The #6-ranked Houston County Bears scored 24 unanswered points to defeat the Coffee Trojans 45-21 in Warner Robins Friday night. The Trojans are now 3-5 overall and 1-2 in region play.
The game was a slugfest in the first half with both teams matching each other blow for blow until halftime. The second half, however, was a different story. Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Bears kicked a field goal and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Coffee got on the board first when Kadrien Wooten blocked a punt and his brother, Kelvin Wooten, recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. With 7:49 left in the first quarter, Coffee had a 7-0 lead.
It lasted 32 seconds.
Houston County’s Austin Stinson broke an 80-yard run to tie the game at seven with 7:17 left in the quarter. The Bears took a 14-7 lead a few minutes later when quarterback Ryan Maxwell hit MJ Mathis for a 45-yard touchdown with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter. In keeping with the trend late in the period, Coffee running back KJ Debruce broke a long touchdown run of his own to tie the game at 14 with 4:02 in the first quarter.
As the first quarter wound down, the Bears were driving. They got to the Trojan five when time expired. On the first play of the second quarter, Stinson scored again to give Houston a 21-14 lead. Late in the second quarter, Coffee’s Trey Smith caught a 21-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 21. Houston took the lead for good with 43 seconds left in the first half when Maxwell found Jordan Perkins for a touchdown and a 28-21 advantage.
The Bears received the opening kick of the third quarter. After taking possession, Stinson promptly broke a long touchdown that was called back on a holding penalty. They ended up punting. That was about all of the fireworks for the third quarter. When the fourth quarter began, Houston was still holding on to a tenuous 28-21 lead.
The Bears, however, decided enough was enough and broke the game open in the fourth quarter. They kicked a 20-yard field goal and scored two more touchdowns (one of which came courtesy of Stinson) to ultimately end the evening with a 45-21 win.
The Trojans go back to the same stadium next week for a showdown against Veterans. They close out the regular season on October 31 when Thomas County Central comes to Jardine Stadium. The Trojans are fighting for their postseason lives; to get in the playoffs, they will have to win at least one of their final two games.