#5 Lumpkin County survived rivals White County in an instant classic, one that went 4 overtime periods and finished with a 61-55 final. The Indians walked it off on a Mason Sullens 5-yd TD in the final OT, just after Cal Faulkner hauled in an interception to stop White County.

Neither side scored on their first drive, but Lumpkin broke through on Cal Faulkner’s 27-yd TD run late in the first. The Warriors had a long drive that spanned into the second half, and ended with a game-tying 7-yd TD pass from Tripp Nix to Cam Wilson with 8:37 to go in the 2nd.

It was blow for blow, as the Indians marched down the field and scored on a Faulkner 10-yd TD run just 2 minutes later. The final 6 drives of the first half went for pay dirt. White County, not to be outdone, tied it up with just over 2 minutes to go on a 5-yd TD run by Nix. 

The Indians needed just 30 seconds to reclaim the lead, with Mason Sullens scoring from 4 yards out. That had Lumpkin up 21-14. The Warriors wouldn’t go away, and got a 10-yd TD pass from Nix to Gaines Clark with 31 seconds to go in the half. That left us with a knotted 21-21 ballgame. 

White County made a big stop on a 4th down, then Nix aired it out for a 66-yd TD to Isaiah Whitlow for a 28-21 lead. It marked the 4th straight drive for the Warriors offense that ended with a score. The see-saw battle rolled on, as the Indians needed about 55 seconds to respond to their first deficit. Sullens ripped off a 66-yd run inside the 5, then scored from 3 ticks out, tying the contest at 28 apiece. 

The Warriors went right back to work, as Fowler ripped off an 82-yd TD for the go-ahead score. That 35-28 lead held to the fourth, as the Indians again turned it over on downs on the final play of the 3rd. 

White County was driving and lifted a deep ball that Faulkner picked off at the 2. On the next play, Sullens got the Indians out of the shadow of their goalpost on a 45-yd run. It was the spark Lumpkin needed, and they took advantage of a face mask penalty on the way to Faulkner’s 8-yd score to knot the game at 35-all with just over 4 to play. Both teams made stops on potential game-winning drives, sending it to overtime. 

Once there, it got even more wild. Lumpkin County went first and scored on a Sullens 1-yd TD. Nix then connected with Clark as White County tied it up. The second overtime featured the Warriors going first, as Nix scored a 4-yd TD. Lumpkin scored as well when Faulkner got in from 8 yards out. In the third overtime, Faulkner again scored from 5 yards out. The 2-point try was just short of the goal line. White County then had a chance to win with a touchdown and 2PC. Nix hit Wilson for an 8-yd TD. However, Nix was just short of the goal line on his 2-point try. In the fourth and final overtime, White County was picked off by Faulkner. That set up a 5-yd run by Sullens to seal the win. 

Lumpkin tied its best start since 1967 while moving to 8-0. The offense, ranked in the top 5 in the state, outscored its average of 41.6. However, White County put up 55 on a defense that allows just 11.7. The Warriors are 4-4 overall. The 55 put up by White County is the most in program history in a loss. Lumpkin’s 61-point game is the most since 2016 when scoring 63. It’s only the 4th 60-point game in Indians history.