It was a battle between two of the top teams in Class 7A, Region 1, and it came down to one moment on the final play of the contest.
Sheldon Russ, Brandon Jones and Tyree Pharr led a charge of Theodore defenders to swarm Daphne running back Veontai Williams for a loss on a 2-point run attempt in the first overtime as the Bobcats upset the No. 7-ranked Trojans 21-20 at C.A. Douglas Field on Friday night.
Theodore rallied with scoring drives of 52 and 67 yards in the second half, with Ryheem Quinney scoring on a 5-yard run to tie the game and Kierstan Rogers on a 1-yard run for a 14-7 lead with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter.
Trent Battle, who had tossed a 29-yard touchdown on play-action to Jeh Holmes with 1:19 left in the first half, broke free for a 44-yard gain to set up first-and-goal at the 8-yard line, then tossed a 5-yard TD to Tyler Bradley with 36 seconds to go in regulation. Cory Bonner then tied the game 14-all with his second PAT of the night.
In the first overtime, Rogers scored on a 10-yard run to the left side and Miguel Frias added his third PAT of the night for a 21-14 Bobcat lead.
On third down, Battle scored on a 2-yard run up the middle from the shotgun formation. When Bonner lined up to kick the tying PAT, Theodore coach Eric Collier called a time out to ice the kicker. When the Trojans returned the to the field, they were back in an offensive formation, setting up a toss left that fooled no one and the Bobcat celebration began.
Play of the game: Daphne had crossed midfield midway through the fourth quarter, but Keon Marion intercepted the ball at the 10-yard line and returned it past midfield before a personal foul brought it back to Theodore territory, setting up a 10-play drive to give the Bobcats the lead.
Stat sheet: Theodore had 15 first downs, 119 rushing yards and 38 passing, but suffered 10 penalties for 100 yards. Daphne had 16 first downs, 223 yards on the ground and 96 in the air and took 12 flags for minus 111. Individually, Rogers ran 21 times for 71 yards, T.J. Richardson 13 for 50, while Landon Hirtreiter was 8-of-13 for 38 yards for the Bobcats. Trent Battle ran 15 times for 107 yards and was 6-of-14 in the air for 96 yards, while Veontai Williams carried 17 times for 97 yards and Jeh Holmes had two receptions for 72 yards for the Trojans.
Coachspeak: “It was a great win. We have a lot of young kids who grew up tonight. Daphne has played lights-out all year long and are very explosive.” Theodore coach Eric Collier.
They said it: “The offense took a bit to get going, but at the end of the day mistakes hurt us.” Daphne coach Kenny King.
What’s next? Theodore (3-1 overall, 3-0 region) will face Murphy at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, while Daphne (3-1, 2-1) will host Foley.