Brinson’s Last-Second Kick Secures Thrilling Viking Victory

The Treutlen County High School Vikings football team remain perfect in region play after a dramatic 15-12 road win over the Telfair County Trojans on Friday. Junior kicker Leo Brinson was the hero, splitting the uprights from 30 yards out as the clock hit zero, securing the win.

The Vikings struck first, marching 62 yards on their opening possession. Running back Peanut Tobler hammered the ball through the Trojan defense, capping the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. The missed extra point left Treutlen with an early 6-0 edge. The rest of the first half turned into a defensive slugfest, with both squads struggling to convert yardage into points.

Telfair County finally broke through in the third quarter. The Trojans mounted a 72-yard drive, finished by a 7-yard rush. They added the point-after which gave the Trojans their first lead, 7-6, with 9 minutes left in the third.

Treutlen quickly reclaimed the advantage. Quarterback Kavion Peeples connected with Zan Stokes on a 20-yard aerial strike just over 2 minutes later, pushing the score to 12-7 after a failed 2-point try.

The lead proved fleeting. Telfair County responded. They crossed the goal line from 7 yards out to put the Trojans back on top, 13-12, following a failed 2-point conversion of their own.

With the game on the line late in the fourth, the Treutlen defense delivered a season-defining stand. They stuffed 4 straight Trojan rushing attempts deep inside their territory, halting a potential game-sealing drive just 1 yard shy of the end zone.

Taking possession at their own 1-yard line with under 2 minutes to play, the Vikings' offense engineered a lightning-fast drive down the field. The key moment came on fourth-and-9 when Peeples launched a deep pass to Markel Hamilton for a clutch 36-yard gain, moving the Vikings into field goal range. A late penalty pushed the attempt back 5 yards, but it made no difference. With 2.7 seconds on the clock, Brinson drilled the 30-yard field goal to take the win, 15-13.

The victory improves the Vikings' overall record to 4-2 and they are 2-0 in the Region standings. This week Treutlen will host rival Montgomery County on Thursday night in Soperton with kickoff at 5:30 p.m.