Wheeler Wins In 4 Overtimes
The game was a fierce, hard-fought contest from start to finish between the Wheeler County High School Bulldogs football team and the Patriots of Wilcox County. The game was in Rochelle.
Wilcox County got on the scoreboard first, but the Bulldogs responded, with Jacan Dinkens taking the ensuing kickoff and running it to the house to tie the score at 7-7. Wheeler County then pulled ahead 14-7 as Rico Wooten found Dorian Woodard in the back of the end zone, a lead they carried into the half.
The second half was a constant battle, with both teams exchanging blows. Wheeler held a 21-7 lead at the end of the third quarter, but in the fourth, Wilcox came storming back to tie the game at 2121.
On the Bulldogs' final drive of regulation with the score tied, Wheeler drove down the field, and a last-second field goal attempt with 10 seconds left was blocked. However, the Bulldogs recovered the ball as time expired, sending the classic rivalry game into overtime.
In the first overtime, the Bulldogs started on offense, scoring on the fifth play when running back Alvin Ricks punched in his second touchdown run of the night from the 2-yard line, and the extra point was good. Wilcox County promptly tied it up on their possession at 28-28.
The second overtime saw the Patriots start on offense. They scored and successfully converted a 2-point try, putting the Bulldogs down by 8. Once again, Wheeler County rose to the occasion, as Justin Culver responded with a touchdown on the Bulldogs' first play, and Ricks completed the crucial 2-point conversion to knot the game again at 3636.
That sent the game to a third overtime, and at that point it went to just 2-point conversions. Both teams successfully converted in the third overtime to make the score 3838, and sending the game to the fourth overtime.
The game finally concluded in the fourth overtime. The Bulldogs started with possession and converted on their attempt to take a 40-38 lead. It all came down to a single play when Wilcox County attempted a pass that was dramatically broken up by Kasyn Troup, who had also recorded an interception earlier in the first half of the contest. The defensive stop sealed the 40-38 victory for Wheeler County.
This incredible win, snapping an 18-year drought against the Patriots, ensures the Bulldogs will play for a Region Championship this week when they host the Vikings of Treutlen County. Kickoff will be in Alamo at 7:30 p.m.
