The Sweet Water Bulldogs knew they were going to have a tough road contest and it took every second and then extra to come away with a 24-21 overtime victory against the Southern Choctaw Indians.
The Bulldogs move to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in 2A Region 1, while the Indians fall to 1-6, clinching consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2008 and 2009, and fall to 1-4 in region competition.
Sweet Water got on the scoreboard early when Eric Jenkins found run for a 25-yard run for a touchdown with 11:30 on the game clock in the opening quarter. Deshawn Blanks tacked on the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage.
Jaylin Johnson had his turn for Sweet Water with 7:05 left in the first when he took a carry 36-yards for a Bulldog score. Blanks added the PAT to give road team a 14-0 lead.
Jenkins would be involved in another scoring play in the first quarter, but it would go in favor Southern Choctaw and Claudarius Pearson, who recovered the fumble for an Indian touchdown. Pearson nailed an extra point attempt to bring the score to 14-7 in favor of Sweet Water.
The scoreboard went quiet until the fourth quarter when Jordan Pope completed a pass to Thomas McGrew for a 24-yard touchdown, but Pearson missed the extra point and Sweet Water held a 14-13 edge.
Then with 3:45 left in the game, Johnson would fumble in the Southern Choctaw red zone at the 17-yard line and Matthew Hill would take it all the way to the house for an Indian touchdown and the first Southern Choctaw lead of the night. Pope ran in the two-point conversion to give the Indians a 21-14 lead.
With the season and playoff hopes on the line, Sweet Water responded immediately as Branson Davis found Eric Jenkins for a 67-yard touchdown completion with 03:22 left in regulation. Blanks hit the PAT and the game was tied heading into extra minutes.
In the overtime period, the Bulldog defense held up their end and kept Southern Choctaw off the scoreboard, allowing Blanks to nail a dramatic 23-yard attempt to give Sweet Water the thrilling 24-21 victory.
The Bulldogs finished with 344 yards of total offense with 258 on the ground.
Eric Jenkins was the high runner finishing with 137 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Jaylin Johnson also added a touchdown and 82 yards on 15 carries.
Sweet Water returns to action in Nolan Atkins Stadium next week against Choctaw County High School who has surprised people getting to a 4-3 overall record and a 2-3 region record.