By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SAND ROCK – The Valley Head Tigers have had a tough football season. They’re young in many spots. They’ve fallen behind early and have been shut out twice in a 0-5 start – their worst since 2002.

Heading into Friday’s non-region game at Sand Rock, the Tigers had lost 11 games in a row dating back to last season. They came close to ending that streak last week at Cedar Bluff but fell three points shy.

According to head coach Charles Hammon, one wouldn’t think they were mired in such a losing streak.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve had as much fun coaching a group of kids,” Hammon said. “We were 0-5, but when you went to practice on Monday you sure didn’t know it. We’ve been down 21-2, 18-0, 28-0, but in the second half, the kids just don’t quit. They just keep playing and we start making things happen.”

The Tigers made something big happen on Friday night in the first meeting between the two schools since 1999.

Behind Tytan Blevins’s 350-total yard, 4-touchdown effort, Valley Head notched its first victory in over a year by holding off Sand Rock 44-42.

Blevins rushed for 198 yards on 26 carries and scored on runs 65 and 34 yards. He also completed 4-of-9 pass attempts for 152 yards and two scores – all to his brother Ethan Blevins.

He also made one of the game’s biggest plays on special teams in the fourth quarter.

After pulling the Tigers within four following a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Blevins, Tytan Blevins recovered a loose football on the ensuing kickoff and returned it for the go-ahead score. His 2-point conversion gave the Tigers a 44-40 edge with just under six minutes remaining.

Valley Head’s defense came up with another Wildcat turnover when Brody Johnson intercepted Alec Ashley at the Tiger 1-yard line.

Sand Rock (2-3) managed to get a safety by tackling Tytan Blevins in the end zone to tighten the game to two points at 44-42.

It appeared as if heartbreak would strike Valley Head again as Sand Rock took the ensuing free kick and marched down inside the red zone. With the ball at the Tiger 16 and two seconds left on the clock, Sand Rock coach Tanner Nelson decided to forgo a potential game-winning field goal. Ashley took the snap, found an open hole and darted up the middle of the field, but was tackled five yards short of the end zone.

“I thought Coach Nelson had a fake (field goal) in mind,” Hammon said. “His quarterback is the holder. We were going to line up in field goal block and try to go get it. They called a couple of timeouts, but when they come back out on offense, I thought ‘Here we go.’ Their quarterback is so good, and when he took off, I thought ‘Somebody just get him down somehow.’”

Hammon got his wish, and the Tigers finally got an elusive win.

“I’m just proud to be part of them,” Hammon said. “I started this 30 years ago for the game and for the kids, and I still do it for the game and the kids. They’re a lot of fun.”

Nelson said Valley Head “played their butts off tonight.”

“They’re going to play hard and you know that going in,” he said. “We came out and just did not execute. I don’t know what else to say other than that.

“We had a backup long snapper and a couple of backups in (for the field goal), but we just didn’t feel like we should have put the pressure on them. It’s just one of those things where if it would’ve worked it would’ve been a great call, but we just didn’t execute. It’s tough.”

Ashley led Sand Rock by completing 8-of-18 pass attempts for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 155 yards on 10 carries with two more scores. Nick Clanton added 126 yards and a touchdown on nine carries for the Wildcats.

Sand Rock led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. Ashley threw two of his touchdown passes in the quarter – a 70-yarder to Lathan Amos and a 60-yarder to Brycen Murphy. In between those touchdowns, Tytan Blevins scored on a 65-yard run.

Tytan Blevins tied the game at 14 on a 37-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Blevins, but Sand Rock quickly regained the lead one play later on a 79-yard Ashley touchdown run, making the score 21-14.

The Tiger defense recorded a safety, then took the ensuing free kick and scored on an Ethan Blevins 3-yard run to take a 23-21 halftime advantage.

Sand Rock regained momentum and the lead at 28-23 just seven seconds into the third quarter on Clanton’s 64-yard touchdown run.

Following a Valley Head turnover on downs, the Wildcats scored again on Ashley’s 19-yard touchdown run. The extra point gave Sand Rock a seemingly comfortable 34-23 advantage, but Valley Head battled back again on another Tytan Blevins score – this one from 34 yards near the end of the third quarter.

Ashley put Sand Rock back up double digits at 40-30 on a 22-yard touchdown toss to Wesley Smith with just under nine minutes remaining, but that set the stage again for Tytan Blevins on a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Blevins, and then for his fumble return for a score.

“Things just played out,” Hammon said. “There are football gods in the world. Sometimes the ball bounces your way.”

Valley Head has an open date this Friday before hosting Spring Garden on Oct. 9. Sand Rock is at North Sand Mountain on Friday.