Bainbridge head coach Jeff Littleton said it felt good to be 2-1 on week three after the Bearcats’ narrow 7-6 victory over Monroe (Albany) Friday.

Don’t let the low score fool you, though. The game remained scoreless until the fourth quarter and had players, coaches and fans on the edge of their seats.

But in a nearly even match-up, the Bearcats came out on top.

“What was working is that the kids believe in what we’re doing,” Littleton said. “They’re playing hard and they’re playing to the whistle and they’re fighting every play.”

Bainbridge sophomore quarterback Brett McLaughin was 6-of-14 for 46 passing yards and two interceptions.

The Tornadoes charged down the field from their own 44-yard line early in the fourth quarter to put the first points on the board.

Monroe quarterback Willie Jones, who was 23-of-42 for 276 passing yards and one interception, threw a 2-yard touchdown with 11:09 left in the game. The extra point was blocked by senior defensive back Dalvin Spivie, putting the score at 6-0.

Bainbridge answered a couple series later with a fake punt run by Spivie, who moved the ball 52-yards for a touchdown. The Bearcats were on the board with the score 7-6 and 9:35 left in the game.

“I had to get my team ready,” Spivie said. “The only thing I was saying while I was up there was, ‘Come one and block for me so I can put this in the end zone, just come on with it.’”

Littleton said the team had been looking for a chance to try the play and decided fourth-and-seven on the Bearcats’ 48-yard line was the prime opportunity.

“We were looking a place to do it and we finally got a good place to do it,” Littleton said. “The bottom line is that we executed. Just like you have to do on offense and defense, you have to execute on special teams.”

The Bearcats were able to run the clock out for the next nine minutes and hold the Tornadoes from getting into scoring position again. With the help of some clutch punts by Bainbridge punter Clark Wiggins and a tight defense, the Bearcats shut down Monroe’s offense and finished the game with a sack on Jones.

Bainbridge defensive tackle Cam Richardson said putting pressure on Jones all night and clogging the trenches was entirely mental.

“All it is, is a mind thing,” Richardson said. “You got to keep it going.”