By Lauren Lee

Cordele Dispatch Intern

AMERICUS— On Saturday, Crisp Academy played their home game against the Terrell Academy Eagles in Americus because of damage caused by Hurricane Michael to their school. The two teams fought it out on Southland Academy’s field and offered gratitude to Southland during the game.

The contest was slightly shortened; both coaches agreed on 10-minute periods for the first half and 12-minute periods with a running clock for the second half. After putting up no points in the first half, Crisp Academy came back to make the score closer in the second half but ultimately lost to Terrell 35-18.

Terrell first received the ball on their nine-yard line after the opening kickoff. The Eagles moved easily down the field and after a couple of plays, they scored the first touchdown of the game. The extra point kick was good and the score was 7-0.

Later on Crisp Academy’s subsequent drive, Terrell intercepted a CA pass. From the Wildcat 26-yard line, it took only one play for Terrell to earn another touchdown. Terrell’s kicker then made the point after to secure a 14-0 lead.

The ball was swapped back and forth over the next few possessions, but notably on one of Terrell’s drive, Trey Williams made a tackle for a loss of yards. Terrell soon recovered from the falter, and scored again. With only three minutes left in the first quarter the score after the successful kick was 21-0.

After more exchanges of the ball, Terrell scored their fourth touchdown and the extra point for a 28-0 advantage to end the first quarter.

Crisp Academy’s next drive began on their 19-yard line. On the second down with 13 yards to go, Dede Lawrence ran for seven yards, however a fourth down came and soon after the ball was given back to Terrell.

Possession of the ball was exchanged between the teams for several more minutes. On another one of Terrell’s drive, Austin Cobb made a tackle for a loss of seven yards, putting Terrell at fourth and long.

The next Terrell drive brought a touchdown and another successful kick with it, creating a 35-0 score line. However, these were the last points Terrell put up in the game.

On the ensuing return, Dylan Farmer ran the ball for approximately 20 yards to the Wildcat 33-yard line. But with 1:21 left in the half, an incomplete pass gave the ball to Terrell. The first half ended soon into the Eagles’ next drive, however.

Terrell kicked off to Crisp Academy in the third quarter and Lawrence gained about 40 yards on the return to land on Crisp’s 48-yard line. On the second down play, Lawrence made a seven-yard run for a first down. Cobb subsequently ran for 24 yards and another first down out to the Eagle 14-yard line. At the 4:49 mark, Cobb scored the first Crisp Academy touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, so the score was 35-6 in favor of the Eagles.

On Terrell’s next drive, Williams tackled an Eagle ball carrier for a loss of five yards, causing Terrell to punt the ball away, and Farmer then gained 30 yards on the return. The third quarter ended with the Wildcats in possession on Terrell’s 44-yard line.

Later on in the possession, a seven-yard run by Cobb earned Crisp Academy a first down. A flag on the Wildcats then pushed them back to first and 21 yards to go. With third down and 18 yards to go shortly after, Billy Hardin made a run for a total of about 30 yards. This gave CA a first down 15 yards away from the end zone. Hardin earned another seven yards before scoring a touchdown with 4:44 to play in the game. The extra point was no good, so the score was 35-12 after the touchdown.

Terrell took over after the next kickoff, but on an Eagle third down play, CA’s Garrett Gravitt intercepted the ball and ran straight into the end zone for a score. With only two minutes left in the game, this touchdown marked the last points of the game, leaving the final score at 35-18 in favor of Terrell.

Crisp Academy’s next game will be an away game on Friday night against Piedmont Academy, who the Wildcats defeated two weeks ago on homecoming 34-6.