TROJAN FIELD — Pre-game temperatures were warm. Concession stand hamburgers were hot. The Spring Garden and Gaylesville defenses? They were nothing less than sizzling.

Spring Garden defeated Gaylesville 15-12 in a Class 1A Region 7A defensive battle. Adding to the dramatics, the victorious quarterback had never taken a snap before this week.

Panther senior Will Penton answered the call to duty, switching from split end to quarterback in the wake of team injuries. Much of Penton's new job description included handing off to Panther workhorse Forrest Livingston, who gained 104 yards on the ground.

Yet Livingston was held in check by a stout Gaylesville defense for most of the first half.

Gaylesville took the opening kickoff but failed to score. Spring Garden ran three plays before Penton's first pass almost cost the Panthers. On third-and-7, Gaylesville senior safety Cole Murphy intercepted the errant pass. Murphy dashed in for the apparent touchdown, but a penalty negated the score. The Panthers would hold as the Trojans failed to convert on a fourth down.

Both offenses played to a virtual standstill in each of the next three possessions.

Spring Garden would be the first to break the tie. With five minutes remaining in the first half, Livingston scampered 44 yards around right end for the game's first touchdown.

A timely Penton pass on the previous play kept the drive alive. On third-and-9 Penton dropped back to pass. The newly-trained quarterback eluded two would-be sacks, scrambling desperately to his right. Just as he was grasped by a host of Trojans, he lobbed a shot-put-like pass to senior Josh Hale for the first down. Livingston scored on the next play. Penton booted the extra point, and Spring Garden led 7-0.

Gaylesville responded with a scoring drive of its own. With seconds remaining in the half senior Malachii Dutton's nifty 18-yard touchdown reception capped an eight-play, 57-yard scoring drive. An untimely penalty thwarted successful two-point conversion. The subsequent point-after attempt failed. Spring Garden held to a slim 7-6 advantage into half time.

The two region foes continued the defensive stalemate in the second half. The half's first five possessions came up empty. Even so, Gaylesville inched into favorable field position through a couple of first downs and mediocre Spring Garden punts.

The Trojans were finally able to punch through to the end zone with 8:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. Senior back John David Jennings rushed 6 yards off right tackle for the go-ahead score. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Trojans led 12-7.

Spring Garden would respond with an impressive six-minute,14-play, 60-yard drive to take back the lead, converting three fourth-down conversions on the touchdown trek. With 2:41 remaining in the game, junior back Tyler Morgan reached the end zone on a misdirection run around left end.

The workhorse of the drive was Livingston. At one point, the stout senior carried the ball on six consecutive plays.

Panther coach Jason Howard especially liked this particular possession.

“I'm most proud of the last drive,” he said. “Gaylesville had stuffed us for three quarters. When they went ahead, we could've put our heads down. Instead we fought and found a way.”

A two-point conversion pass to senior Jake Grogan put the Panthers up 15-12. The score would indeed hold to the final buzzer.

Gaylesville's hopes died four plays later as a fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds with just over a minute remaining on the clock.

Spring Garden knelt the remaining time off the clock to seal the victory.

Gaylesville coach Brian Clowdis was disappointed in loss, but he offered praise for his team's effort.

“They played hard,” Clowdis said. “Defensively, we played as good as we could play.”

Howard noted the exceptional play of defensive ends Jake Grogan and senior Craig Jones, as well as the rotation of Panther linemen.

Spring Garden (2-0, 1-0) hosts Valley Head this week while Gaylesville (0-2, 0-1) travels to Ragland for a non-region contest.