By Michael Butler

It was another game that came down to the wire. It was also another tough region loss for Tallassee. Bullock County beat the Tigers 19-17 on Friday in Union Springs.

A week earlier, Booker T. Washington scored twice in the fourth quarter to defeat Tallassee in the final minutes. On Friday, Bullock County scored the winning touchdown in the final 15 seconds.

The win was Bullock County’s first ever over Tallassee in eight meetings.

The home crowd erupted at Thornton-Foster Stadium on Caiden Ivey’s 12-yard run, ending Tallassee’s streak in the series which began in 1924.

Ivey was playing quarterback for the injured Tykelis Wallace, who was carted off the field with 2:35 left. Wallace came into the game ranked third in the AHSAA in yards per carry at 14.1 per rush. He ran for 162 on 23 carries with two touchdowns against the Tigers. Ivey finished with 107 yards on 19 attempts.

Tallassee managed just 100 yards of total offense but built a 17-6 third-quarter lead after Jaiden “J-Man” Gordon’s TD run of four yards. Gordon was also on the receiving end of John Carter’s 30-yard scoring pass in the second quarter. Gordon has a team-leading eight touchdowns this season.

The loss drops Tallassee to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in Class 4A/Region 3 play. Bullock County improved to 5-0 and 3-0 in the region. It is the best start for the Hornets since 1972.

“I don’t even know what to say,” said THS head football coach L.A. O’Neal. “It was a heck of a game. We just didn’t finish.”

Tallassee will be off next week and have homecoming versus Cleburne County on Oct. 3.

Schedule/Results