Jamari Wheeler completes a pass and runs it in for a touchdown.

Things were looking grim for the Suwannee Bulldogs in their regional quarterfinal playoff game against the Zephyrhills Bulldogs Friday night at Paul Langford Stadium, but our ‘Dogs pulled ahead in the last two minutes of the game with two touchdowns in a row and came away with a 42-34 victory. The Suwannee Bulldogs will continue to the regional semifinal playoffs for a chance to play in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) State Championship.

Suwannee trudged through the first half of the game trying to stop Zephyrhills, trailing by 18 points at halftime with a score of 24-9. Zephyrhills started the game off with a field goal and began moving the ball away from their end, but senior Javell McQuay stopped them from getting too far.

Suwannee gained the ball again, and sophomore Steven Anderson tried to rush it in but to no avail. On Zephyrhills’ next play, they made their first touchdown of the night, bringing the score to 9-0 with Suwannee behind at the first quarter.

In Suwannee’s first big play, senior Denzel Washington rushed the ball for a touchdown, stepping to the outside and finding the crease in Zephyrhills’ defense to take it to the end zone. Senior Trevor Ross’ kick after was no good, and the Dogs continued to trail 9-6.

Zephyrhills’ next few downs saw them gain two more touchdowns plus a two-point conversion and a one-point try, giving them a solid lead of 24-6.

When the ball was back in Suwannee’s hands, junior Aaron McAllister brought it to Zephyrhills’ five yard line. With time running out in the second quarter, Ross kicked for a field goal and succeeded, making the score 24-9 with Zephyrhills leading.

During the third quarter, Suwannee defense, led by McQuay and sophomore Jadames Gardner, ensured that the rival Dogs stayed out of the way while sophomore Joe Combs earned a six pointer. Suwannee was behind 24-16, and Zephyrhills widened that gap again with another touchdown, bringing them to 31-16.

In Suwannee’s next play, Anderson passed the ball 23 yards to McAllister for a touchdown.

Another big play by Suwannee came when senior Casey Reaves defended another Anderson to McAllister pass, who made a 33 yard rush for another six points. The ‘Dogs began to gain momentum, and despite the two-point conversion failing, they were within reach of winning the game at 31-29 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter stifled the Dogs a little after Zephyrhills gained a field goal, and Suwannee’s next play proved to be the most decisive in the game. If they gained another down, they would have a chance to score and take the lead; if they failed, Zephryhills could run down the clock and cement their victory at 34-29.

Suwannee barely gained a first down by one yard, and Suwannee struggled to make any points in their next few plays. McAllister gained them one more down with 31 yards to go to Zephyrhills’ end zone. Senior Greg Fort would have gained the team six points, but he was ran out of bounds. Despite the setback, Suwannee pulled ahead with Anderson throwing to sophomore Jamari Wheeler for a 30 yard touchdown. Ross’ attempt at a two-point conversion didn’t go through, but Suwannee had gained a one point lead, 35-34.

There were still 40 seconds left in the game and Zephryhills had the ball again. Luckily, the rival Dogs fumbled the kickoff and Combs took the opportunity, caught the ball in midair, and ran it in for one last touchdown. Ross’ kick after was good, and the Suwannee Bulldogs came out on top, 42-34.

“It didn’t look good for a long time,” said SHS head football coach Jamie Rodgers. “But we made some plays that made the difference in the end. One of the final plays between Anderson and Wheeler was one of the most exciting plays I’ve ever seen. We’re excited to make a playoff win.”

The Suwannee Bulldogs will move on to the FHSAA regional tournament semifinal this Friday, Nov. 21, in Bushnell, to face the South Sumter Raiders at 7:30 p.m.

“South Sumter is the number one team in the state,” said Rodgers. “They’re 11-0, and they have a long standing tradition of being a really good team. It will be a tough test.”

If they win the semifinal, they will face the winner of the River Ridge Sr. High vs. Lakewood match in the regional finals.