VALDOSTA — Once again, Valdosta and Lincoln gave the fans their money’s worth on Friday night.

Valdosta won a 48-minute dogfight with Lincoln, 35-31, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium on Friday.

The Wildcats came back from a 10-point halftime deficit, and found a way to win a classic battle.

“Here’s what I’m very proud of: They never quit,” Valdosta head coach Rance Gillespie said. “None of the kids on that entire football team folded. And there were plenty of opportunities for us to get down, and become a lesser football team because of a mistake that we made, because of a play that they made — and they were a very good football team.

“Our kids never quit, and never stopped believing, and they kept battling, and they battled for 48 minutes, and we found a way. We found a way. And how huge is that for us, to make a statement that, ‘Hey, we’re never out of it?’”

Phillip Moore’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5:08 left gave the Wildcats a 35-31 lead, and Valdosta made two late defensive stands to hold on for the victory.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAA, are now 3-0 this season.

Valdosta trailed 17-7 at halftime, 24-14 just 88 seconds into the second half and 31-28 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. But the Wildcats kept finding ways to fight back, and in the end, they came out victorious.

Valdosta’s winning drive began at the Lincoln 42, after Jonathan Hester’s second interception of the night. The Wildcats ran the ball eight straight plays, and moved the chains three times. Finally, on second-and-goal from the 3, Moore took the handoff, went towards a hole on the right side of the offensive line and was hit at the 2-yard line. But Moore kept his legs going, and muscled his way across the goal line for the touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 35-31 lead.

Valdosta forced Lincoln to turn the ball over on downs, but the Trojans’ defense forced VHS to go three-and-out, and punt the ball.

With 1:04 left in the game, Lincoln blocked a punt, its second punt block of the game, and took over at the Valdosta 29. A five-yard illegal substitution penalty on VHS moved the ball to the 24. But the Wildcats’ defense refused to let the Trojans get any closer to the end zone. On the final play of the game, Valdosta defensive end Carlton Harrell sacked Lincoln quarterback Ronald Butler at the VHS 36, and the Wildcats walked away victorious.

Early in the first quarter, Lincoln took the lead with a touchdown on its first possession. Butler completed a 17-yard pass to Chad Wiggins, then ran for 21 yards on the next play, down to the Wildcat 22. Three plays later, on first-and-goal from the 10, Butler hit Raphael Andrades on a slant, and Andrades crossed the goal line to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead.

Lincoln’s defense shut down Valdosta’s offense throughout the first half. But a turnover enabled the Wildcats to tie the score with 2:30 left in the first quarter. Valdosta defensive tackle Anthony Evans recovered a fumble at the Lincoln 17, then two plays later, Moore went outside and found the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown run. Zach Wang’s extra point tied the score at 7-7.

An interception by Lincoln’s Derrington Abnar led to a 30-yard field goal by Carlos Gaston, which gave the Trojans a 10-7 lead.

In the final minute of the first half, Valdosta lined up to punt. But a Lincoln player broke through and tipped Tyler Yelito’s punt. The ball went up into the air, and Lincoln’s Joshua Gilmore caught it and carried it into the end zone to give the Trojans a 17-7 halftime lead.

At halftime, many fans on the home side booed as the Wildcats left the field. But they wouldn’t be booing at the end of the game.

Barely a minute into the second half, Butler fired a pass over the middle. Hester picked off the pass at the Lincoln 32, and took off running down the Valdosta sideline. Hester was hit at the 2, but crossed the goal line for the touchdown, cutting Lincoln’s lead to 17-14.

But Lincoln quickly struck back. The ensuing kickoff went through the hands of the upback, and was fielded by Reggie Davis. Davis got some blocks in front of him, broke into the open and raced 82 yards for a touchdown, giving the Trojans a 10-point lead again, 24-14.

But Valdosta responded with a 62-yard scoring drive. A Malcolm Mitchell touchdown on the first play of the drive was wiped out by a holding penalty. Later in the drive, the Wildcats faced fourth-and-1 from their own 48, but chose to go for it. Moore got two yards, and moved the chains. Two plays later, quarterback Ryan Whilden found Wesley Bee for a 25-yard gain, down to the 30. Then, two plays after that, Whilden fired a strike into the end zone, and Mitchell made a diving catch for a 31-yard touchdown reception. That cut Lincoln’s lead to 24-21.

Valdosta cornerback Devontae Foster ended Lincoln’s next possession with an interception at the Valdosta 37, and returned it to the Lincoln 35. Four plays later, on third-and-goal from the 2, Moore plowed into the end zone to give Valdosta its first lead of the night, 28-24.

Lincoln regained the lead on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Butler on fourth-and-goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.

On Lincoln’s next drive, Javorius Allen’s 59-yard touchdown run was wiped out by a holding penalty. Three plays later, Hester picked off Butler’s pass, returned it to the Lincoln 42, and put the Wildcats in position for their game-winning drive.

Moore ran for 91 yards on 24 carries Friday night.

Valdosta and Lincoln have played 11 times since 1998, and the series is tied at 5-5-1. Six of those games have been decided by four points or less.