Brookhaven
advances following epic comeback
Southern
Sports & Travel
Great
players in any sport always have that never lose competitive spirit in the pit
of their bellies and with that spirit comes a higher gear that many athletes
don’t possess. As Brookhaven glared at a 28-27 deficit with less than four
minutes remaining in their round two playoff battle with second ranked Lamar the
deficit wasn’t the only impediment glaring back at the Cougars, the other was
88 yards after a Lamar punt had pinned Brookhaven at their own 12 yard line.
Eleven
plays and just over three minutes later Brookhaven quarterback Gage Posey had
just capped a masterful 88 yard game winning drive with a 2 yard touchdown run
in which the senior broke one tackle in the backfield and was then met by two
Lamar defenders at the line of scrimmage. Posey would not be denied as the
quarterback overpowered both defenders and a third just as he stretched out
just enough to get the nose of the football over the goal line with 33 seconds
left in the contest to lead the Cougars to a 33-28 win at R.M. Red Stuard Field
in Brookhaven.
“I
knew I was getting into the end-zone before the play was even called,” said
Posey. “I was not going to let my team down.”
Kevin
Nettles added the PAT and with 7:50 remaining in the opening quarter Brookhaven
had taken a 7-0 lead.
Lamar’s
following two possessions were disaster as the Raiders fumbled away the
football on both. The second was costly as Brookhaven cashed in quickly.
After
Brookhaven defensive lineman Travis Thornton recovered a Raider fumble at the
Lamar 43 yard line it took just one play for the Cougars to double their lead.
Gage Posey hit senior wide-out Matthew Evans with a 43 yard touchdown pass and
Kevin Nettles added the PAT to give the Cougars a 14-0 advantage with 5:36
still left in the quarter.
Lamar
would get on the board on their first possession of the second quarter. Senior
tailback Corey Skinner took an option pitch and rumbled 35 yards and Danny Weisner
added the PAT to cut the deficit in half at 14-7 with 9:06 left in the half.
Brookhaven
responded on the ensuing possession as the Cougars produced a 13 play, 65 yard
drive that chewed up nearly six minutes and was capped on a Gage Posey 2 yard
plunge at the 3:24 mark of the second quarter. Nettles’ PAT extended the Cougar
lead to 21-7.
Lamar
grabbed some much needed momentum to close the half. The Raiders drove 60
yards in 12 plays and scored when quarterback Barrett Dudley hit Chase Davis
for 11 yards on a perfectly executed slant pattern in the end-zone. Weisner’s
PAT attempt was blocked but the Raiders pulled to within striking distance to
end the half down 21-13.
Lamar’s
momentum carried over into the third quarter. On the Raider’s first possession
a Barrett Dudley screen pass to Lee Martin covered 42 yards and a score less
than two minutes into the quarter but after a 2-point conversion attempt failed
Brookhaven still clung to a 21-19 lead.
Lamar
took their first lead of the night at 22-21 when Danny Weisner connected on a
24 yard field goal with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter but the Raider’s
first lead of the night lasted less than two minutes.
Gage
Posey hit a wide open Ross Foreman for a 62 yard gain down to the Raider 12
yard line and then connected with senior wide-out Seth Rushing for a an 11 yard
pickup to the Lamar 1 yard line. Posey completed the three play scoring drive
with a 1 yard plunge with 2:15 left in the quarter. Brookhaven’s 2 point
attempt failed but the Cougars had regained the lead at 27-22.
Lamar
would retake the lead in the fourth quarter. Corey Skinner darted 9 yards with
8:24 remaining in regulation to finish off an 11 play, 72 yard drive. Lamar
failed on a 2-point conversion but held a thin 28-27 advantage.
Brookhaven
committed what looked to be a fatal error when Lamar linebacker Dalton McHenry
recovered a Cougar fumble at the Raider 47 yard line with 5:22 remaining in the
contest but Lamar couldn’t take advantage as the Brookhaven defense forced a
three and out.
A
Chase Davis 38 yard punt pinned Brookhaven at their own 12 yard line with 3:41
remaining in regulation and the Raider’s defense needed one more stop to
advance to next week’s Class AA South Final but Gage Posey had other plans.
Posey,
playing without starting tailback Landon Nettles, calmly went to work as if he
knew the outcome was inevitable.
Posey
immediately connected for a quick 18 yard hook up with wide-out Ross Foreman to
the Cougar 30 yard line and two plays later hit sophomore wide-out Caleb Brown
for another 24 yards to the Lamar 43 yard line.
After
two straight incompletions Posey hit Seth Rushing (Photo right) for 16 yards to the Lamar 27
yard line and followed with a 6 yard gainer to Matthew Evans at the Raider 21
yard line. Posey then scrambled for a gain of 9 yards to Lamar’s 12 with 1:10
remaining in regulation but would be sacked by Lamar linebacker Peyt Mosley for
an 8 yard loss back to the Raider 20 yard line to force a 2nd and 18 for
Brookhaven with 58 seconds remaining.
Posey
answered with an 18 yard connection to a wide open Seth Rushing in the middle
of the Lamar defense and Rushing pushed to his way to the Raider 2 yard line to
set up the winning score. Posey then capped the 11 play, 88 yard drive with a 2
yard run that will be etched in the memories of Cougar fans for years to come.
“I
saw the post routes opening up on that final drive and our receivers did a
great job in finding openings,” said Posey.
Brookhaven’s
2-point attempt failed but it didn’t matter as the Cougars had roared back to
grab a 33-28 lead with just 33 seconds remaining.
Before
anyone could catch their breath Lamar was sitting at the Brookhaven 23 yard
line with 18 seconds remaining after Barrett Dudley connected with Lee Martin
for a long gainer but Brookhaven defensive back Seth Rushing sealed the deal as
the senior picked off a Dudley pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve
the 33-28 win.
The
game was delayed at the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter when an injured Landon
Nettles was carted off the sidelines and into a waiting ambulance following
what was believed to be a concussion. “We knew when Landon went down we would
have to start passing more, he’s a big part of our offense,” said Gage Posey.
Posey (Photo left)
would finish the night going 18/37 for 314 yards and a touchdown. On the ground
the senior rushed for 61 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nettles picked up 83 yards on
12 carries and a touchdown before suffering the injury.
Brookhaven’s
wide-outs have proven to be the best group in Class AA. Matthew Evans (Photo right) had 7
receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown and fellow senior Seth Rushing had 6
catches for 70 yards. Ross Foreman, a junior, had 82 yards on just 2 grabs.
On
defense Brookhaven senior linebacker Preston Rawls recorded 9 tackles.
Corey
Skinner led Lamar (9-4) as the senior tailback rushed for 179 yards on 25
carries and 2 touchdowns.
Brookhaven
(9-4) advances to face a familiar opponent, the top ranked and defending Class
AA State Champions, Simpson.
Simpson
narrowly defeated Brookhaven 17-13 back in week three in Mendenhall.
“We’re
looking forward to playing Simpson again. They beat us earlier in the season
and last year in the playoffs so we’ll be excited to face them one more time.”
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Post Game with Brookhaven Defensive Coordinator Johnny Lane Ball
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**Receiver photos courtesy of Sherylyn Evans
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