Tattnall Square survives Twiggs County rally
Twiggs County needed just one more crazy bounce to go its way to complete an improbable comeback.
Tattnall Square nearly saw a three-touchdown lead evaporate in the final minute Friday at Jack Baynes Field. Instead, the Trojans covered a final onside kick attempt, remaining unbeaten with a wild 34-27 victory over Twiggs County, the No. 1 team in the GHSA Class 1A public school power ratings.
The win gives Tattnall (7-0, 3-0 Region 7A-1A) sole possession of first place in the sub-region with games at FPD and Stratford remaining. Twiggs County (5-2, 2-1) has games at Mount de Sales and Wilkinson County left to go.
Tattnall took a 34-13 lead with 2:12 to go. But Twiggs County got its passing game going late, scoring on a 30-yard pass from Calvin Stephens to Musa Muhammad with 41 seconds to go to make it 34-21.
The Cobras then got the ball back following a controversial series of events. An onside kick in front of the Tattnall bench, touched first by Twiggs County, appeared from the Tattnall sideline to fall short of the mandatory 10 yards before first contact. The officiating crew, however, ruled the recovery successful, drawing protests from the Tattnall bench that resulted in two unsportsmanlike conduct calls. The result was a Twiggs County possession at the Tattnall 20.
Stephens found Javoris Smith from 10 yards out two plays and 18 seconds later to make it 34-27. The ensuing onside kick, however, was anticlimactic, as Tattnall's Jimmy Marshall covered it cleanly.
Four who mattered
Ahmad Barron: The senior running back had 196 yards on 21 carries for Tattnall, rushing for two touchdowns and scoring a third on a 19-yard reception from Marshall.
Antoine Davis: The sophomore gave Tattnall a 1-2 punch out of the backfield, going for 109 yards and a score on 14 carries.
Stephens: After limited passing attempts in wins over FPD and Stratford and just two attempts in the first half Friday, Twiggs County opened up its passing game. Stephens completed 8-of-13 passes in the second half, throwing for three touchdowns. He finished with 133 yards.
Smith: Despite running for only 14 yards on five carries, the junior made a big difference in the second half. In addition to being on the receiving end of Twiggs County’s final touchdown, he also had a 22-yard scoring catch in the third quarter and a 92-yard kickoff return for a score early in the fourth.
Turning point
A run-oriented team, Twiggs County came out passing in the second half after falling behind 13-0. The Cobras went 1-of-5 to start the half, but the sixth attempt, a 16-yard pass from near midfield by Stephens, was caught by Tyrese Blackshear and got the team moving. A personal foul call was tacked on to take the ball down to the Tattnall 22, and Stephens threw a touchdown pass to Smith on the next play to cut Tattnall’s lead to 20-7 with 1:41 to go in the third. While the Cobras never led, the establishment of the passing game kept things interesting until the end.
Observations
Out of their element: The Cobras used a punishing running game to defeat FPD and Stratford. But that running game was ineffective against Tattnall, and they were forced to go to the air. Twiggs County was held to 99 yards on 26 carries, failing to go inside the Tattnall 40 until the second half. Leading rusher Ja’mon Height, already at the 1,000-yard mark for the season, was held to 91 yards on 16 carries.
A little creativity: Tattnall broke out of its run-based misdirection mold for one play at the end of the first quarter. Quarterback Miles Morris threw a backwards pass to Marshall toward the Twiggs County sideline. Marshall set up to throw his own pass, finding Barron wide open for a 19-yard touchdown for the game’s first score.
Flag city: Tattnall was called for 11 penalties, giving up 140 yards.
They said it
Tattnall defensive tackle Christian Rodgers on taking away Twiggs County’s running game: “Our guys stayed in their gaps like they’re supposed to do. We made plays when they had to be made.”
Tattnall head coach Chance Jones on the game’s final minutes: “It was a long two minutes for me. But we came out on top, and we played hard the whole game. We’re not going to harp on the last two minutes, for sure.”
Barron on his touchdown catch from Marshall: “The offensive line did well. They gave them enough time to get that ball off. That’s what started it.”
Twiggs County head coach Ashley Harden on the comeback: “It was a good high school football game. You can’t ask for any more than that. The crowd was great, the kids played hard, the kids never quit. That’s the one thing we try to tell our kids, about never quitting. We were down 34-13 with about five minutes left, and those kids never quit. That’s the lessons we want them to take with them throughout life. No matter how hard it gets, never quit. Keep driving, keep fighting, and good things will happen to you.”
What’s next?
Twiggs County is at Mount de Sales on Friday, while Tattnall heads to FPD.
This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Tattnall Square survives Twiggs County rally."