There isn’t a lot of current CCA football history from which to pull. The Patriots had football in the 70s, for one year in the mid-2000s (2006), then began a varsity program again last year. For all intents and purposes, CCA has had a team for just two seasons.
So when we say that a game is the most important game in the Patriots’ history, take it with a grain of salt. With that said, Friday night’s game against the #7-ranked Westwood Wildcats of Camilla was the most important game in CCA’s gridiron history.
The winner would likely get a first-round bye and a home playoff game in the second round. The loser would still make the playoffs but would have to play next week in the first round. A win in the first round would set up a second-round game against either #1-ranked Sherwood or #2-ranked Vidalia Heritage, depending on the seed.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they’re going to have to play that first-round game next week. The Wildcats defeated the Patriots 32-20 Friday night in the regular season finale, dropping CCA to 6-4 overall.
In the GIAA, the top 10 teams make the playoffs. CCA came into the game at #6 while Westwood was #7. A couple of scenarios are possible; however, the most likely is that the winner would take the #6 seed while the loser would move to #7. Seeds 1-6 get that coveted first-round bye and a home game in the second round.
When the rankings come out Sunday, thanks to Friday’s loss, the Patriots will probably be at #7. On a positive note, they will play at home in the first round. But they really need an extra week off to get healthy.
They’re not going to have that luxury.
Things started off well enough. CCA jumped out to a 14-6 lead after touchdowns by Sam Ables (6:22 in the first quarter) and Dalton Rogers (10:03 in the second quarter). The lead, however, would be short-lived.
The Wildcats tied the game at 14 with a one-yard touchdown run by Andrew Ward, his second of the night. Reed Bentley caught the two-point conversion pass from quarterback Ben Ward to tie the game with 4:40 remaining in the second quarter. Westwood jumped out to a 20-14 lead when Colt Birdsong ran in from the three. Once again, the Wildcats went for two but Ables intercepted Ben Ward’s pass.
In the third quarter, Andrew Ward and Birdsong scored to put the Wildcats up 32-14 (both two-point conversions were unsuccessful). The Patriots narrowed the deficit with 1:55 remaining in the game when Tyson Crosby caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ables. The point-after was no good and, with time winding down, the Wildcats held on to a comfortable 32-20 lead that ultimately proved to be the final score.
“We just didn’t play well enough. Plain and simple. We didn’t execute. It’s the end of the season. We’re wearing down and it showed up on the field. We got tired. It puts us probably playing next week. We don’t get the bye week we need. But the great thing about this team is we worked hard enough this year to earn more football. I’m excited about that,” said head coach Jed Marsh after the game.
Rogers rushed for 108 yards on 23 carries. He finishes the regular season 22 yards shy of rushing for 1,000 yards. Ables was 5 of 10 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for one score. Crosby caught three passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots will have to wait until Sunday to find out who they will play next week and where that game will be. If CCA is ranked #7 or #8 in the final poll, their first-round game will be at home. If they come in at #9 or #10, they will spend Halloween on the road.