Chamblee’s William Tate recovered a Martin Luther King Jr. fumble on a third and goal play at the two-yard line in overtime to seal a 35-28 Region 4-5A win for the Bulldogs at Godfrey Stadium on Thursday (Sept. 28) night.

The Bulldogs (3-3, 1-0) scored the go-ahead touchdown in the first part of the second overtime as quarterback Ashton Bolston snuck it in from a yard out. Alexander Dahkli hit the extra point to make it 35-28.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Chamblee’s touchdown pushed the Lions (1-5, 0-1) back to the 30-yard line to start their half of the second overtime period. A 16-yard run by Ramique Thomas and a three-yard run by Sa’Kaun Foster had the Lions knocking at the door at the Bulldog two-yard line.

The Chamblee defense got penetration on the next play and the ball popped loose in the backfield from the Lions’ runner where Tate made the recovery to end the game.

A back-and-forth game throughout seemed destined for overtime as Chamblee answered each score by the Lions in the second and fourth quarters where all six regulation scores happened.

King took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter as a 47-yard pass down the middle of the field from Thomas to Aaron Parks to end the first quarter set up the first score of the night. The Lions had one fourth-down touchdown called back on a holding call, but thanks to two penalties on the Bulldogs got a third chance on fourth and goal from the two. Foster bulled his way into the end zone for the touchdown and Donald Whiting made it 7-0.

Chamblee got the ball back with 2:05 to play in the first half and hit a 41-yard pass play from Bolston to Tristian Sizemore to set up a game-tying touchdown on the next play. Bolston went to running back Larry Harris on a swing pass with Harris taking it the final 10 yards for the touchdown. Dahkli’s PAT made it 7-7 at the half.

Following a scoreless third quarter, the Lions were marching in Chamblee territory when Foster took the handoff around the left end, down the sideline and dove to the pylon to give his team the lead again. Whiting’s PAT made it 14-7 with 10:55 to play.

Chamblee went right back down the field and a short pass from Bolston to Sizemore who slipped down the left sideline breaking a pair of tackles and 26 yards into the endzone for the touchdown. Dahkli knotted it at 14-14 with 10:18 to play.

The Lions roared right back driving 83 yards in just five plays with a 49-yard run by Foster setting up a one-yard run by Thomas to put King up again. Whiting’s PAT made it 21-14 with 8:06 to play.

Chamblee answered once again converting a big fourth and 10 at the King 19-yard line on an 11-yard pass from Bolston to Jake Fogel to set up the game-tying touchdown. Bolston ran a quarterback draw for eight yards and stuck the football across the goal line with 5:05 to play. Dahkli again hit the PAT to knot the game at 21-21.

The defenses held in the final five minutes of the game to send it into overtime.

King got the ball first and Foster gave his team the lead on a two-yard run. Whiting’s PAT made it 28-21 in favor of the Lions.

Chamblee answered with Bolston sneaking into the line on third and goal for the touchdown. Dahkli tied it again at 28-28 to force the game-deciding second overtime.

Bolston ran for two touchdowns and threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns as he hit on 14 of 28 attempts in the game to lead the Bulldogs. Larry Harris had two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, in the game.

Sa’Kaun Foster finished the night with 158 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 29 carries to lead the Lions. Ramique Thomas had a rushing touchdown and 93 yards on 23 carries and threw for 139 yards on 11 of 14 through the air.

Hapeville Charter 20, Stephenson 13
A late touchdown propelled the Hapeville Charter Hornets (3-3, 1-0) to a 20-13 win over the Stephenson Jaguars (4-2, 0-1) at Banneker High School on Thursday.

Hapeville stopped the Jaguars on a fourth and goal with the game tied 13-13 and marched back down the field and scored on a 60-yard pass with 30 seconds to play to pull out the Region 6-4A win.

DCSD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE – WEEK 7
Thursday, Sept. 28
GODFREY STADIUM
Chamblee (3-3) 35, M.L. King (1-5) 28 2OT
AWAY
BANNEKER HIGH SCHOOL
Hapeville Charter (3-3)* 20, Stephenson (4-2) 13

Friday, Sept. 29
ADAMS STADIUM
Decatur (2-3) vs. Tucker (2-3) *(HC), 7:30 pm
AVONDALE STADIUM
Redan (1-4) vs. Towers (0-4)* (HC), 7:30 pm
GODFREY STADIUM
Lithonia (1-4) vs. Arabia Mountain (4-1)*, 7:30 pm
HALLFORD STADIUM
SW DeKalb (2-3) vs. Miller Grove (4-1)* (HC), 7:30 pm
NORTH DEKALB STADIUM
Marist (4-1) vs. Dunwoody (5-0)*, 7:30 pm

AWAY
Columbia (3-2) at Callaway (2-2)*, 7:30 pm
Lakeside (3-2) at Johnson-Gainesville (1-4), 7:30 pm
McNair (2-3) at Landmark Christian (0-5)*, 7:30 pm

OPEN: Cedar Grove (2-4), Clarkston (0-5), Cross Keys (0-6), Druid Hills (3-1-1), Stone Mountain (0-5)