Zephyrhills, FL — *Written by Zephyrhills Free Press Bulldogs rally past South Sumter in Preseason Classic Zephyrhills’ backups made the most of their opportunity Friday night, scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally the Bulldogs to a 21-16 victory over South Sumter in the 2026 Preseason Classic at Tom Fisher Field. The game began as a defensive battle, with the Raiders holding a narrow 9-7 advantage at halftime. After South Sumter recorded an early safety, Bulldogs running back Dylan Burney put Zephyrhills ahead 7-2 with a 13-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The Raiders regained the lead just before halftime on a 6-yard touchdown reception. South Sumter extended its advantage to 16-7 late in the third quarter when Antonio Brown hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass. Despite the win, Zephyrhills head coach Nick Carroll said the Bulldogs still have plenty of work ahead before the regular season begins. “We just gotta clean a lot of stuff up,” Carroll said. “I mean, we made a couple explosive plays, but then we got it called back. The effort was okay, but it’s not the standard. And so it’s my responsibility to get them to the standard.” Both coaching staffs rested their starters during the fourth quarter, allowing their second-team offenses and defenses to finish the preseason contest. Zephyrhills’ reserves quickly took advantage of the additional playing time. Backup quarterback Joshua Howard broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run to pull the Bulldogs within two points. Zephyrhills’ defense then recovered a fumble, setting up Chris Pollard Jr.’s go-ahead 30-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs’ backup defense protected the lead the rest of the way, completing the fourth-quarter comeback and giving Zephyrhills a 21-16 preseason victory.