Golden Bears Win a Thriller Over White Co.

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Possibly the game of the year so far took place in Mt. Juliet Friday night where the home Golden Bears had to fight tooth and nail till the very end to defeat once undefeated White Co., 45-43 and keep their region championship hopes alive!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was a classic that saw emotional roller coasters occur from start to finish. Both teams wanted this victory bad and it was tough to see one team walk away in defeat but this contest will make both Mt. Juliet and White Co. better because of the game play and outcome. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":448321,"width":620,"height":407,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/20220916_185104-scaled-crop-1755x1152-1663426899.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-448321" width="620" height="407"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on, it looked like the Golden Bears would have control of the game and ease their way to victory, up 28-7 in the 2nd quarter but the road Warriors woke up and made a game of it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White Co. started to lean on their star running back in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102219' first='Malaki' last='Dowell']</strong>, who put his team on his back and forced his way down the field, putting up multiple 1st half scores to tie the game before halftime.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout most of the first half, the Mt. Juliet defense did a good job of keeping Dowell in check and forcing the Warriors to punt on multiple occasions but eventually the nation's leading rusher broke through and became a force the Golden Bears couldn't contain.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Almost the same could be said for the White Co. defense as they had a very hard time slowing down Mt. Juliet running back <strong>De'Airrus Morton</strong>. The 6'1 power back manhandled the Warriors all night long, breaking several long runs and running over defenders that were in his way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first half saw a bunch of scoring take place but the second half would be a different story as both defense's had learned enough about each other to make this a possession by possession game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt. Juliet struck first early in the 3rd quarter but would stall out for a while however their defense stood tall, keeping the Warriors offense at bay just enough to force multiple punts.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was in the 4th quarter when things started getting interesting as Dowell started to take over for the Warriors offense, where he scored twice on long runs that tied the game on two occasions. His burst, patience and speed were tough to handle for the Golden Bears defense but because Morton over on offense was running wild too, they were able to stay right there with the Warriors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":448310,"width":622,"height":408,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/20220916_205039-scaled-crop-1755x1152-1663426700.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-448310" width="622" height="408"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Bears held a late lead until the Warriors drove the field and scored a touchdown with 17 seconds to go to pull to within one point. They then went for two and were successful, so it looked like White Co. was headed to another victory but not so fast my friend!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a squib kick that gave the Mt. Juliet offense good field position, the Golden Bears ran a classic in the “Hook and Ladder” and it worked to perfection as senior wideout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150313' first='Keion' last='Irby'] </strong>took the handoff from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153474' first='Osize' last='Daniyan'] </strong>and he took the ball all the way to the Warriors five yard line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That play set up a game winning field goal from the Golden Bears, which they made and the home team would walk away with a thrilling victory over a region foe and maintain their aspirations towards a region title and a deep playoff run.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the road Warriors, it was a tough loss to take but not one they should hang their head over as all their postseason hopes are still alive and they have a horse in Dowell to lean on and ride throughout the rest of the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt. Juliet might be a new team after this win as they finally have a bell cow back in Morton to run with and a talented passer in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219402' first='Tyler' last='Travers'] </strong>to lead the offense as well as a steady defense that has enough talent to cause problems. The Golden Bears must continue to develop and hopefully get back some injured players and if all goes right, this could be a sleeper team to watch once we reach postseason play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brief Notes …..</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Here around the Middle Tennessee area, the word is out on Dowell as a legit college prospect that picked up a recent offer from Tennessee Tech and many others will arrive sooner than later. The Warriors star running back has been all over the #PRZTN radar for a long time now, so it's good to finally see Dowell's abilities get recognized. This guy is a definite D1 player as Dowell has some serious burst and speed that translates well to the next level and I really feel his best football is ahead of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":448323,"width":530,"height":348,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/20220916_193705-scaled-crop-1755x1152-1663427191.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-448323" width="530" height="348"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Golden Bears offensive tackle and future Tennessee Vols lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102188' first='Ayden' last='Bussell'] </strong>had his best game yet that I have seen and it makes sense as the 6'6 burly senior is starting to come into his own after a tough injury last season. Bussell is a physically impressive looking young man that could play a variety of roles across the O-line in college and last night against the Warriors, he handled the left tackle position to perfection and was a major cog behind the Golden Bears rushing attack. More games like last night for Bussell will his stock rise and push him towards possible 4-star status.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Looking ahead into postseason play, both Mt. Juliet and White Co. could be two teams others don't wanna see as the Golden Bears and Warriors have some ingredients that might cause other teams problems. White Co. in particular might be a team to follow as they know who they are with Dowell running the ball and he is good enough to run all over the opposition and lead them through the playoffs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mt. Juliet must get healthy but last night showed signs of what the Golden Bears could be the rest of the way. The defense must shore up some issues as they allowed 43 points and was run on by Dowell but the athletic pieces are there to develop further and turn into a formidable unit.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are plenty of games left to be played but last night showed me two teams with a strong competitive spirit and some horses to lead them to the promised land which is Chattanooga!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":448324,"width":628,"height":353,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/20220916_201020-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-448324" width="628" height="353"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->