DeLand defeats the Pirates
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On Friday, September 12, the Appling County High School Pirates Football team hosted the DeLand (FL) High School Bulldogs in their annual Homecoming game. The powerhouse school from Florida was able to pull off the win against the Pirates with a 46-30 win.
The Bulldogs were the first to score after completing a 46-yard pass to the endzone for a touchdown. The Bulldog kicker missed the PAT, making the score 6-0 with 4:19 left in the first quarter.
The Pirates wasted no time however getting their first points on the board after Pirate running back Jaiden Knight takes the ball from their own 22-yard line to the endzone for a 78-yard touchdown run. Pirate kicker Alan Ramirez made the PAT for the Pirates and gave them their first lead of the night on a 6-7 score with 3:59 left in the first quarter.
During the break between the first and second quarter, Mr. David Williams was recognized as this year’s homecoming Grand Marshall and presented a commemorative football recognizing him as Grand Marshall.
The Bulldogs scored their next points not long after the beginning of the second quarter on a 25-yard run to the endzone. The Bulldog kicker missed another PAT, making the score 12-7 with 9:26 left in the game.
After Mikel Crayton returned the ball back to the Pirates’ own 22-yard line on the kickoff, and Dareon Hood took the ball and ran it 77 yards down to the Bulldog one-yard line, Pirate running back Jaiden Knight then took the ball into the endzone again for a one-yard touchdown. Kicker Alan Ramirez makes the PAT, making the score 12-14 with 8:36 left in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs scored again on another long pass to the endzone. This time their quarterback threw the ball 27 yards to a receiver for a touchdown. The Bulldog kicker made the PAT, making the score 19-14 with 5:17 left in the first half. That would be the score going into halftime.
During halftime, ACHS announced that Jaslynn Nails was crowned this year as the 2025 Homecoming queen. Congratulations to all who were a part of the homecoming court, and to all who participated in homecoming activities this past week.
The Bulldogs were the ones to score first, coming out of halftime with a 40-yard run into the endzone. The Bulldogs were up 26-14 with 9:00 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs would score again at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a three-yard touchdown run. The Bulldog kicker missed the PAT, making the score 32-14 with 11:56 left in the game.
The Pirates wasted no time responding to the Bulldogs after Devonte Poole caught the ball on the kickoff around the Pirate 27-yard line and returned the ball 68 yards back to the Bulldog five-yard line. From there, the Pirates would work their way up to the one-yard line, where Jaiden Knight would run the ball into the endzone for his third touchdown of the night. Jaiden Knight then makes the two-point conversion to make the score 32-22 with 10:56 left in the game.
DeLand would score again on a four-yard touchdown run into the endzone. The Bulldog kicker made the PAT, making the score 39-22 with 6:48 left in the game.
The Pirates would get their final score of the night on a 17-yard pass by Harrison Hickox to Rett Thomas into the endzone for a touchdown. Jaiden Knight would take the ball into the endzone for another two-point conversion, making the score 39-30 with 4:53 left in the game.
The Bulldogs would score the final touchdown of the game with a 37-yard run into the endzone. The Bulldog kicker would make the PAT, making the score 46-30 with 1:03 left in the game. The clock would run out before the pirates could get into the endzone for another score, making the final 46-30.
The Pirates will be at home again next week, taking on Miller County High School. Come out to Jimmy Swain Stadium and support the Pirates. Kickoff slated for 7:30. GO PIRATES!
Statistics:
First Downs – ACHS 11; DHS 24
Rushing – ACHS 27/252/3; DHS 44/418/5
Passing – ACHS 4/11/22/1; DHS 8/11/138/2
Total Yards – ACHS 274; DHS 556
Penalties – ACHS 3/20; DHS 5/38
Individual Statistics:
Passing – Harrison Hickox completed four of 11 passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.
Rushing – Jaiden Knight rushed 10 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns, Dareon Hood rushed nine times for 106 yards, Mikel Crayton rushed two times for 10 yards, Javechez Johnson rushed two times for 9 yards, and Devonte Poole rushed two times for 7 yards.
Receiving – Rett Thomas caught three of seven passes thrown to him for 23 yards and one touchdown, and Devonte Poole caught the only passes thrown to him for a loss of 1 yard.
Defensive Standouts:
Jaylin Lee had 11 tackles on the night, Titus Wallace had seven tackles, Jaiden Knight had six tackles, Jack Lee Courson had five tackles, Javechez Johnson Rett Thomas Jaiden Soloman and Edwin Burt all had four tackles each, Dareon Hood Karson Johnson Mikel Crayton and Deondre Mims all had two tackles, and Cameron George Carson Britt and Devonte Poole all had one tackle.
