the money every time,†said Roberts. Going into the game they had four running backs that combined to average over 13 yards per carry on the season. I've never heard of that before.â€
Malcolm Eady played with the ferocity and fearlessness that Tiger fans have come to expect from this black and gold clad warrior. In his final football game for the Tigers, Eady carried the ball 25 times for 176 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns. Lynqez Blair also matched the effort as the junior WR pulled in 6 catches for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also returned 3 kickoffs to midfield to put the offense in striking distance.
“I'm extremely proud of the effort and heart our kids played with during the game,†said Coach Roberts. When we were down 23-7, our kids never flinched. They fought with everything they had to get back in the game and left it all on the field. As disappointed as I am with the loss, I know that our kids and coaches did everything they could to win.â€
The Tigers close out the season with a final record of 10-2. Congratulations to the players and coaching staff on an entertaining and successful season. Keep hammerin’!
