Blue Lions post dramatic 32-29 win over Paint Valley

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BAINBRIDGE — The Washington Blue Lion football team visited Paint Valley High School Friday to take on the Bearcats.

The Blue Lions trailed the Bearcats at the half and had a dramatic finish, pulling out the victory, 32-29.

The Blue Lions scored first and led, 6-0.

Once Paint Valley took the lead, they held it until A.J. Dallmayer caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Raliegh Haithcock.

“We were down 29-12 in the middle of the fourth quarter and came back and won,” said an elated Washington head coach Chuck Williamson.

“We scored with nine seconds to go in the game to win it,” Williamson said. “Then we went for two and got it.

“It was unbelievable,” Williamson said. “We played our rear ends off. We never stopped. Troy (quarterback Thompson) got hurt and Raliegh came in and played an unbelievable game. He brought us all the way back.

“We fought back, play after play,” Williamson said. “We converted a fourth and 14 play and we kept battling. We won it with nine seconds to go.”

Corey Dye, formerly the Washington Blue Lion head coach and now the head coach of the Bearcats, gave a few thoughts on the game.

“It just really came down to turnovers,” Dye said. “We turned the ball over way too much. We had quite a few opportunities to score. You can’t beat a good team with that many turnovers.

“It’s unfortunate, because, really, I felt like we had the momentum,” Dye said. “They had a couple of big plays. Rishaun Burns made a scoop and score, I think he ran it back 60 or 70 yards. That kind of got the momentum back for them.

“I believe we were going to have a chance to score on that drive,” Dye said. “That’s kind of how it happened. They made some nice catches. Raliegh Haithcock came in and did a nice job for Court House. Unfortunately, we were not able to pull it out.

“It is what it is,” Dye said. “We’ll learn from it and move on. We still have the opportunity to compete in the SVC (Scioto Valley Conference) and win an SVC title. That’s the thing about football, you have to keep moving. You can’t dwell on it. We’ll watch film tomorrow and see what went wrong and then get ready for Westfall next week.”

Washington will have its Homecoming game next week against Minford.

Washington High School graduate and Wittenberg graduate, Alexis Gray, who finished third in the nation in the Division III meet in the 800-meters, will be recognized at the game.

Gray, who majored in data analytics at Wittenberg, was named an All-Academic Athlete for her senior season.

Washington senior Drew Hardy (9) carries during the game at Paint Valley High School Friday, Sept. 3, 2021.
https://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2021/09/web1_Drew-Hardy-vs-bearcats9-3-2021.jpgWashington senior Drew Hardy (9) carries during the game at Paint Valley High School Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. Courtesy photo

By Chris Hoppes

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