In a game filled with big plays, Newberry made the last one and finished its season with a 30-23 victory against the Rebels in overtime.
Bulldogs' defensive back Erik Little made a diving interception at the goalline on third down in overtime to seal the victory.
“Our kids played their hearts out,” Newberry coach Lindsay Stribble said. “I can't say enough about how hard they played. Both teams played well and left everything out there.”
The Bulldogs took a 16-7 lead into halftime after a Joseph Foster 30-yard field goal at the second quarter, but had to hold off a furious Mid-Carolina rally in the second half.
The Rebels recovered a fumble on the Bulldogs' first drive of the third quarter and marched down the field for a touchdown. Jamal Mendenhall carried the ball five times on the drive, and ran over two Newberry defensive players for a 3-yard touchdown. Mendenhall added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 16-15.
The Bulldogs had an immediate answer.
Little took the ensuing kickoff, made a couple of cuts, including a final one on the kicker, and raced up the middle of the field for a 91-yard momentum-changing touchdown.
The extra point gave the ‘Dogs a 23-15 lead with a minute to play in the fourth.
“(The kickoff) was huge,” Stribble. “Erik's just a player. He's not the fastest or the biggest, but he's just a heady kid that makes good plays. He had a couple of huge ones in the game.”
The Rebels answered right back with a nearly six-minute drive that was capped off by another three-yard touchdown run by Mendenhall.
Mid-Carolina added the two-point conversion to tie the game with 5:05 to play.
After a nearly flawless second half, the JV Rebels made a huge mistake at the worst time.
Newberry went three-and-out on its next possession and gave the Rebels great field position after the Bulldogs' personal protector ran into punter Tyler Bishop.
After a Kendall Lathrop pass brought the ball to the Newberry 15-yard line, the Rebels fumbled away their chance to take the lead late.
Newberry recovered the fumble and ran out the clock, forcing overtime.
The Bulldogs got on the board in overtime when Kadeem Counts scored from five yard out on second down. After two consecutive Mendenhall runs, Little picked off Lathrop, which set off a celebration at the goal line.
“These kids hold a special place in my heart, and I can't tell you how proud I am of them,” Stribble said. “To have so many freshman out here, and so many sophomores playing on Fridays, the future of the program looks good.”
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