The winner of District 3 will play the winner of District 2 this year. North Shelby and Southwest Livingston will play in the other matchup. If North Shelby wins, they will host that game, since they only hosted one other home district game; both Worth County and Pattonsburg will have hosted two. If Southwest wins, they would travel to either Worth County or Pattonsburg since Worth County would have hosted fewer district games and Pattonsburg would have hosted the same number of home games, but the contest is being held in an odd-numbered year.
Numerous missed tackles plagued the Tigers throughout the first half as Dawson Butterfield gashed the Tigers at will, and that set everything else up for the Warriors. He ripped off 15 yards right off the bat after Albany got the ball to start the game, and Kaeden Hutchinson caught a 15 yard pass to the Tiger 27. Ethan Mercer took a five yarder to the 22, and then Tryce Floyd took it the rest of the way for the Warriors to put them up 8-0 with 10:52 left in the first quarter.
Albany tried an onsides kick, but Jackson Runde ran it back to the Warrior 31. Worth County only needed one play to answer as Aydan Gladstone got a block from Jaxon Anderson and took it to the house with 10:39 left. Alex Rinehart was stopped short of the goal line and Albany retained an 8-6 lead.
The Warriors were pinned at their own 16, but Dawson Butterfield ripped off 18 to the 34. On fourth and three, a pass interference gave the Warriors the ball on the Tiger 24. Butterfield then continued his rampage, ripping off carries of 14 and 10 to the house, adding the extra points to put Albany up 16-6.
Worth County was stuck with third and five from the 30, but Justin Dye opened a hole for Alex Rinehart for 13 to the Warrior 37 for a first down. Rinehart was stopped for a loss of one on the next play, but then got blocks from Dye and Austin Welch to the 14 on the next play as he picked up 24. But then an Unnecessary Roughness penalty and a sack killed the drive and Albany got the ball back on their own 20.
Once again, it looked like Albany would roll for another score as Butterfield broke a tackle for 20 to the Tiger 32 on third and two at the 28. On fourth and three at the 25, Butterfield broke another tackle for six to the 19. But then Jaxon Anderson recovered a fumble to kill the drive on the 21. It was one of several turnovers for the Warriors that night.
This time, Worth County took advantage after an offsides penalty moved the ball to the 26. Aydan Gladstone got a keeper up the middle, got a bonecrushing hit from Justin Dye, and took it to the house with no time left in the first quarter to put Worth County back in the game. Aydan Gladstone’s keeper brought Worth County to within 16-14.
Albany threatened again as Butterfield took it 17 yards to the 21. But then two cracks by Floyd only got it to the 15, and Ethan Mercer’s counter was stopped at the 14. On fourth and three, Butterfield was stopped by a wall of black shirts led by Justin Dye and Worth County got the ball back on downs.
Aydan Gladstone got a cutback run for 21 yards to the 33, getting blocks from Auston Pride and Austin Welch. A fumble stopped Worth County temporarily, and they were faced with fourth and two at the Warrior 39. Aydan Gladstone aired it out to Jaxon Anderson for a score, but it looked like it would be wiped out by an ineligible man downfield. But the man flagged, Justin Dye, was actually a wingback, giving Worth County an extra blocker along with Auston Pride, Chase Atkins, and Austin Welch. Since Dye was a wingback, he could go downfield, and the penalty was waved off and the touchdown stood. Alex Rinehart ran in the option for the extra points and got blocks from Dye and Jaxon Anderson to put Worth County in front for the first time at 22-16 with 6:28 left in the half.
On third and seven at their own 34, Albany attempted a pass, but Alex Rinehart broke it up and their were forced to punt. Jaxon Anderson put Floyd under a heavy rush, and his shanked punt gave Worth County good field position at their own 35. They only needed one play to take advantage as Alex Rinehart got a block from Auston Pride and took it to the house from 45 yards out to make it 28-16 with 3:15 left.
Tryce Floyd got a good runback to the Worth County 36, and Floyd’s run gave them a first down on the 21. Worth County seemingly had a stop right before half with Albany facing fourth and 13 from the 24, but then nobody covered Ethan Mercer coming out of the backfield and he took a pass from 24 yards out to score with 40 seconds left. Floyd ran in the extra points to make it 28-24 at the half.
Instead of trying an onsides kick to start the second half, Albany elected to kick it deep, but Jaxon Anderson took it on the left side of the field, went to the right, got two blocks, and took it to the house with 11:47 left to start the second half. Aydan Gladstone ran in the extra points after getting blocks from Welch and Dye and Worth County was up 36-24.
Albany gave up the ball on downs at their own 37, and Alex Rinehart only needed one play to take advantage, as he got a block from Austin Welch and took it to the house with 10:17 left to make it 44-24 after Aydan Gladstone’s run and the blocking of Justin Dye and Jaxon Anderson.
The Warriors answered as Floyd took it 14 yards to the Tiger 39. On fourth and five at the Tiger 34, Butterfield took it six yards to the 28 and a first down. Butterfield gashed the Tigers for 24 more down to the four, and took it to the house from one yard out with 6 minutes left to make it 44-30.
Albany tried an onsides kick, but Justin Dye nearly took it to the house like he did last time against Albany before the Warriors finally brought him down at the Warrior 18. Aydan Gladstone lost one yard on the next play, but then Jaxon Anderson got a reverse and found nothing but daylight as he took it to the house with 5:03 left. Aydan Gladstone’s cutback run got into the end zone for the extra points after he got a block from Dye to make it 52-30.
Butterfield put the Warriors on his back as they drove from their own 27 to the Tiger 34, where they faced 35. They attempted a pass, but Austin Welch put Floyd under a heavy rush and Jaxon Anderson got a pick to kill the drive at the 30. Worth County only needed three plays to score as Alex Rinehart took it 42 yards to the house as he broke a tackle and a block from Auston Pride sprung him free with 53 seconds left in the third. Alex dove into the end zone for the extra points to make it 60-30.
But after a collapse nearly as drastic as the first meeting between the two teams, Albany rallied and nearly got back in the game. After the teams exchanged punts, Floyd bounced outside to the 1 for 35 yards and then ran it in for a score with 8:30 left. Butterfield ran a jet sweep to make it 60-38. Then, Albany covered the ensuing onsides kick and nobody guarded Kaeden Hutchinson as he caught a 37 yard pass; Butterfield ran in the extra points to make it 60-46 with 8:22 left.
Albany tried another onsides kick, but this time, Dylan McIntyre covered it and Worth County only needed one play to answer as Alex Rinehart weaved his way through three defenders down the left side and bounced to the middle of the field to make it 66-46 with 8:10 left.
Then, Reed McIntyre recovered a Warrior fumble at the Tiger 36 and Worth County took advantage. Alex Rinehart picked up two yards to the 38 and then Reed McIntyre caught a 29 yard pass to the Warrior 13. Four plays later, Aydan Gladstone was in the end zone with 4:34 left. Alex Rinehart caught the extra point pass in the end zone to make it 72-46.
But once again, Albany frantically tried to rally as they only needed one play to answer as Ethan Mercer took a 48 yard counter to the house with 4:19 left to make it 72-52. Albany’s onsides kick then caromed off a black shirt, and they recovered it at their own 37. Worth County was flagged for a questionable pass interference call to the 28; Albany overcame a sack with a 24 yard strike from Floyd to Hutchison at the 11. But on the very next play, a mixup on the handoff turned into a fumble, and Jackson Runde pounced on it and Worth County was able to run out the clock.
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