By: Jeff Devine
The Dale County High School Warriors pulled off a thrilling second-half comeback Friday night, overcoming a 14-point deficit to defeat the Opp High School Bobcats 35-21.
After a scoreless first half, Opp struck twice in the third quarter to go up 14-0 with just over four minutes remaining. That’s when the Warriors’ offense and defense truly came alive, scoring 35 points in the final 16 minutes of play.
Quarterback Aaron Beasley got the Warriors on the board with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Cody Jaggars, cutting the deficit to 14-7. Moments later, the defense tied the momentum swing when Stacy Atkins scooped up a fumble and raced 79 yards for a touchdown. The extra point failed, leaving Dale County trailing 14-13.
Opp responded with a scoring drive to make it 21-13, but the Warriors refused to fold. Junior Smith, who led the offense with 75 rushing yards, broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run. He then connected with Atkins on a two-point conversion pass to tie the game at 21-21.
Smith wasn’t finished. With under two minutes left, he powered into the end zone on a 1-yard run to give Dale County its first lead at 28-21. Just 39 seconds later, Smith delivered the dagger — scooping up a fumble and returning it 39 yards for a touchdown, sealing the 35-21 victory.
The Warriors finished with 238 yards of total offense, including two rushing touchdowns and one through the air. Beasley went 5-of-12 passing for 108 yards and a touchdown. Smith accounted for three total scores on the night — two rushing and one defensive — while also throwing for the key two-point conversion.
Defensively, Dale County forced five turnovers. Atkins tallied seven tackles and two fumble recoveries, including his 79-yard score. Smith added six tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, a tackle for loss, and his game-clinching fumble return touchdown. Jaylen Griffin had eight tackles, Jordan Owens added seven with a forced fumble, Israel Matthews recovered a fumble, and Parker Bowman chipped in two sacks.
With the win, the Warriors secured a hard-fought victory after trailing for much of the night, showcasing resilience on both sides of the ball.
