DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The 2023 season has come to a close for the Lumpkin County Indians as they fell Friday night to Savannah Christian in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
The record-breaking season saw the Indians finish 12-1, including the first ever region title in program history.
Savannah Christian struck first on the opening drive, but the Indians responded with a Will Staples 29-yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-3. After a pair of Raider touchdowns, the Indians got another field goal from Staples to trail 21-6 at the half.
Lumpkin County came out after the intermission and drove right down the field as Cal Faulkner found Nolan Matthews for five yards and a touchdown, followed by a screen pass to Mason Sullens for the two-point conversion to trim the lead further, 21-14. The Raiders scored quickly on the ensuing drive before Faulkner found Luke Evans to again keep the lead at seven.
The Indian defense stood up strong on the next SCPS drive, forcing a turnover at midfield, but the Indian drive stalled out on fourth down, giving the ball back to the Raiders. Savannah Christian scored twice more in the fourth to earn their spot in the semifinals.
Sullens finished with 148 yards on the ground, while Faulkner threw for 158 on 14-of-27 passing. The Raiders finished the night with 426 yards rushing.
