By Brad Greer
Pope Junior High wrapped up spring football drills  against Independence Tuesday afternoon at home with the Wildcats scoring a late touchdown to escape with a 26-22 victory.
Lataurus Carruth ran for 156 yards on ten carries and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, but a 14- yard scoring run by Lundon Sandridge with 1:10 remaining in the contest gave Independence the victory. Kylan Garrett added a three-yard scoring run and a 47- yard interception return for the Wildcats.
Pope took possession on the opening series and marched 70 yards on five plays to grab a 6-0 lead as Carruth scored from ten yards out with the two-point conversion coming up short.  Brandon Patterson added runs of 17 and 13 yards to aid the drive.
With a eight-minute running clock in use, Independence answered on its first possession as Sandridge scored from eight yards out on the initial play of the second quarter to knot the game up a 6-6 with the conversion attempt also coming up short.
The Wildcat defense accounted for the following score as Pope’s following drive, Garrett picked off a Jabrien Martin pass and race 47 yards into the endzone  to give the visitors a 12-6 lead with 4:35 before halftime.
Pope would regain the lead with the clock winding down as Carruth plowed up the middle from five yards out on the final play of the half to give the Bulldogs 14-12 advantage following Patterson’s two-point conversion.
After a scoreless third quarter, Independence would retake the lead at 20-14 with 6:25 remaining in the game on Garrett’s three-yard scamper on a fourth-and-goal call. The score capped off a five-play drive that was set up by a fumble recovery on the Bulldog 46.
 The lead see-sawed yet again as Pope regained the advantage when Carruth took a handoff from Martin and scampered 65 yards around left end for the score. Patterson run in the two- point conversion for a 22-20 Bulldog lead with four minutes left.
 Independence’s game-winning drive started at their own 30 yard-line with 3:50 remaining. Following a 27-pass completion and a nine yard quarterback sack,  Garrett’s 30-yard jaunt on a second and-19 call moved the ball to Pope’s 18. Three plays later, Sandridge sprinted in from 14 yards out on third and six for the winning score.
  The  Bulldogs last gasp came up empty as a quarterback sack at the Wildcat 39 ended the game.
 Pope, who is coached by Jim Tindall and Thomas Pipkin, garnered 242 total yards of offense with 220 coming on the ground. Patterson followed Carruth in the rushing category with 69 yards on five carries to go along with one catch for 22 yards. Monyerrious Flowers added two carries for six yards.
 Independence meanwhile garnered 186 yards of offense with Sandridge rushing for 68 yards on ten carries and Garrett supplying 64 yards on totes.