By AJ Watson

The Abbeville Yellow Jackets were able to float above the Pike County Bulldogs running game in a 53-41 slugfest.

Anchored by an Abbeville passing game, the Yellow Jackets managed to rack up 573 total yards of offense compared to the 383 yards by the Bulldogs, most of which fell on the shoulders of halfback Raheem Pearson and quarterback Kamari Jackson.

The Bulldogs looked green in the first half, only accounting for 155 yards of total offense in the first half compared to Abbeville’s 274 offensive yards.

The Yellow Jackets stung first with a 1-yard touchdown run by Sean Anderson after a long drive that ate up more than 5 minutes of clock time in the first half.

After a short Bulldog possession, Abbeville again drove down the field where Marqavius King-Shipman hooked up with Jaylen Porter for 63-yard touchdown bomb with 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The two seniors would hook up 10 times for 247 yards and 5 touchdowns during the night.

Freshman Bulldog quarterback Kamari Johnon broke away for a 55-yard run to set up junior Raheem Pearson’s 1 yard touchdown run with 10 minutes in the first half.

Abbeville quickly responded after Sean Anderson jolted 28 yards to make it a 20-7 game.

Following a series of incomplete passes the Yellow Jackets received the ball only for freshman Cory Baite to intercept King-Shipman’s first pass of the drive, leaving Pike County with only 20 yards to go for the touchdown.

On the second play of the drive Kamari Jackson crammed 6 more points down the Yellow Jackets throats to make it a 20-14 game shortly before halftime.

After the half Sean Anderson picked up his second touchdown of the night off of a 79-yard touchdown run with 7 minutes in the third quarter.

After a series of hard runs by Pearson, the Bulldogs were able to move the chains and let Pearson finish what he started, walking into the end zone to close the point disparity within 8 to make it 28-20 Abbeville.

King-Shipman and Porter would answer back shortly after a 28 yard touchdown pass.

Then Raheem Pearson flipped the switch, tripling his yardage from the first half.

It only took Pearson 3 rushing attempts to find his home in the end zone for his third touchdown of the night.

Pearson would go ahead and score his fourth and final touchdown of the night after teammate T.J. Thompkins put the Bulldogs in prime scoring position with a 40-yard punt return, creating a 34-34 ball game.

Pearson would rack up 194 yards to compliment his four touchdowns.

The Bulldogs caught up with the Yellow Jackets for the first time of the game with 9:50 minutes remaining in the game.

Abbeville answered with a one-play, 60-yard hookup between King-Shipman and Porter.

Pike County chipped away at the Abbeville defense, and, after a 14 yard Pearson touchdown run, the Bulldogs led the game for the first time 41-40.

Porter shredded the Bulldog secondary, scoring again on a 28-uard reception.

The Bulldogs slipped in a crucial moment, fumbling the football with 1 minute and 26 seconds in the game, leading to a Yellow Jacket touchdown, creating a 53-41 hole the Bulldogs couldn’t climb their way out of.

“We wanted to establish the run, everything is built off of that” Pike County head coach Fred Holland said. “We had a hard fought game and I’m proud of the kids for continuously fighting back and working hard play after play, score after score.

We had a fumble at the end that kind of put us in a bind, but he’s a young kid and he’s a hard worker – sometimes things happen.”

Pike County falls to 0-3 in region 2 standings.

Pike County will host Luverne Sept. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.