Red Devils post thriller over Pilots

While the South Fulton Red Devils and Fulton County Pilots were playing football last Friday night, it was an old baseball stars analogy that came into play.

“It ain’t over til it’s over”.

Trailing by 18-points twice on the night, the Red Devils rallied at home in double-overtime to stun the visiting Pilots 36-30.

“We never gave up and that is what I told them,” said coach Eric Knott after the game. “ In the locker room, I said there is going to be a storm at the very beginning. You have got to weather that storm and fight through it, and that is what we did.”

The game, which lasted over three hours, got off to a big start for South Fulton, as Dalton Gray took the opening kickoff 85-yards for a touchdown.

Following this score, the Pilots countered with running back Caleb Kimble, who crossed the goal line three times in the first quarter.

Kimble reached pay dirt on runs of three-yards,12-yards and 61-yards, for an 18-6 Fulton County lead.

In the second quarter, the Pilots were forced with a different look offensively, as Kimble was sidelined for the night after suffering a slight concussion.

Despite his absence, Fulton County took a 24-6 advantage, when Josh Cole scampered into the endzone from 13 yards out.

Coach Knott’s group was able to cut into the lead at the 2:46 mark before halftime, when Bryce McFarland connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Rider Whitehead.

In the second half, the Pilots again went on top by 18-points, when sophomore Diavian Bradley scored on a nine yard run at the 8:22 mark of the third quarter.

Little did anyone know that this would be the last score of the night for Fulton County.

With 2:17 left in the third period, it was again the combination of McFarland to Whitehead for a 16-yard touchdown and 30-18 score.

The fourth quarter scoring belonged to South Fulton, with Greg Davis scoring at the 6:31 mark on a three-yard run, and Whitehead catching his third touchdown pass to tie the game at 30-30 with :33 in regulation.
Fulton County did have a chance to win the game with seconds remaining, but a 35-yard field goal was no good.

In the overtime session, neither team scored on their first possession, but the Red Devils put their first win in the books in the second period with a 10-yard touchdown by Davis.

“I am just so happy for the kids and the heart they showed, because we had every opportunity to go in the tank and we didn’t,” said coach Knott. “”The kids didn’t panic and we didn’t panic. That is why we do the up downs. This is why we do the work in the summer. That is why. We did just what South Fulton does. In the end the team that runs the ball best and stops the run is the one who wins the ballgame. That is just what we did. We came up big with two stops at the end of the game and then just kept fighting. Defensively we stepped up and put some young kids in some spots that they had not played before. We were looking to add some quickness and coach (Brent) Wilson did a fantastic job of fixing things when they were broke. I am proud of them. So proud of them.”

The loss for Fulton County dropped them to (1-1), with coach James Bridges calling it a tough night.

“Where do you start at. It was a tough one, but we are tough. These kids are tough. They will battle back, it’s alright.”

Coach Bridges was asked about the impact on the team, when Kimble was forced to the sidelines after an explosive first quarter.

“Well it didn’t really. We knew Josh could run the ball, we knew Diavian could run the ball. We gave it to them and they scored. We scored when we needed to. Towards the end we just got wore out.”

After a big night of extra points after touchdowns in their opening win, the Pilots failed to convert any points against the Red Devils.

“As far as the extra points, last week we made them and had a holder who knew what they were doing,” said Bridges. “After he went out, I was thinking I should have practiced someone else. But when you think about Dylan (Hammond) and Jordan (Pirtle), who knows how to kick the ball, they both hold the ball when they are practicing. Course we had some bad snaps, but we should have had a field goal and won the game.”

In game statistics, the Pilots led in total offense with 369 yards, while the Red Devils posted 315 yards.

Fulton County rushed for 297 yards, compared to South Fulton’s 130, with the Red Devils penalized 112 yards to the Pilots 84.

Individually, the Pilots Caleb Kimble led all rushers with 134 yards, while Josh Cole added 127.

Greg Davis led the Red Devils with 109 yards, with quarterback Bryce McFarland throwing for 185 yards.

This week, Greenfield is at South Fulton, while Fulton County plays at Fulton City.