Bleckley Co. falls to Southwest 30-29 in homecoming heartbreaker game

The Bleckley County Royals suffered a tough loss last Thursday night, falling in their Homecoming game 30-29 to the Southwest Patriots.

The contest stayed entertaining throughout, with both teams staying even for most of the night — Bleckley County went into halftime down 14-13. The game ultimately ended with a thrilling Southwest touchdown and two-point conversion in the final minutes that gave the Patriots the 30-29 lead.

The Royals struggled to finish drives on offense, settling for field goal attempts multiple times. They also failed to contain the Southwest offense late, letting the Patriots score from 50 yards or more on three different occasions. Bleckley County had a fumble recovery in the second half and entered the fourth quarter leading 26-14, but it wasn’t enough.

A crucial drive for the Royals saw them with the ball at Southwest’s 16-yardline and about five minutes left in the game. Already leading 29-22, any points at all would virtually guarantee Bleckley a victory, but the Royals failed to punch it in and missed the ensuing field goal.

The Patriots took over from there, connecting on a deflating 68-yard touchdown pass to Jamarea Watkins that made it a one point game. The successful two-point conversion sealed the deal on the 30-29 win.

Southwest quarterback Steve Robinson led the way, notching 388 all-purpose yards and punching in four touchdowns for the Patriots split evenly between the ground and the air. Defensive lineman Marquis Hutchings was a big reason the Royals could not get the offense going, as he finished with 15 tackles including five for losses and two sacks.

Kam Everett drove the bus for Bleckley’s offense, rushing for two scores to pace the group. Zyion Love also scored on the ground with a 55-yard rush to the end zone.

The loss moved Bleckley to 2-2 on the year, though they’ve shown flashes of talent all season. The two wins, over 2A Rutland and Region 2-A Division I foe East Laurens, were both blowouts. The Royals’ Thursday loss to Southwest and Week 2 defeat at the hands of Dodge County both came by three points or less, and the Patriots and Indians each boast potent offenses. Dodge is one of just three undefeated teams remaining in the region.

Bleckley, like much of the region, gets a bye this week before traveling to face the 1-3 Washington County Golden Hawks. WaCo will enter the game on the heels of back-to-back blowout losses against Northeast and Dublin.