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SPECIAL TO THE DAILY NEWS

The Bowling Green Buccaneers earned a gritty 14-10 victory over Wayne Academy in the MAIS Class 4A semifinals Friday night, advancing to their second consecutive state championship—a first in school history for back-to-back appearances.

Wayne Academy led 10-0 in the second quarter, but Bowling Green answered with a Bubby Bryant touchdown run and a pivotal blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Brody Estave in the third quarter. The Buccaneer defense held firm in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

“We were fortunate to get enough out of our offense when it mattered,” said Offensive Coach Hutch Gonzales. “Defense and special teams were the deciding factors.”

Bowling Green will face defending champions Tri-County Academy in a rematch of last year’s championship on Friday, November 22, at 7 PM at Jackson Academy in Jackson, Mississippi. The Buccaneers are determined to bring home the title this time around.