Southern
Sports & Travel
The
Tri-County Academy Rebels put a bow on a perfect season at Millsaps College in
Jackson on Friday afternoon winning their second consecutive Class A State
Championship 13-10 over second ranked WCCA but for 43 minutes and 27 seconds
the Rebels looked ready to turn the reigns over to a new champion.
WCCA
gave top ranked Tri-County all they could handle and limited the defending
champions to just 176 total yards and the leading rusher in the MAIS, Ryan
Cothern, to 84 yards but Cothern’s final 28 yards were the precious few that
determined the outcome of a hard fought classic title game.
Cothern
scored from 24 yards out with 4:33 remaining in regulation and his 4 yard run
on the Rebel’s second play in the overtime period ended the contest and gave
Tri-County back-to-back state championships.
(Above) TCA tailback Ryan Cothern (#27) fights for extra yardage
WCCA
wasted little time in letting Tri-County know this would be a dogfight. The
Rams forced the Rebel offense into a quick three and out to start the game and
then produced an eleven play, 78 yard drive that culminated on quarterback
Taylor Prevost’s 1 yard plunge at the 5:43 mark of the opening quarter. Prevost
added the PAT and WCCA had silenced the huge Tri-County contingent.
Tri-County
answered with a drive of their own on the ensuing possession but couldn’t
convert on a fourth and 1 from the WCCA 20 yard line as the first quarter came
to a close.
The
Rebels looked to take advantage of prime field position on their next
possession as they moved from midfield to the Ram’s 33 yard line but WCCA
defensive lineman Lane Ivy sacked quarterback Trey Bozeman on a fourth and 5
pass attempt four minutes into the third quarter.
WCCA
would take a 7-0 edge into halftime as neither squad found any success in
cracking their opposition’s defense.
WCCA
opened the second half with a drive that chewed up seven minutes and was
extended on a roughing the kicker infraction on Tri-County. The Rams moved to
the TCA 38 yard line where, on first down, tailback Kaleb Sterling erupted
around the left side and sprinted 38 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown
but a holding penalty wiped out a crucial play for the Rams. The drive would
end at the Rebel 20 yard line when TCA linebacker Jesse Davis recovered a
mishandled snap with 4:58 left in the quarter.
(Above) WCCA quarterback Taylor Provost (#15) passes in the pocket
Tri-County’s
offense had no answer for the Ram defense through the first three quarters of
the contest and the Rebel’s looked to be in desperation mode in attempting two
fake punts on consecutive possessions but WCCA failed to put the defending
champions away.
The
Rams appeared once again to mount a drive that would create a larger cushion on
the scoreboard as they drove from their own 42 to the Rebel 25 yard line before
failing on a fourth and 9 pass attempt but the WCCA defense still controlled
TCA and forced the Rebel’s offense into yet another three and out.
It
was at this point when the tide of the contest started to shift and this time
it was the Tri-County defense that made a game changing statement.
WCCA
faced a fourth and 3 from midfield with just under six minutes remaining in
regulation but the Rams chose to go for the first down and keep possession of
the football. Tri-County’s defense stopped tailback Kaleb Sterling a foot short
of the first down at the Rebel 48 and with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter the
contest was about to take a different shape.
Tri-County’s
Trey Bozeman picked up a quick 4 yards to the WCCA 48 yard line on a
quarterback keeper and then pushed his way for another 7 yards down to the 41
on the next play call. Bozeman had his number called for the third consecutive
time and the senior signal-caller came through as he made his way to the WCCA
24 yard line to set up the game-tying score.
Ryan
Cothern, who up to this point had only three carries in the half, took a direct
snap and rounded the right side behind the block of Bozeman and sprinted into
the endzone from 24 yards out. Tucker Millican added the PAT and with 4:33
remaining in regulation the game was knotted at 7-7.
WCCA
proved why they were ranked second in Class A as the Rams mounted a late game
drive in an effort to take the state championship.
WCCA
moved from their own 20 yard line to just short of the 30 and then converted on
a fourth and inches on a Kaleb Sterling 17 yard burst to the Ram 37 to preserve
the drive. Two
plays later quarterback Taylor Prevost connected with tight-end Hayden
Patterson for 10 yards to the 47 and the two connected again three plays later
for 13 yards at that moved the Rams to the TCA 41 yard line with just over one
minute left in regulation.
After
a short 1 yard pick-up from tailback Austin Goodfellow WCCA produced a big play as time was winding down. Taylor
Prevost hit tight-end Christian Kerr who went up high and made a phenomenal catch
across the middle down to the Tri-County 21 yard line.
WCCA
then lost a yard on a Goodfellow run and with 7 seconds remaining called a
timeout with the football spotted at the TCA 22 yard line to set up a 39 yard
game winning field goal but Taylor Prevost’s kick went wide right to send the
game into overtime.
WCCA
struck first in the overtime period as Prevost hit a 21 yard field goal to put
the Rams on top 10-7 but Tri-County needed just two plays to put the finishing
touches on an incredible four year run in Class A football.
Quarterback
Trey Bozeman (photo left) picked up 6 hard yards on first down and in the process lost his
helmet. With Bozeman having to leave the game for a play Cothern set up in the
backfield and took a direct snap on a play that was designed to go left but the
sophomore saw the WCCA defense shift to that direction and took advantage by
darting around the right side and evading a WCCA defender for a 4 yard score
that resulted in a massive dog-pile in the corner of the endzone to end the
contest at 13-10.
Tri-County
closes out a four year span in Class A with two state championships, three
state championship appearances, 27 straight wins and a 52-3 record. The Rebels
will move to Class AA next fall.
For
Tri-County (14-0) Ryan Cothern rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries and 2
touchdowns and junior quarterback Trey Bozeman picked up 83 yards on 16
carries.
Quarterback
Taylor Prevost led WCCA (12-2) with 172 passing yards and tight-end Christian
Kerr had 7 receptions for 68 yards. Tri-County
finished with 176 total yards to WCCA’s 270.
Post Game with Tri-County Head Coach David Blount
Post Game with Tri-County tailback Ryan Cothern
