On Friday, Sept.20th, the varsity Hayesville Yellow Jacket football team returned to Frank R. Long Memorial Stadium to host the Georgia Force Christian Academy. A near-capacity crowd filled the stands to watch their beloved Yellow Jackets battle as well as the homecoming celebration at halftime. Hayesville entered the contest 0-3 while the Force were a perfect 5-0. When the final horn sounded, the Jackets had fallen to 0-4.
After going three and out on their first possession, the Jackets flexed their strong defensive muscle, recording back-to-back sacks forcing the visitors to punt. The back-and-forth continued until the Force used a pass-heavy attack to move quickly down the field and into the red zone. A potential touchdown pass was snagged by Tre Graves in the end zone for a touchback to give the Jackets the ball with just under 3 minutes left in the quarter. As the horn sounded to end the period, Hayesville's offense was gaining ground.
Everytime the Jackets were able to move the ball for a big play, a penalty would negate the yardage and move the home team backwards. The penalties were too much to overcome and Hayesville had to punt once again. With 7:08 left in the half, the Yellow Jacket defensive line flushed out the Force's quarterback, forcing him to throw on the run. On the other end of the throw sat Graves who grabbed his second interception of the night. Just when it looked like Hayesville was on their way to the end zone, a pass from Tate Roberts was deflected and fell into the arms of a Force player.
On the following drive, the Force were able to break through with a 2-yard run from the quarterback for a touchdown. The PAT was good, giving GF a 7-0 lead with 1:36 left in the first half. The score remained unchanged through the remainder of the half.
After receiving the second-half kickoff, the Force again took to the air to move the ball down the field. With 10 minutes left on the clock, GF were on Hayesville's 20-yard line and threatening to score. A sack and penalty backed them up and the visitors were in a tough 2nd and 22 situation. The drive ended with a failed field goal attempt.
As the second half continued to unfold, momentum stayed just out of reach for the Jackets. following a long punt return from Graves, Hayesville fumbled back to the Force on the first play from scrimmage.
With 2:34 left on the clock, Roberts hit Michael Mauney with a 34-yard pass to set the Jackets up on the 8-yard line of the Force. Graves muscled his way into the end zone to make the score 7-6. Hayesville elected to go for a 2-point conversion. Graves took the hand-off and headed toward the goal line, but was marked down inches shy of the score. The Force was able to kill the remaining time on the clock to get the 7-6 victory.
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