by Larry Purdom...
THE SWAMP — Playoff football, where you can be riding high one game and one-and-done the next.
Unranked Upson-Lee gave the fourth-ranked AAAA team in Georgia all it wanted before fading in the final seconds and making it possible for Ware to win 14-7. And when we say the final seconds, we mean the final SECONDS. There were only 26 ticks on the clock when Gator running back Ja'Mario Barkley ran in from 13 yards out to give Ware the lead it needed to win the contest.
Tied at 7-7 with time running out in regulation, Ware turned to its seniors to make a way when there was no way. The chance came on an errant lateral on an option play with less than two minutes left on the clock. The ball bounced once, then the pile dived on. Long moments later senior linebacker Schley Eldridge emerged from the scrum with the pigskin to give Ware new life on the Upson-Lee 25 yard line with 109 seconds remaining.
There was nothing fancy about the Gator possession. Barkley ran the ball three straight times before getting the last 13 of his 162 yards on a burst up the middle. Refusing to go down, Barkley dragged tacklers into the end zone for the winning margin.
The win keeps the Gators playoff dreams alive while sending the Knights on a 200-mile return trip thinking about how close they came. The fumble recovery and the winning points lit a fire under the Gators and the large crowd on hand at Memorial Stadium, in a game in which the home team fans didn't have a whole lot to cheer about. Upson-Lee held Ware to just one touchdown in the first half, then seemed to have momentum on its side as it tied the game in the third quarter before Ware's turnaround in the final seconds.
"They were stout," Barkley said of the visitors. "They did everything they could to keep us from winning, but in the end we wanted it a little more than they did. We got to go out next week and play a lot better though."

That thought was echoed by senior defensive lineman Henry Tripp, who had several key stops.
"We got to kick it up a notch next week. We've got to tighten up our defense and come out ready to play," he said.
From the opening kickoff to the final seconds, it was clear to everyone in the stadium that the Knights came looking for the upset.
"We've got to get to it next week," agreed Gator Head Coach Dan Ragle after the game. "We came out flat and Upson-Lee came out ready to play. We absolutely can not have this kind of effort next week and expect to advance. The competition only increases from here on out. It's not going to get any easier."
After being thwarted for much of the game, Ware had enough life left to take advantage of that late turnover.
"That turnover at the end gave us some new life," said Coach Ragle. "I was very proud of how the players responded there at the end. But there's no sugar-coating this one. We've got turn it up next week. No doubt."
There was some comfort in the fact that Upson-Lee was not your typical No. 4 team playing No. 1. The Knights were the No. 2 team from Region 3-AAAA North, joining Warner Robins, Northside and Griffin in the playoffs.
Upson-Lee entered the game in an upbeat mood after reaching the playoffs after demolishing Hardaway with a second half surge last week in Thomaston. They seemed ready to do the same to Ware until the Gators found a way to win in the end.
After holding Ware to just one touchdown in the first half, Upson-Lee needed only nine seconds and one play to tie things up in the third quarter. After the Knights halted Ware's opening possession of the third quarter with an interception of quarterback Victor Daniels, the Knights let round-mound Billy Martin shoot up the middle untouched for a 56-yard touchdown blast with 7:21 left in the third stanza.
That's the way things stood and the two teams headed into the final quarter knotted at 7-7.
Upson-Lee quickly showed how little respect they had learned to give the Gator offense when the Knights decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 on their own 29. The pride of Thomaston turned to quarterback Fred Bussy who got the one yard and then some. But the drive was halted as big Maurice Goettie stopped Upson-Lee's other bowling ball back big Jesse Garmon (76 yards, 19 carries) for no gain. The drive stalled on fourth-and-four on Ware's own 34 with five minutes remaining to play. The Knight was open, but Bussy's pass was just overthrown or we might still be playing.
Still Ware was unable to move the ball and a 27-yard punt by Jack Fulford set the Knights up on their own 24 with 2:16 left.
Good teams make their own luck. And that's when Eldridge made his way to the bottom of the pile to capture the precious pigskin. Four plays later, Ware had its winning touchdown on Barkley's second of the night.
But the Knights weren't finished yet making life miserable for Ware fans. Upson-Lee's Quincy Scott returned the kickoff 35 yards to the 50 yard line before a monster hit by Davis Delk preserved the win for Ware.
In the first half, Ware had gone about its business in a business-like manner, eschewing the forward pass until late in the second quarter. Ware scored on its opening possession, but lost a golden opportunity to add to its score late in the second half. With the ball on the Knights' 11-yard line, Ware went backward instead and closed out the first two quarters leading just 7-0.
After Ware won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, the Knights showed their smooth option attack in driving to the Gator 25 yard line behind human bowling ball Jesse Garmon. The drive was stymied though as junior lineman Fendier Pierre broke through to stop Garmon for a yard loss on first-and-10 from the Gator 33. Minutes later linebacker Kito Perry joined with Liston Carter to halt the possession as Upson-Lee faced fourth-and-three from the Gator 26. Carter and Perry held Garmon to a single yard and the ball went over to Ware.
Here the Gators showed their own smooth offense, riding Ja'Mario Barkley and Javarzeiya Walker to the end zone. Ware covered 74 yards on 13 rushes, taking 6:16 off the clock. The drive was highlighted by a 14-yard jaunt by freshman quarterback Victor Daniels, making his second straight start.
When Barkley ran in from 18 yards out, on a fine weaving ramble, Phillip Jordan booted the extra point to put Ware ahead 7-0 with 1:44 remaining in the first quarter.
Upson-Lee spanned quarters with its next drive, again with Mr. Garmon leading the way. Quentin Burse and Henry Tripp provided the big stops, but the most spectacular play came as the Knights faced second-and eight from the Ware 44. Quarterback Fred Bussey was rushed, the ball bounced off cornerback Henry Chubb's right in the hands of senior defensive lineman Liston Carter. Carter, who had a fine game, held on for a Gator interception.
Was unable to take advantage of the turnover, and it wasn't the last time in the opening half the Gators squandered an opportunity to increase its lead.
A bad punt (two yards) gave Upson-Lee the ball on their own 37 with 6:50 left in the half, but again the Ware defenders held, including big stops by seniors Maurice Goettie and safety Davis Delk. Set up on their own 27 following the punt, Ware moved to first-and-10 from the Knight 11. The drive was paced by a fine, high leap for a 24-yard gain by receiver Cedric Jones, looking like he's set to repeat with All-State honors. Javarzeiya Walker found a gap up the middle behind the good blocking of the Ware offensive line and shot ahead 16 yards. Daniels then found Jones for a 17-yard pickup that gave the Gators the ball on the Knight 11. But Ware again went backward and a 40-yard field goal try by Gator kicker Phillip Jordan was true but fell short.
Ware went to the locker room leading by a single score to set the stage for the final dramatics. 
With Ware completing only four passes, the game was an old-fashioned ball-control affair. Ware only had three possessions in the first half, with running plays by both teams eating up the clock. After the Gators scored on their first possession, Ware fans felt everything was going to be alright. But as the game wore on, and the Knights tied it up early in the third quarter, momentum definitely resided on the visitors bleachers. Despite 162 yards rushing by Barkley, Upson-Lee was able to mostly solve Ware's cross-buck offense. Daniels was limited to just 37 yards on nine carries while Javarzeiya Walker had 27 on six totes.
Upson-:Lee's Martin improved to 99 yards total, after being held to just 12 in the first half. The Knights tried but six passes from two different quarterbacks, completing none. Gator Daniels zeroed in on senior receiver Cedric Jones. Jones didn't disappoint, especially with his first reception, a leaping 24-yarder, to finish with all 49 of Ware's passing yards.
As players gathered on the field following the final horn, and with fireworks awakening the thunder, Knight Head Coach Mike Majors admitted to his players how much this loss hurt.
"We had the number four team on the ropes, but we just couldn't finish the deal. This hurts, but take pride in how close you came," he said.
The Gators, meanwhile, will ponder how close they came to ending their season last night.
Playoff football. Riding high one game and shot down the next.
"We will definitely be getting after it next week in practice," pledged Coach Ragle.