FAYETTE — Both Franklin County and Jefferson County were looking to rebound after tough losses in Region 7-3A action last week. The problem was, they were facing each other Friday night and the loser would end up with two losses in region play.

At the end of a game that lasted more than three hours and ended with some controversy, the Bulldogs held on for a 23-20 win over the Tigers to improve to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in region play.

After Jeffery Collins threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Kiwaski Tenner, and then added a two-point conversion pass to Myron Young with 2:26 left, Jefferson County trailed by three points. The Tigers’ defense held and they got the ball back with 50 seconds left in the game.

Jefferson County looked like it was going to get its signature win of the season to date on a 90-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left. But the play was called back after the referee penalized the Tigers for illegal motion.

“The ref called it back after the receiver caught the ball and scored the touchdown. That was the turning point in the game,” Jefferson County head coach James Herrington said. “I’m not saying that’s how we lost the game. We had opportunities to win the game. That was a big call. That’s a tough one.”

Franklin County, on the other hand, was relieved to get out with a win instead of falling into a hole in region play with an 0-2 record.

“This puts us back in the mix,” Bulldogs head coach Trent Hammond said. “We were able to run the ball and overcome some penalties that negated some great plays.”

The game was also a battle of the Collinses at quarterback — Jamie Collins for Franklin County and Jeffery Collins for Jefferson County. And neither signal-caller disappointed.

Jamie Collins led the Bulldogs’ running game with 18 carries for 172 yards and two touchdown runs. His 15-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter put the Bulldogs ahead 23-12.

Jeffery Collins had 16 carries for 65 yards, including a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter, and completed 10 of 26 passes for 202 yards and the long touchdown pass late in the game. However, he was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety and two points for the Bulldogs at the 8:35 mark of the second quarter.

“I wasn’t surprised. We watched some film. We did some scouting. We stayed balanced,” Herrington said.

The key to Franklin County’s win as Hammond pointed out was extra points. Jace Carlock was 3-for-3 on extra points while the Tigers went for three two-point conversions, but was successful just once.

“Defense played well enough to win. We gave up a few plays here and there,” Hammond said. “Their first scoring drive, we missed nine tackles in the backfield.”

Jefferson County (3-3, 1-2) actually outgained Franklin County 320 yards to 312 yards.