It took a little longer than they would have liked, but the Long County Blue Tide football team secured their fifth win of the season with a 49-22 win over Windsor Forest on Friday night.
It was a battle in the first quarter with the Tide taking an early 14-0 lead. The first touchdown came after sophomore TJ Grayson had some good runs on the Tide’s second drive.
After a short punt that got caught by the wind and pushed backwards, the Tide had the ball at the Knights 31. Grayson had runs of 11, 8, and eventually the drive-capping 6-yard plunge to make the score 6-0 after the fumbled hold on the extra point attempt.
The Knights took over at their own 41 but almost immediately fumbled as the Tide took over at the 37.
On the next play, Cortney Charles broke away for a 37-yard touchdown to put the Tide up 14-0 after the two-point conversion.
Windsor Forest recovered Long County’s onside kick attempt and scored on the ensuing possession to cut the lead to 14-8.
Grayson’s 57-yard run set up the Tide at the Knights 11 on Long County’s next series, but the Knights forced a fumble, recovered it and ran it back 85 yards to tie the game.
A bad snap on fourth and 5 at the Knights 34 ended a Tide drive, but the Tide got a Windsor Forest fumble at the Long County 11 to stop a scoring threat.
Jason Familia broke off a 70-yard run to the Knights 2, and Dylan Tyler found Wesley Williams in the back of the end zone to put Long County back in front. Nick Contreras’ point after kick put the Tide in front 21-14.
The Tide started a drive at their own 10 late in the first half and got to midfield on Grayson’s 29-yard pickup and Jehmiel Pettis’ 12-yard gain.
What happened next was one of the wildest plays of the season.
Charles took a handoff and went right and got caught up in some traffic. He bounced left and was seemingly off to the races.
However, he stumbled and lost the ball around the 15. The fumble bounced up perfectly into the hands of senior offensive lineman Isaiah Lopez, who took the ball the rest of the way for an unforgettable moment that put the Tide up 28-14.
The lead grew to 35-14 right before the half following a Charles interception. Tyler hit Williams on a 43-yard pass to the 2 before Pettis finished off the drive.
De’undre Woods’ 1-yard run capped Long County’s opening drive of the second half, extending the lead to 42-14, and Tyler’s 24-yard TD run on the next series stretched the margin to 49-14.
The Tide moved to 5-2 and 4-2 in region play. It’s the fifth season in a row that the Tide have won at least five games on the season. They will look to play their way back into the postseason with their final three games of the season.
They will go on the road Friday, October 17 against the region-leading Jenkins Warriors.