By Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter
Sardis kept pace in the battle for Class 4A, Region 6 supremacy by rallying for a 42-28 victory over Douglas last Friday night at Douglas.
The Lions improved to 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the Region 6 standings as they posted their third consecutive win.
Sardis, No. 1 Oneonta and St. Clair County are tied for the region lead as teams head into non-region matchups next weekend.
The Eagles (1-3, 0-3) opened the contest with a squib kick touched by a pair of Sardis players. Travis Hill recovered for Douglas at the SHS 28-yard line.
The play gave DHS the momentum for the first half, as the Eagles scored on all four of their possessions.
Eagles’ quarterback Carlton Peppers rushed for three touchdowns on runs of three, one and five yards to propel his team to a 28-20 advantage at intermission.
Keenan Lewis swept around right end for eight yards to score Douglas’ other TD in the opening half.
Sardis quarterback Will Scott rushed four yards for the Lions’ initial touchdown. Toby Pee added scoring runs of one and four yards to help the Lions keep up in the first half.
Sardis dominated the second half, outscoring the Eagles 22-0.
Scott fired a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jared Shirley with 7:56 left in the third quarter, cutting Douglas’ lead to 28-26. Peppers broke up Scott’s two-point conversion pass.
Sardis attempted a squib kickoff, and a scramble for possession saw Douglas’ Austin Hancock pick it up and return it 60 yards for a touchdown.
However, an inadvertent whistle wiped out the touchdown with 7:43 left in the period.
Sardis had to kick off again, and Douglas recovered at its 45 and drove to the Lions’ 18 before two penalties and a bad snap left the Eagles facing a fourth-and-33.
The Lions took Douglas’ punt at their own 30 and drove for the go-ahead touchdown, which came on Pee’s six-yard run with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter. Pee ran for two, making it 34-28.
Following another DHS punt, the Lions marched 59 yards for their final TD, a nine-yard run by Pee with 5:53 to play. Pee added the two-point conversion run.
Braun Pee’s leaping, one-handed interception inside the Sardis 10 ended an Eagles’ scoring threat on their next possession.
The Lions amassed 553 yards total offense.
Scott was 16-of-18 passing for 300 yards and a touchdown. Kailon Robeson had seven catches for 98 yards, while Shirley had four receptions for 115 yards.
Toby Pee rushed 22 times for 158 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 16 on the season. Scott ran six times for 45 yards and a score.
Sardis travels to Geraldine on Friday for a non-region game.