Last Friday night he Sneads Pirates and the Marianna Bulldogs battled out four tough quarters of a well-matched game that had fans on their toes with anticipation.
The first quarter went by with no scores from either team. About a minute and thirty seconds into the second quarter Bulldogs Amari Clemons (#4) ran in the first touchdown of the game and the kick after was good. The Bulldogs tried hard to keep Sneads Jason Patterson (#5) down and not let him near the goal line, but with 4:40 left on the clock before halftime Patterson showed his skill, zagging through the middle, and on into the endzone. Sneads Kicker Aaron Montoya (#21) made a perfect kick, evening up the score 7 to 7. With 6:41 on the clock into the 3rd quarter, Bulldogs’ Clemons (#4) made another touchdown, the kick was deemed good, putting his team in the lead 14-7. It did not take long for Sneads Jaden McCall (#8) to grab a quick interception causing the Pirate fans to go wild and cheer loudly. It took a few tries, but Patterson achieved yet another touchdown. The Sneads team tried for a two-point conversion, but they missed it. The end of the third quarter score was Marianna 14 Sneads 13.
The fourth quarter proved to hold one of the best football moments in coaching history for Sneads Head Coach Bill Thomas. Not only did his team pick up another touchdown taking a lead of 19-14 there was a surprise ending. With just 22.7 seconds left in the 4th quarter Marianna was at the goal line about to make a touchdown that would have stolen the game win, until Coach Bil Thomas intervened calling a timeout to instruct his team on which play needed to be initiated. Then in a blink of an eye, before the clock raced down to 0.0 seconds, Sneads stopped the Bulldogs from entering the endzone.
Taking ownership of a game victory the Pirates won the game with a final score of 19-14.
The Sneads Football Team will be traveling to Cottondale this week to play against the Hornets on Friday the Aug. 25. Unfortunately, Dalton Brown (#9) will not be able to play due to a hamstring injury he acquired during the first quarter of last week’s game. His fans should be able to see him play at the next home game against the Arnold Marlins who will be traveling from Panama City on September 1.
“I will be back next week,” Brown, who pulled the same hamstring last season, said. “I am taking the recovery more seriously this time so I can get back where I need to be.”
Patricia Smith – Gadsden County News Service
