Fresh off a thrilling Thursday night victory, Bartow County faced yet another nail-biter. On Friday night, the Woodland Wildcats (1-0) staged a dramatic comeback, erasing a 14-point deficit to triumph over the Woodland Wolfpack, 38-35.
The Wildcats had a rocky start, surrendering a rushing and a passing touchdown to fall behind 14-0 early on. But they refused to back down. In a wild turn of events, Woodland’s first score came on a tipped punt, setting up a spectacular Keve Porter return for a touchdown. Moments later, Porter snatched an interception and took it to the house for a pick-six, turning the game on its head.
The Wildcats’ relentless pursuit of victory continued. A blocked a punt gave them a short field inside the red zone, and they seized the opportunity. A powerful rushing touchdown by Isaiah Livsey followed, propelling the Wildcats into their first lead of the game at 21-14.
However, the Wolfpack wasn’t ready to concede. They responded with a long rushing touchdown, tying the score, then surged ahead with two more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. As the final quarter began, the Wolfpack held a commanding 35-21 lead.
With just seven minutes left and a 14-point gap to close, it seemed the Wildcats were running out of time. But they weren’t ready to quit. They clawed their way back with a Cam Williams rushing touchdown, though they missed the 2-point conversion. The defense still had some magic left, and with three minutes remaining, the Wildcats found the end zone again as Nemo had a strip-and-score, narrowing the gap to just two points. JD Trail found Williams for the 2-point conversion and it appeared the game was destined for another period.
Determined to avoid overtime, the Wildcats dug deep. The defense stepped up once more, halting the Wolfpack’s advance and giving the Wildcats another shot inside the red zone. With time ticking away, the Wildcats lined up for a field goal. As the ball left the leg of Nick Miranda, it appeared to be tipped, but it sailed through the uprights, sealing a heart-stopping victory and a perfect start to their 2024 season.
The Wildcats will set their sights on the Woodstock Wildcats next Thursday night for Woodland’s first home game of the new campaign.
The Cass Colonels first football game of the 2024 schedule with the Callaway Cavaliers has now been rescheduled for a third time following a long night of waiting for storms to move through the Rome area on Friday night.
The Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic Game was originally scheduled for Barron Stadium in Rome and a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday. It was later shifted to a 7:30 p.m. kickoff after the host Rome Wolves had to pull out of the event.
Cass will now travel south for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the city of LaGrange’s Callaway Stadium.
The game will be broadcast live via BartowSportsZone.com at the following link. Pregame coverage will begin on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
LINK TO LISTEN — https://bartowsportszone.mixlr.com/