CLEVELAND — Dawson County's Dom Leblanc had to stand on the field longer than he wanted but when he finally got the shot to sail the ball through the uprights from 34 yards, he nailed it.
The field goal, after back-to-back penalties, completed a 17-0 run to knock off White County, 31-28, at Warrior Stadium on Friday. With the win, the Tigers are in a three-way tie atop the region standings with North Hall and Cherokee Bluff.
"The boys have battled all season," Dawson coach Sid Maxwell said on the Hardy Chevrolet Scoreboard Show. "They came out to win tonight. I'm proud of them."
But the field goal attempt didn't come without drama.
After falling behind 28-14, the Tigers (2-3, 1-0 Region 7-3A) scored back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game, 28-28, but the real drama didn't come until the final two drives of the game.
It all began when the Tiger defense stopped White County (1-4, 0-1 Region 7-3A) on a 4th down and two yards to go situation. Matt Bennett dropped Bryson Chronic for no gain on the play, giving the Tigers the ball on the Warriors' 35-yard line with less than two minutes to go.
"Coach Woodall did a great job of making a few adjustments for us [on defense]," Maxwell said on the Hardy Chevrolet Scoreboard show. "He designed some good schemes and the boys did a great job executing and getting the job done."
The defensive stop set up what would be the winning drive and handed over the keys to the Tiger offensive line and Conley Dyer.
Dyer, behind the push of the O-Line, ran the ball five times for six yards or better, but a fumbled snap on the sixth play of the drive forced the Tigers to set up for a 34-yard field goal try. Again, that didn't come without some drama. The Warriors jumped offsides on the first try, and on the next snap, the Tigers moved, leaving Leblanc to think longer about the biggest kick of his young career.
Dyer finished the night with 99 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. Bailey Dameron had his fifth 100-plus receiving night, hauling in five catches for 163 yards and two scores. Zach Holtzclaw was 8-for-13 for 216 yards.
For White County, Darius Cannon caught nine passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, while Silas Mulligan rushed 25 times for 73 yards and a score.
