What a good career the good Lord has blessed me with.

That was my feeling after watching head coach Jeff Littleton’s Bainbridge High School Bearcats defeat the Warner Robins High School Demons 47-41 in three overtimes for the State Class AAAAA football championship Tuesday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Through the generosity of some very fine, generous people in Bainbridge and Decatur County, my dear brother Tom and I were able to sit in a luxury box above the stadium. We had great seats right between the 40 and 50-yard lines.

The game was tied 35-35 at the end of four quarters and was tied 41-41 after two overtime periods.

The Bearcats big state championship made Bainbridge co-athletic directors Jimmy Harris and Scott Miller and all of Bainbridge and Decatur County residents proud. It was a true team victory with contributions from many. I also want to commend the Bainbridge High School band for their outstanding halftime performance.

The state championship was the second for Bainbridge High School.

I had the privilege of covering the Bearcats’ first State Class AAA football championship in 1982 under head coach and former Decatur County School Superintendent Ralph Jones. The Bearcats defeated the Gainesville High School Red Elephants 7-6 on a rain-soaked City Park Stadium turf in Gainesville.

Bearcat senior fullback Scott Carroll scored a touchdown from five yards out in the third quarter and cornerback Mark Willis kicked the extra point to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead. Gainesville scored a late touchdown and tried to go for what could have been a possible winning 2-point conversion, but Mark Willis knocked the Gainesville quarterback out of bounds short of the goal line to preserve the victory.

Go Bearcats!