BRUCE FIELD – Injury-prone Cedar Bluff welcomed the return of senior linebacker Jim Nelson with a 12-8 Class A, Region 6 win over Spring Garden Friday night.

Although the Tigers lost Nick Reed to an injury in last week's loss at Collinsville, Nelson returned from a month's absence after tearing a quad muscle to lead the Tiger defense on a night when windy and rainy weather made scoring opportunities rare.

Give credit to the Tigers for fighting back when things just were not going their way. Although the Tigers did not have a great offensive night, they did step it up on defense.

After the bottom fell out of the sky just after kickoff, the Tigers had to fight through the weather to score their win.

At the end of the first quarter with no points on the board, both teams stepped onto the field ready to step it up and score.

With 10:34 remaining in the second quarter, Spring Garden's Tyler Smart put the first points on the board for the Panthers with a 20-yard run. Cedar Bluff junior Zach Taylor blocked the extra point.

After a bad snap by the Tigers with 4:31 left to play in the first half, the Panthers scored two more points with a safety.

A few minutes later Cedar Bluff senior quarterback Kyle Crane completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to junior Marcus Reese with a 27 seconds remaining in the first half, closing the gap to 8-6.

Halftime entertainment was provided by the Cedar Bluff varsity cheerleaders.
After a scoreless third quarter, Crane completed another touchdown pass to Reese with 4:20 left in the game. The Tigers' attempt for the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

The Panthers moved to the Cedar Bluff 11-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Smart threw a pass to Cory Anderson for what all thought was the game-winning touchdown. However, the play was nullified by an illegal receiver down field penalty.

With six seconds remaining, the Panthers had one last opportunity, but Smart's pass to Kaleb Littlejohn was incomplete.

Engulfed by a whirlwind of emotions, Tiger defensive coordinator Mark Mitchell sprinted across the field and then slid on his knees after the clock ran out.

Panther coaches walked into the post-game huddle proud of their players' effort, but disappointed with the penalty call.

Spring Garden has only beaten Cedar Bluff once since the school reinstituted the Panther football program in 1992 following a three-year hiatus. That 16-6 win came at Bruce Field in 2007.

For the Tigers, Crane was 7-of-18 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Reese had three receptions for a total of 62 yards.

Jake Scott led the Panthers with 56 yards rushing. Trey Littlefield added 43 yards on 11 attempts. Smart had 27 yards on 16 carries and the Panthers' lone touchdown.

Cedar Bluff (5-2, 4-1) travels to Gaston Friday night. Spring Garden (3-4, 3-2) heads to Woodville.