TRION, Ga. - Trion just ran into the wrong team - and the wrong quarterback - at the wrong time.
Dooly County, seeded 21st in the GHSA Class A public playoffs, got hot at the right time to make the post season and carried that momentum over to Friday night. Led by quarterback Bo Lawson's scintillating 434-yard, seven-touchdown performance, the Bobcats (5-6) spoiled Trion's first home playoff game in 13 years, 56-35.
Lawson completed 20 of 23 passes, nine of them going to speedy senior Desi Lester, who caught touchdown throws of 44, 49, 50, 43 and 46 yards in finishing with 276 yards. Some were flat-out streaks and some were short passes that turned into big plays.
"They had a lot of speed and they were big up front," Trion coach Justin Brown said. "We started a little slow, and it took us a while to get adjusted to the speed of the game."
The Bulldogs (7-4) were down 14 seven minutes into the game after the Lawson-to-Lester connection clicked on a 44-yard deep post, but Trion senior fullback Logan Blevins capped a drive late in the first quarter with a 20-yard run.
Trion caused and recovered a fumble moments later at the Dooly 31, leading to another Blevins scoring run, this one from 4 yards out that tied the game early in the second.
The Bobcats, though, needed just four plays to take the lead back for good on Lester's 49-yard reception. After forcing a Trion three-and-out, the next drive lasted just three plays before Lester took a short pass on third-and-6 and raced 50 yards for a 28-14 lead.
The teams swapped scores, Jarrett Gill hitting Brett Brown for a 23-yard touchdown for Trion and Lester scoring again on a 43-yard pass for Dooly as the visitors took a 35-21 lead into halftime.
The game's big moment came after Trion forced a Dooly punt to open the second half and took over at the 40. Three plays later at the 24, Blevins broke free up the middle, but as he was fighting for extra yards the ball popped out and was recovered by the Bobcats.
Four plays later, Lawson hit a wide-open Jarquavious Brown on a 51-yard killing touchdown.
"We got a couple of scores and kept fighting, but the big turning point in the game was the turnover after halftime," Justin Brown said. "I felt like it might have played out a little differently if we had scored there.
"Give Dooly a lot of credit, though. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the better team, and they deserved to win it tonight. Our kids never quit and I'm very proud of them for that. I hate it for these seniors to go out like this."
Trion again showed fight, using Gill's 53-yard run to set up Railey's 7-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 42-28 with four minutes left in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs didn't touch the ball again until midway through the final period.
Lawson and Lester hooked up on a 46-yard scoring pass and the short kickoff was muffed by Trion and recovered at the Bulldogs' 48. Lawson completed his seven-pack of touchdowns moments later with a 20-yard pass to P.J. Taylor.
Trion ended the night with 283 yards rushing, led by Blevins' 110 on 15 carries, with Railey adding 76 and Gill 65.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfpress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.