Blue Flame Sports Network
Seneca scores with 4.7 seconds left to edge Pickens, 34-30
Seneca drove 75 yards in the closing two minutes Friday and scored from the 1 with 4.7 seconds remaining to beat Pickens 34-30, taking second place in Region 1-3A on the final night of the regular season.
Brooks Dow ran for all four Pickens touchdowns, and his last scoring run gave the Blue Flame a 30-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Seneca answered with two touchdowns, the second coming after Pickens had already stopped the Bobcats once at the goal line.
Pickens finished the regular season 8-2 overall and 3-2 in the region. Seneca improved to 6-4 and 4-1, finishing behind region champion Daniel.
The Bobcats began their winning possession at their own 25 with 1:49 left, trailing 30-27. They worked downfield and completed a pass to the Pickens 1. The Blue Flame stopped the first run with eight seconds remaining. A timeout wiped out an apparent touchdown on the next attempt, but Seneca scored on the ensuing snap and added the extra point.
It was the final swing in a game Pickens had led at halftime and throughout the third quarter.
Dow opened the scoring with a short keeper, though Seneca blocked the extra point. After Collins Lee put the Bobcats ahead 7-6, Dow broke a 65-yard touchdown run and carried in the two-point conversion for a 14-7 Pickens lead.
Lee's second touchdown tied the game before Brayden Turner made a 36-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the half. That sent Pickens to the locker room ahead 17-14.
Dow added a 34-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The missed extra point left the Blue Flame up 23-14, and Pickens soon had a chance to stretch that lead further.
Pressure from T.J. McCullough helped produce an interception by Sam Hall. Dow then found Ashton Woody for a completion to the Seneca 10. But the opportunity ended with a David Bolden fumble at the 9 early in the fourth quarter, leaving Pickens without points from the takeaway.
Lee broke a long touchdown run on Seneca's next possession. The Bobcats missed the extra point, keeping Pickens ahead 23-20.
Dow's fourth touchdown restored a two-score margin, but Seneca quickly cut into it. A deep completion reached the Pickens 3, and the Bobcats scored on the next play to make it 30-27. Their final possession finished the comeback.
Pickens now turns to a home playoff game against Walhalla on November 6. The Blue Flame won the first meeting 49-14 on October 23 and will enter the rematch as the No. 7 seed in the Class 3A Upper State bracket. Read the Pickens-Walhalla playoff preview.
Listen to the Blue Flame Sports Network broadcast of Pickens at Seneca.