Bulloch Academy survived a wild fourth quarter to secure a 21-14 victory in a GISA Region 1-AAA battle against Pinewood Christian Academy.
    “With Pinewood, it’s never over until it’s over,” Gators head football coach Ronnie Hodges said afterward.
    Bulloch scored on its first possession of the night and held the slim 7-0 lead into the final 12 minutes. The squads then combined for 28 points in the final 4:40 of the game to bring about a dramatic offensive finish to a defensive battle.
    With the win, the Gators finish the regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 3-2 region slate. The victory secured the third seed, matching BA with the Region 2-AAA runner-up next week. Bulloch will travel to Macon to face Stratford Academy.
    Pinewood drops to 5-5 overall, 2-3 in the region and finishes in fourth place. The Patriots will travel to Newnan to face The Heritage School, the Region 2-AAA champion. 
    Bulloch quarterback Loy Waters ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in the hard-fought victory over the Gators’ archrivals.
    The senior, who rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries and completed 5 of 10 passes for 98 yards, led a five-play scoring drive early in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. He plunged over from two yards out at the 8:27 mark. The big bang was Bulloch’s first offensive play. Senior wingback Bailey Smith took an option pitch and raced 42 yards to the PCA 15.   
    Hard-hitting and aggressive defense was the name of the game for the remainder of the half and the third quarter, as neither team could establish much offensive momentum.
    “This was the first game all season long that you could hear the pads popping on just about every play,” Hodges said. “Our kids go after one another but it is always a good, clean game.”
    Waters, Jarret Humphries, Reed Salter, Asa Johnson, Hobby Mills, Andrew Howell and Zach Sapp laid down the licks for the Gator defenders while D.J. Johnson, Trevor Johns, Will Sheffield, Heath Waters, Dylan Clarke and Cody Ambrose led the Patriots.
    Bulloch got its break midway through the fourth quarter. Gator punter J.P. Padilla and the punt coverage team trapped Pinewood at its own 1-yard line. Five plays later, Forrest Spence recovered a fumble at the PCA 21. After a 5-yard loss, Waters hooked up with Smith on a 26-yard scoring strike with 4:40 left for a 14-0 lead after Padilla’s PAT.
But the Patriots weren’t done. On the ensuing series, quarterback Johnson connected with Brenley Hagan for a 39-yard reception to the BA 9. Three plays later, he leapt into the end zone. The PAT was missed, cutting the Bulloch lead to 14-6. 
    “We knew that Johnson was the real deal, and I thought we bottled him up pretty good. He played hurt there toward the end and I admire him for that. Of course, Loy got beat up too.”
    Bulloch recovered an onside kick and took advantage of the short field. On the third play from scrimmage, Waters faked the dive to fullback Matt Sheppard. The PCA defense bit, giving Waters a wide-open running lane down the right sideline. He galloped 48 yards to pay dirt with 2:09 left. Chase Merrill’s kick put Bulloch up 21-6.
    Still, the Patriots weren’t done. Johnson engineered a 66-yard drive, connecting on three passes with the last being a remarkable 29-yard scoring strike to Hagan with 23.2 ticks on the scoreboard clock. The two-point conversion worked to cut the advantage to 21-14.
    The Gators again recovered the onside kick and ran one play to run out the clock.