Brookhaven gets revenge over Simpson
Submitted to Southern Sports & Travel
Eleven weeks ago the Brookhaven Academy Cougar
football team left Simpson Academy wincing from a narrow 17 – 13 loss but
feeling that the game was theirs for the taking. Then, the Cougars were still trying to
establish their identity for the 2012 season.
Fast forward to Friday night and it is real clear BA is playing like a
well-oiled machine clicking on all cylinders.
Coach Tripp McCarty commented prior to Friday’s contest with Simpson,
“Our guys have worked every single day over the past year to get the
opportunity to play for the South State title and advance to the championship
game.” McCarty continued, “They have not
wavered one bit in pursuit of that goal.”
The Cougar’s never out of it, never panic, never quit approached earned
them that spot in the MAIS Class AA championship game by defeating defending
State Champion Simpson Academy 21 -17 in Magee.
Brookhaven Academy took the opening possession pinned
back at their own 13 yard line. On their
first play from scrimmage Simpson cornerback Andrew Berry stepped in front of a
Gage Posey slant pass and waltzed untouched into the end zone for the quick
interception and touchdown. Berry added
the PAT for the 7 – 0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.
BA would begin their next possession at the
Simpson 21 yard line and after Simpson’s front line snuffed out the run on two
plays the Cougars would go to the air only to have the second pass attempt of
the game intercepted and returned to the
BA 44 yard line and setting Simpson up with great field position. The BA defense would stiffen and hold Simpson
on downs forcing a punt back to the Cougars avoiding catastrophe.
Teams would trade possessions with Simpson taking
over at their own 30 yard line after a BA punt with 6:40 showing in the first
quarter. A Daniel Taylor 46 yard run
pushed the ball down to the BA 23 yard line.
Three plays later Berry would take it up the middle for an 11 yard
touchdown run and he would again add the PAT to give SA a 14 – 0 lead at the
4:51 mark of the 1st quarter.
After a touchback on the kickoff, BA found
themselves 80 yards away from the end zone needing to put points on the
board. That’s when Sr. signal caller
Gage Posey would go to work ripping off back to back runs of 20 and 21 yards then
mixing in passes to wide out Seth Rushing.
The Cougars pushed deep into Simpson territory but faced a fourth down
and goal at the Simpson 1 yard line.
Posey would call his own number from that point with a one yard plunge off
left tackle for the score. Kevin Nettles
added the PAT and pulled the Cougars closer at 14 – 7.
BA swarmed Simpson’s kick return team and hoped to
take the field position advantage with Simpson starting at their own 19 yard
line. Two plays later a jolting hit on
Berry after a 7 yard run pop the ball loose and Sr. cornerback Matthew Evans
recovered the pigskin at the SA 38 yard line.
Unable to capitalize on the turnover the Cougars would punt back to
Simpson as the clock pushed into the second quarter. Both team’s defenses stood tall throughout
the remainder of the first half relying
on key third down stops and excellent punting by both kickers. After a shaky start, BA had to feel good going
to the locker room at half only down 14 – 7.
Brookhaven Sr. Colby Culbertson said after the contest, “Our coaches
told us we played our least productive half of the season but we were still in
the ballgame so we knew we could take control of the game in the second half if
we played BA football.”
The third quarter began to look very similar to
the second and was turning into a defensive slugfest with neither team giving
ground until Simpson mounted a late 3rd quarter drive only to settle
for a 35 yard Berry field goal with 2:57 remaining in the quarter giving them a
10 point cushion at 17 – 7. As fate
would have it, these would be Simpson’s last points of their 2012 campaign.
BA took over at their own 20 yard fully
understanding that they were not only playing against the salty Simpson Academy
defense but also the game clock as minutes ticked away. Looking like a cross between a world renown symphony
orchestra conductor and a third base coach giving signals to a hitter in the batter’s
box, Coach McCarty picked up the pace flashing plays from the BA sideline to
his no huddle offense on the field. And
the Cougars responded with an 80 yard drive highlighted by a 25 yard Posey to
Caleb Brown Pass play that set up a 25 yard touchdown run by Posey at the 10:47
point of the 4th quarter.
Nettles added the PAT to pull the Cougars within three at 17 – 14.
Simpson would take possession with just over 10
minutes to play hoping to grind out the clock and put some security points on
the board. BA would have none of that
forcing a SA punt and taking over at their own 8 yard line with 7:39 to play
and the AA South State Championship riding in the balance. The Cougars would push it out to the 17 yard
line but face a 4th down and one yard to go and a huge decision at
that point. Without much hesitation,
McCarty called on Posey and he responded with a short run and a new set of
downs to work with. Before Simpson
could catch their breath, Posey broke around the right end and took it up the
Simpson sideline for a 62 yard run down to the SA 1 foot line. He again would call his own number and stick
it in for his third touchdown of the night and the go ahead touchdown. Nettles remained perfect on the night with
the PAT and gave BA their first lead of the night at 21 – 17 with 4:36 to play.
Simpson began their ensuing drive trailing for the
first time of the night at their own 32 yard line. After two short run plays Simpson quarterback
Josh Hankins went to the air on a third and long only to be picked off in the
Cougar secondary by Posey who had been inserted at free safety with 3:07 to
play in the contest.
Wanting to eat up the clock and not give the ball
back to Simpson it was gut check time for the Cougars facing a 3rd
down and 15 yards to go at their own 35 yard line. Posey somehow escaped through a wall of
defenders and managed to fall forward at the 49 ½ yard line but ½ yard short of
the first down. After a Simpson timeout
and a subsequent BA timeout, the decision was made by the BA coaching staff
there were six inches between them and the championship game next week and they
felt their offense could get them those six inches. Shotgun snap to Posey, crash off left tackle
and a first down for the Cougars sealed the victory in Blue and White as
Simpson with no timeouts could then only watch as the time ticked down to
0:00. Said Posey when asked about the
decision to go for it on fourth down at the end, “There was no doubt we were
gonna go for it. I told our coaches in
the timeout we’ll get the first down, just give us a shot at it.” He happened to be right and secured the
Brookhaven Academy victory 21 – 17.
An exhausted but very pleased McCarty said after the hard fought contest, “I have never been around a group of young men that continue to show so much character and regardless of the situation never forgetting that it’s usually going to come down to them making something happen to change the outcome of the game and they have responded in some crucial moments the past few weeks.” McCarty continued, “I have to also mention the play of our offensive line, especially the second half and our bend but don’t break defense that held a real good football team to 10 offensive points tonight.”
Leading the defense for the Cougars were Preston Rawls and Cobly Culbertson with 8 tackles each, Seth Rushing added 7 stops and Tanner Parvin and Will Hickman each contributed six. Parvin also averaged 38.3 yards on 4 punts for the night.
Offensively the Cougars were led by Gage Posey who rushed for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns and completed 8 of 14 passes for 96 yards. Michael Fiorella rushed for 46 yards on the evening drawing his first starting assignment of the season. MAIS leading receiver Seth Rushing had 5 catches for 61 yards.
An exhausted but very pleased McCarty said after the hard fought contest, “I have never been around a group of young men that continue to show so much character and regardless of the situation never forgetting that it’s usually going to come down to them making something happen to change the outcome of the game and they have responded in some crucial moments the past few weeks.” McCarty continued, “I have to also mention the play of our offensive line, especially the second half and our bend but don’t break defense that held a real good football team to 10 offensive points tonight.”
Leading the defense for the Cougars were Preston Rawls and Cobly Culbertson with 8 tackles each, Seth Rushing added 7 stops and Tanner Parvin and Will Hickman each contributed six. Parvin also averaged 38.3 yards on 4 punts for the night.
Offensively the Cougars were led by Gage Posey who rushed for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns and completed 8 of 14 passes for 96 yards. Michael Fiorella rushed for 46 yards on the evening drawing his first starting assignment of the season. MAIS leading receiver Seth Rushing had 5 catches for 61 yards.
Brookhaven Academy will face the Class AA North
State Champion Marshall Academy next Friday at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Millsaps
College.
