Bartow grabs win over Auburndale football; Mulberry, Lakeland Christian, Victory unscathed

It’s only fitting that Auburndale and Bartow would have a competitive game down to the wire, especially since current Auburndale starting quarterback Amari Turner played for Bartow just a year ago.

Up 18-16 with 14 seconds left, freshman defensive end Carmello Harden, who had a defensive touchdown last game, sacked Turner, who was banged up on the play. This sealed the deal and an 18-16 score, which put Bartow at 2-2 on the year.

“I’m proud of the way our guys are moving forward in the right direction. It’s exciting to see,” Bartow head coach Tyler Eden said. “…Played a really good game with Auburndale High School. They are a really good team. … Thomas is doing a phenomenal job over there…”

But it was Bartow that executed first thanks to a 43-yard screen pass reception by Cam Thomas.

Near the end of the second quarter, Auburndale had the ball on the 5-yard line, but the defense recovered a fumble, which cemented a 6-0 lead at the break.

Down 7-6, Bartow immediately responded with an Avis Brown Jr. 62-yard touchdown run to give the Yellow Jackets a 12-7 lead.

The Yellow Jackets then responded with a defensive stop, which led to a Corey Butler slant reception touchdown — his sixth of the year — from quarterback Blake Johnson.

Scores: Live updates: Get Week 5 high school football results from Polk County here

Berry: ‘I have a chip on my shoulder’: Lakeland Christian football’s Trey Berry back after hamstring injury

On the other side, Auburndale linebacker Elijah Dias forced a safety. The Bloodhounds are 2-2 as well.

Lake Gibson 14, Lake Minneola 7

Winning its second game of the year was Lake Gibson, as the program beat Lake Minneola by a touchdown on the road.

Quarterback Collin Henderson threw a 7-yd touchdown to Derrick McBride, while Xavier Norfleet mustered up a 2-yard rushing touchdown.

Defensively,…

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