High School Sports

LINCOLN — Lincoln used a last-second, 25-yard field goal Thursday night by John Talley to defeat Saks 24-23 and remain undefeated.

"I like to think the Good Lord was looking down on us tonight," Lincoln head coach Keith Howard said. "I was worried about them all week. We were just blessed by the Good Lord."

After Jesus Garcia Luna kicked a field goal to put Saks up 23-21, Lincoln drove 73 yards for the game-winning field goal. On first-and-10 at the 20, Talley hit Jonathan George for a 37-yard gain to give the Bears (6-0 overall, 4-0 Region 4) the first down at the Saks 47.

On the next play, Talley found TJ Hoyt for a 35-yard gain to set up first-and-10 at the 12. After DJ Howard rushed for 5 yards, Talley kicked the game-winning field goal.

"We knew we could go down the field and score," Talley said. "Jonathan and TJ made huge catches, and I just had to line up and kick it."

Missed opportunities by Saks (2-4, 1-3) kept Lincoln, ranked second in the most recent Class 4A poll, in the game. The most costly of those came with 5:51 remaining as Saks held a 20-14 lead.

The Wildcats' defense made a huge defensive stand on fourth-and-4 deep in their own territory, but were unable to capitalize. On first-and-10 at 14, Lee Dorsey took the handoff down to the Lincoln 3, but fumbled and Lincoln recovered.

"That's what happens in big games," Saks coach Clint Smith said. "We never got down, and they just made more plays at the end of the game."

It took the Golden Bears less than a minute to take advantage of Saks' mistake. On first-and-10 at the 47, George took the handoff 53 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown. Talley's extra point was good to give Lincoln the 21-20 lead with 4:33 left.

"Once I got around the edge, I knew I was going to score," George said.

Lincoln's defense did not have an answer for Saks running back Miles Wilson. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Wilson broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown to give Saks an early 7-0 lead in the first.

Lincoln got on the board due to Saks' offensive mistakes. On third-and-9 from their 24, the snap flew over Dakota Wells' head to the 3-yard line for a loss of 24 yards. That gave Lincoln great field position at the Saks 33. On the first play of the enusing drive, Howard went 33 yards untouched to score and tie the game at 7.

The Golden Bears took the lead in the second quarter after Hoyt caught a 57-yard pass to give Lincoln first-and–goal at the 5. Ferdie Miller scored from there to put Lincoln up 14-7.

The Golden Bears' offense was led by Talley. He was 10-for-12 passing for 193 yards. Hoyt was the leading receiver with five catches for 127 yards, and George rushed for 79 yards.

Lincoln visits Coosa-Central next week, while Saks plays host to Cleburne County.