REIDSVILLE — An extra passenger joined the South Effingham Mustangs on their team bus following their game against Tattnall County on Friday.

The welcome stranger was the feeling of victory.

Fueled by turnovers, the Mustangs broke open a close game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to a 28-8 win over the Warriors. The triumph ended a four-game slide and upped South Effingham’s record to 2-4 heading into Region 2-AAAAA play.

 The ball rarely bounced the Mustangs’ way during their recent struggles and that trend continued early Friday. The team proved to be resilient, however.

“They made some plays and got the momentum back,” South Effingham coach Donnie Revell said. “They really started playing together and then Tattnall County made some mistakes that we were able to capitalize on.”

The Warriors’ biggest miscue came on the initial play of the fourth quarter. Facing a second-and-8 situation at his 11, quarterback Tyler Yancey allowed a shotgun snap to get past him and roll toward the end zone. 

A mad scramble ensued, with players from both teams pawing for the ball. Jarred Froehlich finally managed to recover it, giving the Mustangs a touchdown.

On Tattnall County’s next series, it marched to the Mustangs’ 28 before turning the ball over again. A fumble by running back Dez Kennedy was collected by Preston Monroe after an eight-yard gain.

Monroe’s heroic effort sparked a 10-play touchdown drive that featured running back Larry Scott. Scott got the call on five rushes before Jake Kerns closed the march with a scoring run from one yard out with 4:18 left.

A couple minutes later, Monroe thwarted the Warriors’ final drive with an interception at the Mustangs’ 30.

“It was a great team win,” Revell said. “The defense played great, made turnovers. I know the coaches won’t be happy with the yardage they gave up but they came up with big stops and big plays when they needed to.”

See the Oct. 3 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.