Tornadoes defeat Red Raiders 34-15

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — The Pickens County Tornadoes defeated the Marion County Red Raiders 34-15 in last Thursday night’s game.
The Tornadoes took a strong lead by scoring on three touchdown receptions and two rushes, while only allowing one touchdown from the Raiders.
The fourth quarter began with the Tornadoes holding a 34-7 lead, but the Raiders were able to put a few more points on the scoreboard before the end of the game.
The Raiders’ defense held the Tornadoes back until fourth down, and Pickens County chose to punt since they were still deep within their own territory.
But with 2:47 left in the game, the snap went high and sailed out of bounds through the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Still trailing 34-9, the Raiders made their last possession count as they steadily closed in on the end zone after the kick off.
The Raider offense advanced to within the Tornadoes’ 10-yard line, when Marion County’s O’Marion Smith smashed through the defensive line into the end zone with 1:05 left in the game.
The Raiders tried to add two more to their total, but they were stopped by the Pickens County defense.
The Tornadoes took a knee to end the ball game with a 34-15 victory over the Raiders.
Despite the loss, the Raiders ended their regular season with an overall record of 5-5, and a 1A Region 5 record of 5-3.