Plant's Jordan Reed returns the third-quarter kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown against host Sandy Creek in a game that ended in a 27-27 tie do to curfew rule in Georgia.
Photo by Dennis Carter
What was apparently a fantastic high school football game ended in an unremarkable way Thursday night in Tyrone Ga.
Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.), the nation's No. 5 team, fought back from a 12-0 deficit, caught and passed cross-state foe and perennial Florida power
Plant (Tampa), only to be caught again in an anticlimactic 27-27 tie.
The game actually ended with 1:50 left in the game because of Georgia's 11:30 p.m. curfew rule.
Plant QB Colby Brown had three touchdown passes.
Photo by Dennis Carter
According to
Tampa Tribune report, Sandy Creek blocked a Plant field goal and took over in its own territory when the game was called. Plant drove 36 yards to the Sandy Creek 17, but its 34-yard field goal try was blocked by
Brian Miller with 2:24 remaining.
Because the game was played on a school night, it was called 30 minutes before midnight. It was the second half of a Brothers in Arms doubleheader and started at 8:30 p.m.
The tie ended Sandy Creek's 40-game regular-season win streak.
Sandy Creek was supposed to win handily in this one considering it returned seven offensive starters from a state-championship team including the pass-catch combination of senior quarterback
Cole Garvin (a Marshall recruit) and senior receiver
Demarre Kitt (Clemson).
See Qwixcore game summary
On defense, Sandy Creek had six starters back including University of Mississippi-bound tackle Chris Williams (6-0, 288) and senior defensive back Khari Lain (Arkansas State).
With Plant dropping its preseason opener to defending Florida 5A champion Godby — it trailed 35-0 in the third quarter — many saw this is a blowout for the home team.
But Plant has plenty of pride. It won 102 games and four state titles over the last decade and it took a 12-0 lead after Colby Brown threw a 20-yard touchdown strike to Austin Hudson midway through the second quarter. Brown (128 yards passing, three touchdowns) had opened the scoring with a 12-yard TD pass to tight end Clark Miller.
Delvin Weems, Sandy Creek
File photo by Dennis Carter
Sandy Creek scored 27 of the next 34 points capped by a scintillating 70-yard touchdown run by
Delvin Weems (181 yards, three touchdowns) to seemingly take complete command, up 27-19.
But Plant came right back and Brown connected with
Fletcher Barnes on a 5-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 27 heading into the fourth quarter.
The game was largely played between the 20s in the fourth quarter before it was called.
Weems gave Sandy Creek some life with a 45-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 12-7 with three minutes left in the half. Then right before the half, Sandy Creek took a 13-12 lead on a 6-yard by
Eric Swinney.
Plant's
Jordan Reed returned the third-quarter kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown to go up 19-13, before Weems put Sandy Creek up 20-19 on a 6-yard run. Weems set up the score with a 47-yard jaunt, then he was at it again two minutes later with his 70-yard jaunt and Sandy Creek looked like they were on a roll.
But after Fletcher's touchdown pass,
Alexander Jackson rushed the ball in for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 27-27 heading into the fourth.
