SANDERSVILLE - Bulloch Academy survived a lackluster first-half performance and the Brentwood duo of fullback Willis Toulson and quarterback Peyton Massengale to take an 18-12 victory here Friday night.
The Gators (6-1) held a slim 6-0 halftime lead after a first half which was marred by fumbles and a flat performance in a steady drizzling rain. Brentwood (1-6) came out tough on Homecoming night and played strong defense to stifle the big-play Bulloch offense.
The War Eagles threatened to score first with a 15-play drive to the BA three-yard line. Toulson and Massengale seemed unstoppable, grinding out yardage on the series. For the game, the fullback had 17 totes for 109 yards and Massengale had 19 carries for 77 yards. But, on a fourth and goal, Brentwood elected to try a 19-yard field goal and the kick went wide left.
The Gators responded with its own time-consuming drive, marching 80 yards on a 14 plays. Quarterback Lanier Olliff lofted a seven-yard pass to Hunter Perry in the back corner of the end zone with 2:57 left in the half. On the series, Olliff had a 15-yard option keeper and Jarves Williams, who led the Gators on the ground with 104 yards on 10 carries, had a 13-yard romp. But fullback Joshua Bohannon, who was coming off a shoulder injury, left the field with a dislocated right elbow.
Bulloch took a 12-0 advantage on its first series in the third quarter.
Davis Childs set the stage with a 22-yard kickoff return to the 42. Six plays later, Olliff hit Tyler Budgett on a swing pass and the speedy senior slipped through a crack to race 20 yards for the score at the 9:47 mark. The two-point conversion failed and BA took an uneasy 12-0 lead.
Late in the quarter, Brentwood's duo of Toulson and Massengale rolled up big yardage as the War Eagles drove to the BA goal. Massengale plunged over from the one with 2:18 left in the quarter. The PAT kick failed, leaving the score at 12-6.
On the ensuing series, Williams got the pitch on a sweep to the right, caught some blocks, broke some tackles and raced 66 yards to the BHS end zone with 1:57 remaining in the quarter. The War Eagles blocked Brian Marsh's kick for an 18-6 lead.
Brentwood came right back with a 15-play drive, scoring on a fourth-and-goal from the Gator 1. Toulson got the toss and rolled right, barreling into the end zone with 6:41 left in the game. Again, the Brentwood kick failed for an 18-12 score.
Bulloch got back into gear and pounded the ball with Williams, Budgett and fullback Tyce Lovett. The Gators were poised to score but Olliff fumbled the ball at the Brentwood 5 with 1:27 left.
Brentwood tried to come down the field for a possible game-tying score. Olliff knocked away one pass with 40 seconds left. Hunter Perry stuffed Massengale's throw in the backfield on fourth down to give Bulloch the ball back with 36.5 left and secure the win.
Box Score
BA 0 6 12 0 — 18
BS 0 0 6 6 — 12
Second Quarter
BA_Perry 7 pass from Olliff (run failed), 2:57
Third Quarter
BA_Budgett 20 pass from Olliff (run failed), 9:47
BS_Massengale 1 run (kick failed), 2:18
BA_Williams 66 run (kick blocked), 1:57
Fourth Quarter
BS_Toulson 1 run (kick failed), 6:41
BA BS
First downs 12 12
Total Yards 278 255
Rushes-Yards 36-242 45-232
Passing 36 23
Comp-Att-Int 4-8-0 3-6-0
Turnovers 2 2
Penalties-Yards 1-15 6-40
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING_BA: Williams 10-104, Budgett 8-37; BS: Toulson 17-109, Massengale 19-77
Passing_BA: Olliff 4-8-0-2, 36; BS: Massengale 3-6-0-0, 23
Receiving_BA: Childs 2-9, Budgett 1-20; BS: Toulson 2-7
