FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. - Sometimes, regardless of how much a team believes in itself, the negative culture doesn't change until its players get the kind of win that proves it to them and everyone watching.
The Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe football team got that win Friday night, and the celebration on the field showed belief has become proof.
Nathan Williams and Zach Vaughn combined for 276 rushing yards as the Warriors beat rival Ringgold 28-23 in a Region 6-AAA North matchup. It was LFO's first win against the Tigers since 2004.
"I'm just so proud of our young men who have worked so hard to get this program turned around," Warriors' coach Bo Campbell said. "I tell them all the time, I know they're capable of playing a great game. What's exciting to me is to see them come out and compete the way that I know they can."
LFO (3-3, 1-0) controlled possession throughout the game, rushing the ball 58 times while passing just six. Williams and Vaughn had all 58 of those carries as they ran behind an experienced group of blockers who dominated the line of scrimmage.
"There's just a lot of relief after the past two years," Williams said. "I'm just proud of my team, the offensive linemen and the defense. It makes me feel good that they trust me (with so many carries), and we trust the line, too."
Williams shouldered the load in the first half with 22 carries for 144 yards, finishing with 162 total yards and two touchdowns.
During the second half, it was dual-threat quarterback Vaughn's turn to lead the Warriors to victory, as he was called on to run 25 times in the half for 87 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with 114 yards.
"I can't even process it all right now. I've never seen anything like this celebration before," Vaughn said. "Williams had a great first half. They kept calling the quarterback run in the second half, and I couldn't let my team down."
Ringgold (3-3, 0-1) racked up 397 yards of total offense. Most of that came through the air on 14-of-24 passing for 284 yards from quarterback Cole Kibler. Pete Brower hauled in seven catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
However, the Tigers' offense was kept off the field for a large part of the game, including the game's opening drive as LFO marched the ball down the field on a 17-play, 80-yard set that took 7:21, included two fourth-down conversions, and finished with a 5-yard touchdown run by Williams.
"When you've got running backs that are in a zone like that, I enjoy watching them," Campbell said. "Our offensive line just did an outstanding job of creating holes for them and getting them on the second level.
"The support from this community and these fans, and even people outside of this community, it shows with these kids. The kids see that, and then they want to go out and give all their heart for this community."