THURSDAY PREPS: Late Hewitt touchdown sinks Pike Road; JAG, Billingsley win finales
Pike Road’s Briece Baker is surrounded by Huskies defenders in Thursday’s game at Patriots Field. (Tim Gayle)
COMBINED REPORTS
PIKE ROAD -- The Pike Road Patriots staged one of the most impressive rallies of the season, using a last-minute drive to tie Hewitt-Trussville with 41 seconds remaining.
But just when fans settled in to what was expected to be a hard-fought battle in overtime, the Huskies drove 65 yards in 30 seconds to cut out the Patriots’ heart in a 21-14 victory on Thursday night.
“That’s hard,” Pike Road coach Granger Shook said. “I’m very, very proud of our boys’ fight and heart. There’s no doubt this team will play to the bitter end. We just have some young guys that are going to make mistakes.”
The two teams played through a defensive first half in which the Huskies managed just 80 total yards, allowing Pike Road to march into Hewitt-Trussville territory three times.
The first was a 12-play, 48-yard drive that stalled after a penalty. The second was a 15-play 93-yard drive that consumed more than six minutes before Quinton Robinson broke a scoreless battle with a 17-yard run up the middle.
Fuller Dean was stopped on an end-around conversion, leaving the score at 6-0.
The Patriots would get the ball once more late in the first half, but ran out of time and missed on a 42-yard field goal attempt, leaving Pike Road clinging to a 6-0 lead at the half.
The tables were turned in the second half as the Huskies marched 74 yards in 12 plays, taking the lead on Jack Floyd’s quarterback sneak and a Nathan Fritz extra point, then turning over the game to its defense.
Pike Road was held to just 49 yards in eight offensive plays in the third quarter, with 34 of those coming on a Briece Baker run. The fourth quarter was more of the same, with the Patriots managing just 10 yards on six offensive plays in their first two possessions.
“They have a heck of a staff,” Shook said. “But there were some bone-headed penalties, whether it’s a false start, whether we run the wrong route, whether we have holding, whether we flinch. Just some inconsistencies there. But that’s on me to fix. That’s my fault.”
Floyd hit a wide-open tight end, Will Miller, with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 5:03 remaining, but a sense of urgency took over as Pike Road marched 75 yards in 12 plays, converting a fourth-and-five play with a Julius Williams’ 12-yard reception from Gunner Gibbs with 59 seconds left.
On the next play, Robinson ran 21 yards off right tackle to tie the single-season school record of 25 touchdowns held by Quinshon Judkins (2020), bringing the Patriots within 14-12 with 41.3 seconds left.
Robinson then found Williams in the middle of the end zone with a two-point conversion jump pass that tied the game, swinging all the momentum to the Patriots.
“It was a great drive by our offense,” Shook said. “But we gave them a short field and they capitalized on it. They’re a really good football team.”
A kickoff out of bounds set up the Huskies at the 35-yard line and Floyd marched them to the end zone with completions of 9, 9, 8, and 37 yards to put the ball on the Pike Road 2-yard line. Floyd kept on the next play and found the end zone and the lead.
“We didn’t get any pressure on the quarterback,” Shook said. “Again, we have young guys. But hat’s off to Hewitt. In the first half, we gave up zero points and they were able to rattle off three (touchdowns) in the second half. They did a good job.”
Gibbs completed a pair of short passes but was 56 yards -- and one play -- short of tying the game. His desperation pass was intercepted by Kahill Braswell, touching off a wild celebration by the visitors.
“Hat’s off to Hewitt and (coach) Josh Floyd,” Shook said. “Those guys did a hell of a job but I’m proud of the leadership I just heard in that (postgame) huddle from some of our leaders. But, again, we’ve got to get out of our way at some point.”
Pike Road (7-3) will play host to Bessemer City in the first round of the 5A state playoffs next Friday. Hewitt-Trussville (6-4) will play host to Gadsden City in the first round of the 6A state playoffs next week.
JAG 41, Greenville 12
Christian Williams rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns on Thursday to lead the Jaguars to a win in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Williams scored on runs of 47 and 24 yards as part of a 409-yard rushing attack.
Christian Jackson scored twice and finished with 79 yards rushing and also threw a 56-yard pass for a score to Laking Anderson. Timothy Myles added a late touchdown run of 17 yards to close out the scoring.
Anderson added 92 yards rushing on nine carrries.
Greenville’s Cedric Morris split time at quarterback and wide out and finished with 56 yards rushing with a touchdown and 40 yards passing. James Reynolds passed for 122 yards and a touchdown. Porter Thomas had the touchdown reception of 11 yards.
JAG (3-7) will play in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs at Foley next week. Greenville’s season ends at 3-7, having lost the last five games of the year.
Billingsley 49, Holy Spirit 16
BILLINGSLEY - The Bears closed out the regular season with a victory over Holy Spirit at Mims Field on Thursday.
Quarterback Colton Butler had 121 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries while Jaylen Cutler added 164 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries for Billingsley (6-4).
Tyler While added a touchdown while Dequavion Ray scored on a 72-yard kickoff reutrn.
The Billingsley defense was led by White and Trey Byrd with eight tackles apeice while Caleb Massey added seven tackles. Trent Cobern had fourtackles and an interception. Jayden Crawford added tackles including a sack.
Billingsley will open the Class 1A playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Region 4 and will travel to McIntosh next week. Holy Spirit ends its season at 2-7.