The Zephyrhills Bulldogs faced their toughest challenge of the season Friday night — and passed with flying colors. A late interception by junior defensive back Tyson McCullough sealed a hard-fought 20-14 victory over South Sumter, keeping the Bulldogs unbeaten at 8-0.
With South Sumter threatening inside the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line and less than a minute to play, McCullough snatched a tipped ball on fourth down to ice the game and send the Zephyrhills sideline into a frenzy.
“I’m running down the sideline telling him to get down,” head coach Nick Carroll said with a grin after the game. “That’s just a younger kid — anybody could punch that ball out, you know. So, he’ll learn. But I’m proud of him. That’s a huge play.”
Zephyrhills drew first blood after a scoreless first half when Roe Miller powered in from three yards out to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead after the extra point. The drive was kept alive by a clutch fourth-down run from Patrick Harding, who escaped pressure and moved the chains with his legs.
South Sumter, known for their physical play and disciplined defense, answered back in the third quarter, knotting the score at 7-7 after a sustained drive.
The Bulldogs had a chance to retake the lead late in the third, but a 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked — a key momentum shift that tested Zephyrhills’ resilience.
That resilience showed in the final period. With 10:08 left, Harding found Deori Pope on a 26-yard touchdown strike to put Zephyrhills back in front, 14-7.
Moments later, Miller broke free again — this time sprinting 42 yards to the end zone with 4:59 remaining to stretch the lead to 20-7 after the kick failed.
South Sumter refused to go quietly. The Raiders’ backup quarterback Milo Patterson came in and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass on his first play from scrimmage, cutting the deficit to 20-14 with 3:18 left.
But the Bulldogs’ defense — as it has all season — held strong when it mattered most. On fourth-and-six from the Zephyrhills 19, McCullough’s interception sealed the victory and the Bulldogs’ perfect record.
“I think we had a couple big plays that moved the sticks in second down yardage that kind of gave us some momentum into that third quarter,” Carroll said. “Scoring on that first touchdown in the third quarter — that’s one of our goals every week. And then moving the ball in the fourth quarter like we did was huge.”
The defense, which has been stellar all season, once again delivered in key moments.
“Our defense has been damn good all year, so I’m really happy for our kids,” Carroll said. “For us to battle back and get them in negative situations, to make it fourth down, was huge.”
For Carroll and the Bulldogs, the win was extra sweet — their first against South Sumter in his tenure.
“I had to get this crap off my back, man,” Carroll said with a laugh. “We all watched a lot of film — I probably haven’t watched that much film in a long time. I really wanted to get this monkey off my back. We did it, and I’m really proud of the kids and our coaches.”
With the victory, Zephyrhills remains unbeaten and in full control of its destiny heading into the final stretch of the season. The Bulldogs are back in action next Friday when they travel to Fivay for a district showdown.