Zephyrhills QB Charles Harrison III would not be denied in his quest for a pivotal district win.  The senior quarterback put his team on his back, leading the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind 38-35 win over River Ridge. 

Five total touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing), 337 passing yards and 80 rushing yards made Harrison an easy selection for Player of the Game.

The fireworks started early, with Zephyrhills senior RB Elijah Thomas blasting through a hole in the middle of the line for an 81-yard TD run on the Bulldogs first offensive play.  But River Ridge's Mikey Roussos answered with a 78-yard kickoff return for a TD.

Harrison III threw his first TD pass in the first quarter, a 56-yard bomb to Tyreese Wigfall.  He also connected with Jaquan Sheppard on a 10-yard TD pass in the second quarter.

The second half played out like a duel between River Ridge's Mikey Roussos and Harrison III.  It was a career night for the Columbia commit who rushed for a career-high 131 yards and three TDs out of the Wildcat formation for River Ridge.  His 48-yard run set up his 2nd TD run of the night, but it was quickly answered by Harrison's 86-yard TD pass to Jaquan Sheppard.

After a third rushing TD from Roussos gave River Ridge a 35-25 lead late in the third quarter, Harrison upped his game.  Cartrell Strong scored on a 65-yard TD pass from Harrison to bring the Bulldogs within three.  As time wound down in the fourth quarter, Harrison took over the game with his feet.  His 44-yard run moved Zepyrhills into River Ridge territory.  He scored the go-ahead TD on a 23-yd scramble to put Zephyrhills ahead by the final margin.

The win moves Zephyrhills to 5-0 in 5A District 8, and a win next week at Wesley Chapel will clinch the Bulldogs' first district title since 2006.  The Royal Knights 23-game district winning streak was snapped - it was their first district loss since November 1, 2013.  They look to start a new streak next week at home vs. Hudson.

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