DAWSON — Tiftarea Academy heads into the District 3-3A championship this week with perhaps some extra momentum after a miraculous victory over Terrell Academy Friday night. The Panthers scored twice in the last five minutes to win over Terrell, 30-22, the winning score a 70-yard pass to Temond Marcus.

Tiftarea and Valwood will play for the title. The Valiants, 2-1 in the district to Tiftarea’s 3-0, defeated Brookwood School, 38-7 in the lead-up. While their regular season is over Deerfield-Windsor has an eye on Friday’s game, too. The Knights are 3-1 in the region and a Valwood win would force a three-way tie for the trophy.

Friday’s game will be at The Panther Pit. The contest was originally scheduled for Oct. 4, but was postponed because of Hurricane Idalia damage to Lowndes County and Valwood’s campus.

Head coach Erik Soliday called last Friday’s contest, “A tough ballgame. A physical game, all the way around.”

Though owners of a 6-4 record, all four Eagles losses have been high quality. Besides Tiftarea, they’ve fallen to Deerfield-Windsor, Valwood and one of the top teams in Class 2A, Southwest Georgia Academy.

Terrell Academy trailed 16-14 through three quarters, but were on the move on a drive that ultimately stretched 13 plays and 66 yards. Bryson Peachey whipped a 15-yard pass to Hill Murdock for a touchdown to go ahead. Murdock caught a two-point conversion pass from Peachey for a 22-16 advantage.

Tiftarea didn’t drag out their next drive.  Kaiden Richardson had runs of 15 and 17 yards, then J.R. Walker had a 10 yard run to move them from their own 45 to the 13 in three snaps.

The Eagles made a tackle in the backfield, but Walker faked a handoff and bolted through the middle, untouched until he hit paydirt 16 yards later. The run tied the score at 22 and it stayed tied after a kick attempt failed.

Then it seemed like fate had other ideas.

Murdock returned the kick 39 yards to put the Eagles on the 41. Ty Thomas ran twice, gaining 33 more and the hosts were on the 8. Thomas ran again. Six more yards to the 2.

Terrell was knocking on the door of an upset win. The door opened, but not for the Eagles.

A bad snap never reached Peachey and Panther William Garner recovered at their own 9.

Tiftarea was immediately hit with a penalty to put them on the 4 and they only picked up the first down on a 16-yard Walker run to the 30.

The Panthers set up initially with receiver Ridley Monk wide on one side, but he shifted, leaving Marcus uncovered. The snap went to Walker and Marcus initially had his hands up to block. Instead, he released for a screen pass, catching Terrell Academy off-guard.

Marcus made the catch, broke four tackles and darted the 70 yards for the go-ahead score.

Soliday confessed that he considered running the play earlier in the game. He held off. “We might need that later,” he said. And his expectation had been to merely get a first down. “Turned into more than a first down.”

It’s a play the Panthers practice often. “I was glad to see it pay off in a game,” Soliday said.

Tiftarea then got the two-point conversion, Walker leaping high enough against two defenders to land barely in the end zone.

The Panthers were now up eight, 30-22. There was precious time for the Eagles to cover the field, especially after the kickoff returner was tackled at the 33. Murdock caught a 17-yard pass with Tiftarea in prevent defense and a long Peachey run set them up at the 41. The Eagles called time and Peachey attempted a Hail Mary. His arm was hit as he threw and the pass fell incomplete.

Friday night’s game started about as wildly as a game can.

On the first play from scrimmage, Walker found a streaking John Jackson for a 67-yard touchdown. Walker hit a jump pass to Richardson for the conversion and an 8-0 lead.

Terrell scored just as quickly, a 61-yard keeper by Peachey on their first play. Murdock caught a conversion pass and two snaps into the contest, it was an 8-8 game.

Tiftarea needed more plays on the next drive, but flew down the field again. Highlights were a trio of Jackson catches and a 14-yard run by Walker.  They ran out of downs, however, at the 3.

The Eagles picked up five yards, then lost four. When they attempted a pass from their own 4, a diving Dawson Butler snared it almost off the top of the grass and Tiftarea had the ball back on the 4.

Richardson ran to the 1, then Walker had a bumper car-esque run to score. The conversion try resulted in a scramble by Walker and Billy Martin leaping in the end zone to take the ball away from Terrell and add on two more points. The lead was 16-8.

Terrell had the only score of the second period, an 86-yard Peachey pass. The try for two failed and it was 16-14 at intermission.

Both teams turned it over on downs in the third before Terrell began the long drive that saw them take the lead in the fourth.

Walker was the Panthers’ leading rusher at 144 yards on 20 tries. He scored twice on the ground. Through the air, Walker completed only six of 17 attempts, but made the most of them at 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Richardson bulldozed for 49 yards on seven rushing attempts. Grier had 65 on 10. Jackson caught four passes for a team-high 98 yards. Marcus’ sole reception was the 70-yard touchdown. Griffin Lee had the other catch.

Marcus had 11 solo tackles and 12 total. Both Brody Seagraves and Jack Brand had two tackles for losses.

The Panthers are now 8-1 on the year with Terrell finishing the regular season at 6-4. Both appear to be locks for the playoffs. As of Sunday, Tiftarea is the No. 3 team in MaxPreps’ power rankings. Terrell is No. 7.

Though the playoffs are only eight teams this year, both Terrell and current No. 8 John Milledge Academy have a near-nine-point lead over No. 9 Piedmont Academy.