j rter
September 4, 2019
MARY PERSONS BULLDOGS
281 Tift College Drive Forsyth, GA 31029
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HOME
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JV Softball
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5:00 p.m.
C'Team Football
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Mary Persons senior Rico Harden broke free from a Jackson defender and continued 41
give MP a memorable 36-29 home victory over the Red Devils at Dan Pitts Stadium on
yards for a game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds left to
Friday. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)
SA1URDAY, 7
Varsity, JV 8, C-Team Cross
Country
(Bulld0g Distance Cla c
Monroe Co. Rec Dep!,)
1WSDAY, !0
4:30
JV Softball
(vs. Perry)
6.~ p.m.
Varsity Softball
Ivs. Perryl
'senior
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons Bull-
dogs achieved one of their
most memorable wins in
recent history with a 36-29
victory over rival Jackson
at Dan Pitts Stadium on
Friday.
In a heart-stopping,
instant classic, the Bulldogs
prevailed on a 41-yard,
fourth-down touchdown
run by senior superstar
Rico Harden, narrowly
holding off an improbable
Jackson second-half come-
back in the 77th edition of
the Backyard Brawl. MP
led 29-7 late in the third
quarter before a furious
Jackson rally resulted in 22
straight points and a 29-29
tie. MP got the ball back
with 4:59 to play and con-
verted a pair of first downs
by the nose of the football
before Hardens heroics
sent a capacity Mitchell
Field crowd into hysterics.
The Bulldogs won despite
the Red Devils running 33
more plays from scrim-
mage than MP (71 to 38),
dominating in first downs
19 to 5 and edging MP in
total yardage 387 to 343.
But it was Hardens
brilliance that kept the
Bulldogs in front for most
of the night. The senior
tailback, who also played
nearly every snap on
defense and special teams,
overcame late game calf
cramps to rush for a team-
high 149 yards and two
touchdowns on 14 carries.
He was also MP's leading
receiver with four recep-
tions for 85 yards, includ-
ing a 77-yard TD.
Friday's win came one
week after the Bulldogs
lost 27-21 at Gainesville in
their season opener, getting
dominated at the line of
scrimmage in the process.
MP head coach Brian Nel-
son said he knew that his
Bulldogs would respond
admirably.
"I did something last
week after that game that
I've never done" Nelson
star scores game-winning TD with
said. "I usually just let them
sit around, and I talk as
they're getting undressed
or whatever. But I lined
everyone up. Everybody
had to be in front of me. I
wanted to see everybody's
eyes. I said, 'This is our
plan, and this is what we're
gonna do. And we've gotta
keep getting better.' They
bought into it, and we had
a great week of practice.
Everybody's attitude was
great. Their focus was
great. And they bought
into the fact that this team
is just gonna have to keep
getting better. Does that
always mean you're gonna
win? No, but we've just
gotta keep showing marked
improvement. For the most
part tonight I thought we
looked like a better team
than we did last Friday
night"
The Bulldogs certainly
looked like a better team
in the early going against
Jackson, outscoring the
Red Devils 19-0 in a
dominant first quarter. MP
went three-and-out on its
opening drive, but Trippe
Moore's punt was muffed
by the Red Devils and
recovered by MP's Dennis
Swain at the Red Devils'
45-yard-line, enabling the
Bulldogs to keep posses-
sion. Three plays later, MP
found the end zone for the
first time when Harden
burst up the middle, jump
cut to his left to elude the
Red Devils' free safety and
smoothly glided across the
goal line for a 26-yard TD.
Julian Rivera's extra point
try doinked off the right
post, so the Dogs took a
6-0 lead with 8:44 left in
the first period. After a
Jackson punt, MP started
at its own 20-yard-line, and
it took just one play for the
Dogs to add to their lead.
Quarterback Malikk Har-
ris handed off to backup
tailback William Stew-
art on a draw to the left.
Stewart exploded through
a hole on the left side
and sprinted away from
Jackson's secondary for an
80-yard touchdown run
with 6:21 left in the first
quarter. Harris' two-point
pass attempt was thrown
errantly out of bounds, and
the Bulldogs maintained a
12-0 lead.
With quarterback Josh
Scott and running back
Alex Patrick alternat-
ing taking snaps, the Red
Devils mounted a 12-play
drive into the Bulldogs' red
zone on Jackson's ensu-
ing possession. However,
the Bulldogs held the Red
Devils scoreless when run-
ning back Jalen Medlock
fumbled at MP's 12-yard-
line, and the ball was
scooped up by MP's Adrian
Hughley and run back 10
yards. Three plays later,
MP added to its advantage
when Harris connected on
a throwback screen pass to
Harden in the left flat on
the final play of the first
quarter. The senior tailback
turned on the jets and split
a pair of Jackson defensive
backs en route to a 77-yard
touchdown, the first TD
pass of Harris' brief MP
career. Rivera's extra point
put MP ahead 19-0 head-
ing into the second period.
Jackson's offense held
onto the ball on the Red
Devils' next possession,
marching 80 yards on 13
plays while eating up 6:04
of clock, a theme that con-
tinued over the course of
the game. Patrick, alternat-
ing between quarterback
and running back, rushed
seven times on the drive
for a total of 47 yards, cap-
ping the series with a two-
yard TD run up the gut off
of a direct snap. An extra
19 secs left to beat Jackson
MARY PERSONS
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OF WELI~ FARGO ADVISORS
14o5 Bass Road Macon, GA 478~49-68t9
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point narrowed MP's lead
to 19-7 with 5:56 left in the
second quarter.
Both teams went three-
and-out on their next
series before the Bulldogs'
offense made its most criti-
cal miscue of the contest,
Harris fumbled on a third-
and-long run, and the ball
was recovered by Jackson's
Trey Butler at the Dogs'
24-yard-line with 1:57 left
before halftime. However,
MP's defense held and
forced a field goal try, and
Harden, seemingly doing
everything, blocked the
30-yard attempt with 49
seconds left in the half to
preserve a 19-7 Bulldogs'
lead through two quarters.
Getting the ball to start
the second half, Jackson
looked to cut into MP's
lead, but Dogs' senior
linebacker Wyatt Currie
sacked Scott on third down
to force a punt. Three plays
later, Harden took a draw
to the left and ran for 50
yards with his quarter-
back, Harris, lead blocking
down field. But Jackson's
defense stiffened in the red
zone, and MP settled for a
33-yard Rivera field goal
to stake the Dogs to a 22-7
lead with 5:55 left in the
third quarter.
Things got worse for
Jackson on its next pos-
session. On the fourth
play from scrimmage,
Patrick fumbled, and MP
linebacker Andre Jackson,
making his first start on
defense, recovered the
loose ball amidst a swarm
of jerseys and returned
the fumble 42 yards for
a Bulldog touchdown.
Rivera's point-after put MP
in front 29-7 with 4:14 left
in the third quarter, and it
momentarily appeared a
third consecutive Backyard
Brawl rout was on.
But with the two squads
more evenly matched this
time around, the Bulldogs
were unable to pull away.
Mixing in Scott's passing
with Patrick's running,
the Red Devils marched
57 yards on seven plays,
capped by another two-
yard TD run up the middle
by Patrick to pull the Red
Devils to within 15 at
29-14, following the extra
point with 2:05 left in the
third period.
After an MP three-and-
out, Jackson's offense went
back to work terrorizing a
tiring Dogs' defense. Scott
hooked up with favorite
target Anthony Hender-
son for 36 yards on the
first play of the drive. Five
plays later, he found burly
tight end Dylan Cody on
a 23-yard pass just inside
the right sideline to move
the Red Devils into the MP
red zone. Moments later,
Patrick ran a Wildcat draw
to the right, bounced it out
and followed his block-
ers into the end zone for a
12-yard touchdown to cap
a 9-play, 92-yard drive. An
extra point with 7:58 left in
the game narrowed the Red
Devils' deficit to eight at
29-21 and caused MP fans
to worry for the first time.
Jackson head coach Dary
Myricks, seeking his first
win over MP, then got ag-
gressive and called for an
See MP FOOTBALL . Page 4B
