On a cloudy, humid Thursday, September 8, 2022, the North Tattnall (NT) Warriors traveled to the Pit in Lyons to play the Toombs County Bullpups. Both teams sported a 2-0 record in Region play. By the end of the game, the better team was clearly Toombs County.
On the opening kickoff, Manuel Bonilla lofted a kick that the deep man for Toombs took back for a 70-yard touchdown. The extra point was missed, to give the Bullpups a 6-0 lead.
On the first possession for Tattnall, the Warriors took the ball to the Toombs 30-yard line. Demetrius Starnes, Kenley Davis, and Matthew Waters gave protection against a talented Toombs front. Henrion Pridgeon and JJ Ansell attempted to open a lane off tackle. Sion Nichols ran tough, as always, between the tackles. Elijah Harton broke off a fine run down the visiting sidelines to put the Warriors in Toombs territory. He also converted a third and long situation with a 15-yard pass reception from Lincoln Shuman. When the Warriors attempted to go to the air again, the Toombs safety intercepted the pass and brought the home crowd to their feet with a long return. After a long run for a touchdown and an extra point, Toombs led, 13-0, late in the first quarter.
In the rest of the half, Toombs stymied the Tattnall offense; though, the offense moved across mid-field as Keyon Calhoun, MJ Foreman, Harton, and Nichols fought against a hard-hitting linebacking corps. With good field position, Toombs scored a third touchdown, with 6:50 left in the half, to lead, 20-0. After that possession, Tattnall again moved the ball to mid-field, but had to punt. After a punt return touchdown was called back, the defense bent a lot but did not break. Collins Shuman made a touchdown-saving tackle on the edge, as Nichols also contributed to the hit chart. At the end of the half, Marcel Jackson, Starnes, Shuman, and Pridgeon stopped the ball carrier at the one-foot line to keep the score 20-0.
In the second half, the Bullpups seemed to wear down the Warriors. A punt snap over the head of the punter, missed tackles, and missed blocking assignments all contributed to a greater Toombs lead. MJ Foreman made several tough kickoff returns, and KryShaun Downey and Donte Richardson made their debuts against a good team. Christian Butler gave a good account of himself in the line. Pridgeon began to hit the linebacker on offense in an aggressive way. Lincoln Shuman, made few mistakes at quarterback under great pressure. After getting a first down, the Warriors attempted to go to the air. Just as the receiver broke free, Shuman was hit, and the ball went to the dark jersey. Starnes came across the field late in the game to send a ball carrier sprawling, even though the issue was not in doubt anymore. Both plays were symbolic of the game. Many tough performances were submerged in a loss. The final score was 48-0.
The Warriors return home to Danny Scott Stadium next week to play the Metter Tigers in an always interesting rivalry game. Game time is 5 p.m., and the admission fee is $5. The players and coaches would like to invite all fans to come and support the team with the same great support that they have given this year and every year.
