WILDCATS RALLY: CAMDEN ERASES 14-POINT DEFICIT, STORMS BACK FOR 39–36 WIN
CAMDEN COUNTY WILDCATS • WEEK 4 GAME RECAP
KINGSLAND, Ga. — Friday night required patience from Camden County long before the Wildcats ever took the field.
Weather rolled through Kingsland and delayed the start of Friday night’s matchup at Chris Gilman Stadium, pushing kickoff back until around 9 p.m.
When the football finally went in the air, Camden faced another storm of a different kind.
Godby jumped out to a 14–0 first-quarter lead, putting the Wildcats in their largest early hole of the young season.
For a Camden team returning home after suffering its first loss of the season, the night could have started unraveling. It didn’t.
The Wildcats settled in, fought their way back and eventually turned a two-touchdown deficit into one of the most dramatic wins of the young season.
Camden scored 10 unanswered points before halftime, pulled within three entering the fourth quarter and then erupted for 21 points in the final period to complete a thrilling 39–36 comeback victory.
By the time a long night at Chris Gilman Stadium finally ended, Camden County was 3–1. But this one was about more than another number in the win column.
It was about the response.
WILDCATS WEATHER THE EARLY STORM
For the opening 12 minutes, nearly everything went Godby’s way. The Cougars put 14 points on the board while keeping Camden scoreless, forcing the Wildcats to play from behind.
Then the game began to change. Camden answered with 10 unanswered points in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 14–10 at halftime and turning what had been a two-score game into a four-point battle.
The Wildcats continued chipping away after the break. Godby scored seven in the third quarter, but Camden answered with eight. The Cougars still held a 21–18 advantage entering the fourth, meaning Camden had trailed at the end of each of the first three quarters. Then came the final 12 minutes.
And Camden delivered.
21 POINTS IN THE FOURTH
With the game hanging in the balance, the Wildcats produced their biggest scoring quarter of the night. Camden poured in 21 fourth-quarter points. Godby answered with 15 of its own, but every time the pressure increased, the Wildcats found a way to respond.
By the final horn, Camden had turned a 14–0 first-quarter deficit into a 39–36 victory, outscoring the Cougars 39–22 over the final three quarters and scoring 29 points in the second half.
It took contributions from all three phases. And the Wildcats got them.
COLLINS LEADS AN EFFICIENT CAMDEN ATTACK
Senior quarterback Xavier Collins delivered one of his most efficient performances of the young season. Collins completed 17 of 20 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, connecting on 85 percent of his attempts and finishing with a 157.1 quarterback rating.
He was equally dangerous with his legs. Collins carried eight times for a team-high 64 yards, averaging 8.0 yards per attempt with a long run of 26 yards.
Altogether, Collins accounted for 278 yards of Camden’s 364 yards of total offense. The Wildcats finished with 214 yards through the air and 150 on the ground, giving Camden the balance it needed to work its way back into the game.
GREEN DELIVERS A BIG NIGHT
Senior wide receiver Sean Green emerged as Collins’ top target and turned in a huge performance.
Green hauled in eight passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 16.6 yards per reception and breaking loose for a 50-yard gain.
He also added a 23-yard kickoff return, finishing with 156 all-purpose yards. Senior wide receiver Elijah Rose added two receptions for 42 yards, while junior Jammie Williams contributed a 17-yard catch.
Camden also continued getting production from its backfield. Senior Jesse Newsome found the end zone twice, scoring once on the ground and once through the air. Newsome finished with six carries for 14 yards and added three receptions for 16 yards.
Sophomore Malakhi Poole carried 10 times for 53 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. But one of Camden’s biggest touchdowns of the night didn’t come from the offense at all.
COLEMAN TAKES ONE TO THE HOUSE
Junior defensive back Demetrius Coleman delivered one of the defining plays of the night.
Coleman stepped in front of a Godby pass and returned the interception 15 yards for a touchdown, putting six critical points directly on the scoreboard for the Camden defense. He wasn’t finished. Coleman also recorded three tackles and two pass breakups, making his presence felt throughout the secondary.
Senior Cedric Davis produced Camden’s other takeaway, intercepting a pass and returning it 14 yards.
Godby’s passing attack challenged the Wildcats throughout the night, but Camden’s defense continued finding ways to make game-changing plays. And in a game ultimately decided by three points, a defensive touchdown proved enormous.
CAMDEN BRINGS THE PRESSURE
The Wildcats created pressure throughout the night, finishing with eight quarterback hurries and five tackles for loss.
Senior DeQuan Edwards was at the center of it. Edwards tied for the team lead with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss, while generating four quarterback hurries.
Junior Glonger Carter also recorded nine tackles. Senior linebacker Will Smith finished with seven tackles, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. Smith also contributed on the scoreboard with a successful two-point conversion.
Micah Jones recorded six tackles, while Cedric Davis, Maliek Patterson and Quan Mercer each finished with five.
The defense didn’t have to be perfect. It had to make plays. Camden intercepted two passes, consistently pressured the quarterback and put six points of its own on the scoreboard.
SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE THEIR MARK
Special teams played its part as well. Senior kicker Jacob Vermilyea accounted for seven points and sent four of his six kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
Senior Michael Conley was called upon to punt just once, but made the opportunity count, booming a 51-yard punt that was downed inside the 20.
Camden also accumulated 51 yards on four kickoff returns. On a night decided by a field goal, every yard and every point mattered.
FINDING A WAY TO WIN
The final score wasn’t the only thing Head Coach Tucker Pruitt saw Friday night.
He saw a team beginning to learn how to handle adversity together.
After falling behind 14–0, trailing at halftime and entering the fourth quarter still down three, Camden kept playing. And when it was over, Pruitt’s message to his team wasn’t about perfection.
It was about growth.
“We didn’t play our best football tonight, but we’re learning as a team how to compete for 48 minutes, no matter what happens,” Pruitt told his players after the game. “This game had a ton of ups and downs and ups and downs and you played right through them. You’re learning how to play the next play.”
That was exactly what Friday night required.
When the defense struggled early, the offense helped pull Camden back into the game. When the Wildcats needed the defense to make plays, Coleman and Davis delivered two turnovers.
Pruitt pointed directly to that complementary football afterward.
“First half, offense, we had to pick up our defense. Second half, defense, you won the game with two turnovers,” Pruitt said. “We don’t ever know if it’s going to be offense or defense or special teams. But what we do know is that we’re going to believe in each other and we’re going to fight till it says double zero.”
That last part carried particular meaning Friday night. Pruitt had delivered essentially the same message at halftime.
The score didn’t matter until the clock showed 00:00.
Camden was down 14–10 when he said it. The Wildcats were still down 21–18 after three quarters. But when the clock finally reached double zero, Camden was on top.
39–36.
“The biggest thing you’re learning how to do is find a way to win,” Pruitt told his team. “And that’s what champions do.”
For a program still early in its first season under Pruitt, perhaps his final observation said the most about where these Wildcats are headed.
“We’re starting to grow as a team. We’re starting to come together as a team. Continue to buy in. Continue to listen to your coaches and get better each and every week.”
Friday night wasn’t Camden’s cleanest performance.
It didn’t need to be.
After waiting through a weather delay, falling behind by two touchdowns and spending most of the night chasing the scoreboard, the Wildcats kept playing the next play.
They kept believing in each other.
They kept fighting until double zero.
And when it finally arrived, Camden County had found a way to win.
FINAL: CAMDEN COUNTY 39, GODBY 36
Camden County improves to 3–1.
