Red Devils rally falls short against Dresden

The South Fulton Middle School Red Devils battled back from an early deficit Thurs., Sept. 24, but their comeback bid came up short as Dresden Middle School held on for a 32-22 victory.
Dresden jumped out to an early advantage, leading 8-0 after the first quarter and extending its lead to 16-0 in the second quarter.
South Fulton finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when quarterback Holden Crabtree connected with Noa Garza on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Red Devils were unable to convert the two-point attempt, cutting Dresden’s lead to 16-6.
Dresden answered with another touchdown to take a 24-6 advantage, but South Fulton continued to fight.
Kade Clanton provided the spark for the Red Devils with a 44-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Clanton added the two-point conversion, pulling South Fulton within 24-14 heading into halftime.
The Red Devils continued their comeback in the third quarter when Clanton scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Crabtree added the two-point conversion, trimming Dresden’s lead to just 24-22.
Dresden, however, responded with a touchdown in the fourth quarter to push its advantage to 32-22 and held South Fulton scoreless the rest of the way.
Clanton led the Red Devils' rushing attack with 135 yards on 24 carries and scored both of South Fulton’s rushing touchdowns. Crabtree added 23 yards on 12 carries, while Abe Morris rushed four times for four yards and Jamariee Eaton had two carries for seven yards.
Through the air, Crabtree completed 3 of 5 passes for 37 yards. Garza led the receiving corps with one catch for 26 yards, while Clanton had one reception for seven yards and Morris added one catch for four yards.
Defensively, Clanton recorded seven tackles and an interception to lead the Red Devils. Crabtree finished with four tackles.
Despite the loss, South Fulton remains 6-1 on the season and finished as the Reelfoot Conference runner-up.
The Red Devils will return home Thurs., Oct. 1 for their final home game of the season against Gleason. The game will also serve as South Fulton’s Eighth Grade Night.