By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
PRICEVILLE - Priceville’s Bulldogs savored the taste of sweet revenge Thursday night by scoring two more points than Falkville’s Blue Devils and emerging with a 36-34 opening game home win after suffering a 28-0 loss to the same school a year ago.
Before they could celebrate, however, the Bulldogs had to survive a last ditch comeback effort by the visitors to tie the score and throw the game into overtime. With 1:18 left on the clock, the Blue Devils scored and moved to within two points of tying the game. A pass from quarterback Aaron Lee to wide receiver Drew Nall was caught in the end zone but the official closest to the play ruled that his feet came down out of bounds.
Neither team defended well but offense was a different story. Big scoring plays dominated the game. Six of the 10 touchdowns scored covered more than 30 yards and the teams combined ran and passed for more than 750 yards.
The Blue Devils scored the first time they had the ball, marching 60 yards in three plays. They took a 7-0 lead on a 47-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Lee to wide receiver Tyler Anders and an extra point conversion by Lee. The score came with 11:20 left in the first period.
The Bulldogs answered by driving 67 yards on five plays and scoring on a 42-yard run by Ross Looney with 9:24 left in the first quarter. Clint Livingston’s boot for the extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 7-6 in Falkville’s favor.
Falkville marched 58 yards on its next possession for its second touchdown. A 43-yard pass from Lee to Nall accounted for the TD and Lee added the PAT to give his team a 14-6 advantage.
Priceville tied the score at 14-all with 2:49 left in the first period. Quarterback Chance Ellsworth and running back Tanner Schell connected on a 31-yard touchdown pass, followed by a pass from Ellsworth to Schell for a two-point conversion.
A one-yard plunge by Schell gave the Bulldogs their first lead in the game at 20-14 with 8:23 left in the first half. It capped a 65-yard drive in nine plays. Livingston’s extra point kick was no good.
The Blue Devils tied the score at 20-all on an 11-yard run by Lee with no time left in the third period and regained the lead on Lee’s extra point conversion.
The Bulldogs answered by driving 54 yards on three plays and scoring on a 46-yard run by Looney with 10:26 left in the game. Ellsworth and James Shea hooked up on a pass play to score a two-point conversion and go ahead 28-21.
Falkville tied the score at 28-all with 3:51 left on a 30-yard pass from Lee to Nall and Lee’s extra point conversion.
The Bulldogs scored their last eight points on a 62-yad-touchdown pass from Ellsworth to Schell. The same combination clicked on a two-point conversion attempt to give Priceville a 36-28 advantage.
The Blue Devils fought back and narrowed the gap to two points on a 13-yard pass from Lee to Nall with 1:18 left in the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed when Nall came down out of bounds in the end zone after catching a pass from Lee.
The Bulldogs logged 227 rushing yards and 173 yards passing. Schell caught eight passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards and one touchdown. Looney had 153 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored twice.
Falkville gained 92 yards rushing and 279 yards passing. Lee connected on 12 of 20 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. He also gained 54 yards rushing on 15 carries and scored once.