The Adairsville Tigers (3-2, 2-0) defeated the Ringgold Tigers 28-26 on Friday night. Ringgold scored a touchdown to bring its deficit to two points in the final seconds of regulation. Ringgold’s 2-point conversion was thwarted by Adairsville, which also recovered the onside kick to effectively put the game away. So how did we get there?
The first quarter was extremely quick as both teams played stout defense. Adairsville had a solid first drive, but the possession ended when QB Jonathan Gough had to come off the field on a crucial fourth down. The Adairsville offense failed to convert. Ringgold couldn’t score on its first drive either, but did generate a big play. Ringgold returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to grab an early 7-0 lead.
Adairsville’s offense came alive in the second quarter after a quiet start to the game. Gough carried the ball into the end zone from five yards out to tie the score 7-7. Gough would come up big later in the quarter, connecting with Noah Matthews for a 40-yard touchdown to give Adairsville its first lead of the game. Ringgold made a 20-yard field goal to make the score 14-10 with just a minute to go in the second quarter. Adairsville’s offense wasn’t done yet. Gough completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Elrod to put them ahead 21-10 at the half.
Adairsville continued to roll in the third quarter as Gough threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Matthews – their second touchdown connection of the night – to put the Tigers up 28-10 early in the third quarter.
Facing a three-possession deficit, Ringgold desperately needed to score. It was able to cap the third quarter scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass to make it an 11-point deficit.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ringgold had the ball in the red zone but the Adairsville defense forced Ringgold to settle for a field goal. On the ensuing drive, Adairsville was driving, but Ringgold got an interception, giving the it a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Luckily for Adairsville, its defense came through and kept Ringgold’s offense out of the end zone. Unfortunately, Adairsville’s offense struggled to move the ball and drain the clock, so Ringgold got another chance to tie the score. This time, the Tigers were not denied, and found the end zone on a short rushing touchdown to make the score 28-26 late in the fourth quarter. They proceeded to go for two, but Adairsville got a huge stop and then recovered the ensuing onside kick to end the game.
This win makes Adairsville 3-2 on the season, and next week, they will take on the LaFeyette Ramblers at home. You can listen to that game on the Adairsville Sports Network.