(by Don Meador, The Citizen-Times, used with permission)
Most coaches are hesitant to use the term “moral victory,” choosing rather to use language such as “strong effort in defeat” or “just a little short” to describe a night when a team overcomes adversity, outplays an opponent, and exceeds expectations---only to fall just short on the scoreboard.
Last Friday night, the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots did and accomplished all of the above. A band of hard-working brothers-in-arms executed a solid game plan, laid it all on the line, and left all on the field before falling 22-19 to Greenwood Gators in a game not decided until the final minute.
“Like I told the boys at the end of the game, I’ve not seem a group’s mentality and focus change for the positive ever like I have seen the change in this group,” coach Brad Hood said. “They are fighting hard, playing hard. They did everything we ask of them. The fight I saw in our bunch had me excited. I hate it that we lost but the effort we gave---you can go along way with an effort like that.”
Two things in the first quarter set the stage for the night. First, AC-S prevented Greenwood from scoring on their opening possession. Senior Noah Kinslow snagged a John Morrison pass. His interception on a fourth down play at the 10:28 mark of the first marked the first time in three games that the Patriots opponent would not score the first time they touched the ball.
“I watched the play on film,” Hood added. “He dropped deeper in his zone right there and was in perfect position. He went up and made a great play. He also got in hands on a couple more passes in the game. That was a great start for us.”
Second---and more important, AC-S did score on their first possession. Keeping the ball on the ground for all but one play, AC-S marched 73 yards in 14 plays to score. Quarterback Trace McIntyre capped the drive with a burst through the line to score on a 14-yard run at the 3:42 mark of the period. The point-after missed the mark leaving AC-S with a 6-0 lead.
“Trace looked like he was shot out of a cannon,” Hood said. “We had beat them with three or four yards and then we got an opening.”
The teams exchanged punts before Greenwood found the end zone. A 42-yard touchdown run by Odom at the 8:35 mark of the second tied the game at six. Ben Patterson’s point-after gave the hosts a 7-6 lead.
AC-S returned to the ground attack but slowly began to incorporate some passing on their next series. Pass completions to Jaquez McPeak (14 yards), Dillon Rookstool (seven yards), and Brandon Baxter (13 yards helped the Patriots progress from their own 20 to the Gators’ 20. An AC-S penalty on a third down and an incomplete fourth-down pass put the ball back into the hands of the hosts with 1:14 left in the first half.
The Patriots took advantage of a Gator turnover moments later. Patriot defensive back Zane Ward picked off the pass of Morrison and raced 48-yards to the end zone for the pick-six. The try for two failed resulting in a 12-7 lead for the Patriots at the break.
“Zane had been injured the last couple of weeks,” Hood explained. “We had limited him to defense this week. He made a good play and then he was off to the house.”
The Patriots offense started the second 24 minutes with a long, ground-oriented drive. A 10-yard run by Christopher Holland, runs of 12, 11, and seven yards by Rookstool, and short gains by McPeak were keys in a 13-play 63 yard drive to the Greenwood 17 yard line. Facing a fourth-and-seven, coach Hood elected to have Thorny Walker attempt a 34-yard field goal. Walker’s low-trajectory attempt---perhaps due to a partial block---was short.
Not to be discouraged, AC-S again threatened to build their lead late in the third. Aided by a Greenwood penalty, the Patriots moved the ball to the Greenwood 10 yard line. A second-down holding call proved large, leading to AC-S backtracking, the drive stalling, and Greenwood taking over on downs at their 19 yard line with just under a minute to play in the third.
A 28-yard sweep, a 15-yard run, and a gain of 18 yards were key plays the gators used in their seven play scoring drive that followed. Reed Slone’s 16-yard score with 10:59 left in the game and a successful two-point conversion staked Greenwood to a 15-12 lead.
After holding AC-S to a three-and-out, Greenwood added what would proved to be the difference maker. Morrison led the Gators on a seven-play, 52-yard drive and capped off the charge with a 15-yard score at the 6:43 mark. Patterson’s point after lifted Greenwood to a 22-12 lead.
The Patriots did not go quietly into the night as a 13-play scoring drive followed. Despite four incompletions from McIntyre, the Patriots were able to move down the field due in part to Greenwood miscues. A pass interference call, a personal foul penalty, and a late hit call on the Gators enabled AC-S to move to the Greenwood 20. McIntyre then connected with Baxter for a 15-yard gain. Two plays later, Rookstool powered his way in for the score with 3:36 left. Walker’s PAT brought AC-S to within three.
In the onside kick that follow, AC-S appeared to have made the recovery before the officials gave possession to the hosts. Walker
“Onside kicking has been made so hard (by rule changes) but you still have a shot,” Hood noted. “I thought Thorny (Walker) put a great kick out there.”
In his radio coach’s show on Saturday morning, Hood explained the play and even noted a challenge he had given his players.
“I yelled out,” Hood said, “The biggest steak dinner we can find in Scottsville to the kid that brings me the ball. They were fighting at it like a bunch of wolves. They were diving and jumping over people. The young ones went at it with all they had. Tyler (Tabor) was on it before anybody else but he was between two Greenwood players. They (the officials) came in and sorted for about three seconds and then an official jumped up and said I saw Greenwood get on it and pointed Greenwood ball.”
The Gators “recovery” led the hosts running out the clock and capturing their third win of the year to improve to 3-0. AC-S dropped to 0-3 in the books.
McIntyre’s night included nine pass completions to five receivers for 76 yards. Baxter finished with two receptions for 24 yards while McPeak also had two catches for 24 yards. On the ground, Rookstool led the way with a career-high 54 yards on 12 carries. Holland also had a career-high 37 yards carrying the ball.
AC-S will host Glasgow Friday night at Patriot Stadium. The Scotties defeated
Monroe County 57-14 last week. On the season, quarterback Tanner Abernathy is
25/36 for 409 yards and has thrown five touchdowns. Defensively, Darian Johnson
has 17 solo tackles.