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majority of the second were a testament to both defenses, as neither team could find a rhythm. It was a war of attrition, with every yard gained feeling hard-earned. The Gators finally broke the scoring drought just before the half, adding another rushing touchdown to take a narrow 14-7 lead into the locker room.
Coming out of halftime, the Crusaders' offense looked re-energized, making key adjustments that paid off immediately. They marched down the field, and quarterback Drew Edwards connected with Blake Durden on a perfectly executed 9-yard passing touchdown. The successful PAT once again tied the score, 14-14, and the momentum had visibly shifted.
Robert Toombs carried that energy into the fourth quarter, where they took their first lead of the night on a 2-yard rushing touchdown. The point after was good, giving the Crusaders a 21-14 advantage.
The lead was shortlived, however, as Bulloch Academy responded with a rushing touchdown of their own to tie the game at 21-21. The final minutes of regulation were a true nail-biter. With the game on the line, Bulloch made a huge fourth-down stop with just under five minutes to play, and both teams exchanged punts as the clock ticked down. As the final seconds of regulation evaporated, Bulloch had the ball on the Crusaders' 10-yard line but couldn’t get the go-ahead score, sending the game into a tense and dramatic overtime.
What followed was an extraordinary display of endurance. The six extra periods were a back-andforth battle of wills. The Crusaders struck first in the overtime session with another rushing touchdown from Drew Edwards, and a good PAT put them up 28-21. But the Gators kept pace, scoring and adding a point after to tie it again.
Bulloch scored another touchdown in the second overtime, but again RTCA answered with a run from Edwards to tie the game at 34-34 with neither team converting on the two-point try to send it to overtime #3.
At this point it went to two-point conversions with each team getting one play to try to take the win. Neither team converted in the third overtime, and then in the fourth overtime both teams were successful on their tries to send the game to overtime #5 tied at 36-36.
After two more unsuccessful attempts sent the game to overtime #6, Bullcoh had a penalty that moved them back to the 17-yard line, but they connected on a pass into the end zone on their attempt to take a 38-36 lead. They then kept RTCA out of the end zone to take the win, 38-36, in six overtimes.
While the loss was heartbreaking for the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders, their performance was a powerful testament to their character and determination. The team’s resilience in the face of six grueling overtime periods will not be forgotten. They will have a chance to show that toughness again as they prepare for their next opponent.
This week RTCA will be on the road as they head to Warrenton to face off with Briarwood Academy. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
