Oglethorpe County made the long two-hour journey to Tiger Stadium last Friday night and dampened homecoming for Dawson County.
The Patriots and Coach Larry Milligan scored 21 points to come away with a 21-7 victory.
With the loss, Dawson moved to 1-5 on the season and 1-4 in Region 8-AA.
Oglethorpe moved to 2-4 and 1-5 in the region.
The Patriots took the opening kickoff and mounted an 11-play, 50-yard drive.
The big play of the drive was a fourth and one from the 19-yard line.
Dawson defensive players Josh Swisher and Chase Williams tackled the Patriot running back behind the line of scrimmage to stop Oglethorpe’s scoring chance.
Dawson took its next possession and went on a 17-play drive that started on its own 19-yard line.
Running back Eian Perry went untouched from two-yards out to put Dawson up 6-0. Freshman Jacob Picklesimer added the extra point to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Perry had a big night offensively. He finished with 13 carries for 62 yards and the lone touchdown.
The Tigers only threatened to score once more the entire ball game.
In the third quarter, quarterback Ethan Brown broke loose on a 51-yard scamper in front of the Dawson bench. He was tackled on a controversial play when the Patriot defender seemed to grab the back of his shoulder pads bringing him down.
There was no flag on the play as the Tiger coaching staff erupted.
It looked as if Dawson had a chance to put points on the board. With a first and 10 from the Patriot 20-yard line, Perry ran 5-yards down to the 15-yard line.
Perry was stopped for no gain on the next play before things began to unravel for the Tigers.
On third and five, Tiger running back Sam Edwards fumbled, which moved the ball back to the 23-yard line.
The Tigers turned the ball over to Oglethorpe after an incomplete pass from Brown.
Brown ran for 101 yards on 11 rushes, but was only 1-for-6 passing for 25 yards. The reception was to Perry.
Oglethorpe answered the Dawson touchdown. Quarterback AJ Perlotte scored from 14-yards out. The point after was good.
With 2:18 remaining before halftime, Oglethorpe tied the scored 7-7.
Both teams went into their locker rooms after playing a pretty even first half. The Patriots managed 130 yards total offense to the Tigers 94 yards.
Halftime ceremonies saw the crowning of a new homecoming king and queen. Grant Brown was named homecoming king, while Rebecca Brandt was crowned homecoming queen.
It looked as Dawson County was still celebrating the homecoming festivities after coming out of the locker room.
The Tiger defense gave up two touchdowns and 216 yards of offense to Oglethorpe County in the second half.
Dawson’s offense managed only 58 yards of offense.
Oglethorpe took a 14-7 lead on a pass from Perlotte to his favorite receiver, Eric Gordon from 11 yards out.
Gordon finished the night with four catches and 43 yards. Perlotte threw the ball 14 times, completing 10, for 131 yards.
The Patriots scored a decisive blow when the team added another touchdown with six minutes remaining in the contest.
Running back Deandre Stewart went untouched from 16-yards out.
Stewart had a big game for the Patriots, rushing 15 times for 93 yards. The extra point was good and Oglethorpe held a 21-7 lead.
Dawson’s lone highlight on defense in the second half came on an interception of a Perlotte pass by safety Ethan Brown.
Brown snagged the ball at the 30-yard line and returned it 12-yards to the 42-yard line.
The Tiger defense seemed to have a difficult time with Oglethorpe County’s speed. The Patriots amassed 346 total yards, with Perlotte accounting for 213 of those yards.
Dawson’s offense was efficient in the first half, but fell apart in the final two quarters. The Tigers made 10 first downs during the game. Dawson finished with 160 total yards for the contest.
Lee and his troops are off this week before traveling to Bogart to face a very strong North Oconee team Oct. 16.