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The Central High School in Hayneville hosted the 58th Annual 4-5 Classic Friday, capturing the win and Lowndes County bragging rights with a hard-fought 12-8 win over local rival, The Calhoun School. 

Central’s Head Coach Julian Little expressed pride in his team’s win.

“We lined up correctly and defensively we did everything we worked on all week,” Little said. “We blocked in fits and spurts and that allowed us to score a couple of touchdowns on the ground and control the clock.”

Lowndes County Public Schools Athletic Director and Calhoun Head Coach Ervin Starr awarded the game trophy to Central’s Athletic Director Brian Coleman without the usual team photo after the win as the game was halted with less than 30 seconds on the clock due to a melee that broke out during the last play of the game.

“I hate how it ended,” Coleman said of the altercation. “I’m happy we won, but I hate [the game] ended like that. We should be like family as close as we are to each other. It shouldn’t have come to that at the end of the game.”

Tensions were high throughout the matchup, on and off the field, and the scuffle erupted when the Lions intercepted what would have been a touchdown pass in the end zone. The Tigers’ receiver reacted, tossing his opponent on the ground in a move that resulted in a dash of coaches, parents, law enforcement and supporters onto the field to prevent any further disturbance.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Starr said. “I thought both teams were competitive. It was a little give and take and was marred by a little bit of ugliness there at the end, but during the game, I think the kids did great. The coaches were great, and the fans were great. That stuff happens sometimes when you have a rivalry match and we don’t want to see it, but it does happen.”

Both teams were slow to get on the board and Calhoun led that effort when Tyler Robertson gained the first touchdown early in the second quarter. The Lions answered the points just before the half when Lee More found the end zone for Central with 1:31 on the clock.

Lee Moore got the Lions on the board again after the half. Calhoun gained a safety late in the fourth quarter to end the game at 12-8 in Central’s favor.

“We made too many mistakes on both sides of the ball,” Starr said of the Tigers’ loss. “We couldn’t get any rhythm on offense. They made just enough big plays to get a lead, and we ran out of time at the end.”

Little expressed gratitude for the win and said he had wanted it for his team.

“They played really hard,” Little said. “I wanted it for them. I didn’t care about the win for my part, but I wanted it for them.”

The Tigers ended the season at 3-and-7 overall and 2-4 in the region. Both teams are done with their 2024 football season and the Lions finished 2-and-7 overall and 0-6 in 2A Region 1 play.