HAZLEHURST – The Franklin County Bulldogs captured their third straight victory Friday night after knocking off the Hazlehurst Indians 42-34 in a big Region 7-3A test.

“This was a big win for us,” said FC coach Anthony Hart. “The guys played a great game overall. It was really nice to beat Hazlehurst and end our losing streak against them. Now, we must regroup and start getting ready for our next big test in Crystal Springs.”

Both teams came out pumped and ready to play Friday night in a heated rivalry as they gave their fans an offensive show.

In the first quarter, Hazlehurst running back Michael Miller put the Indians on the board first with a 35-yard touchdown with 8:01 left.

Franklin fought back to answer the Indians’ challenge as senior running back Bernard Selmon took a one-yard plunge into the endzone to tie the contest at 6-all with 2:25 remaining.

In the second quarter, the heated battle continued as both teams traded points. Austin Wallace put the Bulldogs ahead in the second quarter, when he caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from DeMartre Collins with 8:26 left.

Throughout the rest of the second quarter, both teams fought hard defensively. Hazlehurst managed to tie the contest at 12-all with 1:32 left, when Miller punched in an 8-yard rushing touchdown.

Both teams struggled to cash in the extra point kick or the two-point conversion in the defensive bout as they enter into halftime with a 12-all tie.

In the second half, Franklin County came out and picked up where they left off from the first half as they marched down the field and scored on Collins 44-yard run with 10:59 remaining in the third quarter.

The Indians quickly answered on their first possession of the second half, as Miller sprinted 62 yards for a touchdown with 8:35 left.

The Bulldogs manage to cash in another touchdown late in the third quarter on a Selmon 2-yard run with 1:18 left. FC was successful on the two-point conversion as Collins ran it in. After three quarter of action FC secured a 26-18 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, both teams were clicking offensively. Hazlehurst punched in a one-yard touchdown run by Laddarius Williams with 9:23 remaining. Malik Gray tied the contest with a successful run on the two-point conversion.

Franklin County answered two big touchdown runs on one and seven yards by Selmon. Courtney Smith and Collins successful tacked on the two-point conversion runs as the Bulldogs secured a 42-26 advantage

The Indians refused to give in as they charge back late in the fourth quarter and scored another touchdown on a 65-yard run by Williams. Miller cashed in the two-point conversion to cut into FC’s lead at 42-34. The Bulldogs’ defense closed the door on Hazlehurst and rallied to secure the win.

Bernard Selmon powered the Bulldogs ground attack with 243 yards rush on 33 carries. Collins had nine rushes for 24 yards and completed four out of five passes for 81 yards.

Wallace was the top receiver with one catch for 30 yards. Selmon had one catch for 19 yards. Michael White caught one pass for 17 yards and Courtney Smith had one catch for 15 yards.

Defensively, Deanthony King and James O’Quinn led the Bulldogs with 15 tackles each. Gregory Queen contributed seven tackles.

Franklin County (4-3, 2-0) returns to action next Friday night as they travel to Crystal Springs to battle the Crystal Springs Tigers for another bi-region test. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.