Hampton came up short in a heartbreaker on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs were unable to respond to two late South Greene scores as Hampton fell 35-20 in Region 1-2A play on Rebel Hill. Hampton will open the playoffs next Friday as the No. 4 seed from Region 1-2A.
Hampton struck first as Isaiah Belcher scored on a 10-yard run with 4:15 left in the first quarter. Dom Burleson added the two-point conversion.
On the ensuing kickoff, Nash Rader returned it 99 yards for a touchdown, and Brant Wilhoit added the extra point. The Bulldogs would hold the ball the rest of the quarter as SG was unable to run an offensive play from scrimmage in the first quarter and Hampton led 8-7 after a quarter of play.
The teams continued to go back and forth in the second quarter before SG struck in the closing minute as Rader scored on a 28-yard run with 48 seconds remaining. The extra point gave South Greene a 14-8 halftime lead.
Hampton, however, battled back.
Burleson broke free from a 35-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to tie things up. The game was tied at 14-14 after three complete quarters.
The Bulldogs struck first in the fourth as Burleson scored on a 55-yard run to give Hampton a 20-14 lead with 6:45 to play. A few plays later, Jacob Susong hit Jeff Dotson for a 53-yard touchdown pass, and the extra point gave SG a 21-20 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to fight but were unable to get anything going on the next drive. South Greene added to the advantage with 2:20 to play when Susong found Trey Gentry for a 16-yard touchdown. The ensuing kickoff saw the Rebels pick up a Hampton fumble and return it for a score to push the lead to 35-20.
Hampton was able to move the ball into SG territory but was unable to mount a late rally.
Burleson finished with 297 yards on 34 carries, while Belcher had 15 carries for 76 yards. As a team, Hampton had 370 yards rushing on 55 carries.
Susong was 8-of-13 passing for 124 yards, while Dotson had three catches for 76 yards for the Rebels.
Photos by Tate Russell