By Gary Thomas

On a very emotional Brantley High School senior night this past Friday at David Lowry Field, the Bulldog Nation came together to send Coach Roland Jones, Jr. off with a bang, showing their appreciation to see him walk the dog sideline one last time.

It didn’t take long for Brantley to hit the end zone in this dog-cat warfare as senior quarterback Jayden Parks hit senior wideout Daylan Davis on an 11-yard touchdown strike. The PAT kick was true as Brantley led the Ariton Purple Cats 7-0 with 8:43 on the clock in the opening stand.

Ariton answered the Dogs’ score when they drove 80 yards in nine plays as running back Will Ganey covered the final 18 yards for the Cats’ score. Brantley came right back on their second possession of the quarter when Parks led the Dogs in 10 plays going 55 yards with 3:43 on the clock and the dogs went up 33 to 6. 

To start the second quarter, Parks hit Tyler Carter on a 98-yard touchdown pass in three possessions. The PAT run for two points was stopped to give Brantley a 19-6 lead with 8:13 before the half.

Ariton came right back on a seven-play, 44-yard drive on a Ganey three-yard plunge into the Bulldogs end zone. Leading only 19 to 13, Brantley scored in two plays going 48 yards to put some distance on the Cats when Parks’ throw hit Trey Pittman from 23 yards out. As the scoreboard read Dogs 25, Cats 13. But on the last play of the half, Cat quarterback Addison Clark hit Mike Johnson on a nine-yard scoring toss to close the gap to 25 Brantley, 20 Ariton at halftime.

After receiving the kickoff to start the second half, the Cats drove 64 yards on 16 running plays to take nine minutes off the clock for their only lead of the game. Running back Ganey blasted his way into the end zone on a five-yard run. The PAT kick was true to put Ariton up 27 to 25 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

Brantley took the lead for good with 9:34 left in the game on a 10-play, 67 yard drive when Carter scored from three yards out to put the Dogs up 33 to 27. Ariton then drove the ball to midfield on their next sides, but a strong defensive stand by Brantley forced Ariton to turn the ball over on downs from there.

Brantley made plays from inside, and the Cats rushed five yards to travel for their next touchdown when Carter once again ran from the one yard line. With Brantley leading 39 to 27, Ariton’s kick miss played and the Dogs recovered the ball. A Parks to Cooper Layton 41-yard play in the back of the Ariton end zone closed out the scoring to make the final score Brantley 45, Ariton 27. 

After giving up 20 first-half points, the green-clad Brantley defense shut down Ariton’s run game in holding them to only seven points in the second half. But running back Ganey ran for 148 yards on 22 totes while Brantley’s Parks threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.

Things will not be the same in the Dog Nation with Coach Jones’ departure. He closed out his coaching career with 150 wins and 50 losses for a 75% winning percentage. The 2024 Brantley team finished the season on a 5-and-5, but whoever is the next Brantley head coach will have big shoes to fill.