Red Bay roars back to defeat Lexington
RED BAY – The Red Bay Tigers showed grit, power, and poise Friday night, rallying from an early deficit to knock off the Lexington Golden Bears, 34-21, in a region showdown that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Senior running back Jaxson Vinson and quarterback Jeremiah Thorne led the charge for the Tigers, combining for five touchdowns as Red Bay erased a nine-point deficit and held Lexington scoreless in the second half.
Lexington struck first, finding the end zone on a 9-yard run with 9:18 left in the opening quarter to grab a 7-0 lead.
Red Bay answered late in the quarter when Vinson powered in from 3 yards out, but the extra point sailed wide, keeping the score 7-6.
The Golden Bears responded on the final play of the period with a 25-yard touchdown strike to extend their advantage to 14-6.
Vinson added his second score early in the sec- ond quarter, again from close range, narrowing the gap to 14-12.
Lexington appeared to seize momentum once more on a 5-yard rushing touchdown with 5:02 left in the half, stretching the lead to 21-12.
But the Tigers had the final word before the break, marching down the field and capping the drive with a 5-yard run in the closing seconds. A successful two-point conversion pulled Red Bay within one, 21-20, at halftime.
From there, the Tigers controlled the game.
Thorne put Red Bay on top for good midway through the third quarter, plunging in from the 1-yard line to make it 26-21.
After the Tigers defense stopped Lexington on fourth down late in the quarter, Red Bay chewed up the clock and leaned on its running game. Thorne added insurance with a 5-yard touchdown keeper early in the fourth, then connected on the two-point try to set the final margin.
Vinson was a workhorse, carrying the ball 28 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching four passes for 84 yards.
Thorne shined through the air and on the ground, completing 14 of 20 passes for 223 yards and rushing for two scores. His favorite target, Davion Colburn, hauled in nine receptions for 121 yards, keeping the chains moving all night.
The win highlighted Red Bay’s balance of toughness up front and explosiveness in the backfield. More importantly, it keeps the Tigers in the thick of the region race as the season moves forward.
Key stats from other Franklin County games: In Phil Campbell’s 55-29 loss to Winfield, Hayston Scott completed 19 of 29 passes for 367 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Austin Elliott caught 7 passes good for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hagen Raper had 4 catches for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. Chandler Benford led defensively with 17 tackles.
In Tharptown’s 49-26 loss to Decatur Heritage, Cody McClusky had 21 carries for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had a 69-yard touchdown return. Austin Chaney led defensively with 13 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery.
