Maybe it was the week off. Or it could have been the distractions of Senior Night. Or maybe it was just the wear and tear of a long season finally taking its toll.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter what the reason was. The reality was that in the first half of the CCA Patriots’ game against the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles Friday night at Patriot Field, CCA didn’t play with the same efficiency or sense of urgency that they had displayed earlier in the season.
The result was a 12-7 halftime deficit that looked a lot bigger than it actually was. The Patriots’ lone score came on a 24-yard Tyson Crosby run in the second quarter.
But then the third quarter began.
The Patriots went up 15-12 when Sam Ables connected with Ethan Duran on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 4:27 left in the third quarter. Bo Roberts took the direct snap on the two-point conversion and rumbled into the end zone.
About three minutes later, CCA struck again. Ables found Connor Reckley for an 81-yard score. Ethan Duran’s extra point was good and with 1:21 remaining in the third period, the Patriots were up 22-12.
That touchdown looked like it might have sealed the game and the comeback for CCA. But the Eagles weren’t through yet. With 5:01 left in the game, Vidalia Heritage quarterback Bragg Alford scored from three yards out for another Eagle touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good but Vidalia Heritage had made it a one-possession game. The Patriots were up 22-18 but suddenly that lead didn’t seem very secure.
Ables and company answered one more time. With just over a minute remaining, Ables found the end zone on a 19-yard run. Once more, the conversion was no good but the Patriots were back up by 10.
And they needed every smidgen of cushion they could find.
The Eagles launched one last drive and proved to be greedy – and persistent – guests. Alford hit Pearson O’Neal for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left in the game to get Vidalia Heritage within four. Another unsuccessful two-point attempt left CCA up 28-22.
Vidalia Heritage went for an onside kick and came dangerously close to getting the ball back for one last push for the end zone. But the ball squibbed out of bounds before an Eagle could fall on it.
CCA took over and ran out the clock for the 28-22 win that contained an ever-so-slight air of improbability to it.
Crosby had 10 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Rogers rushed 14 times for 58 yards. Ables accumulated 40 yards on six carries and a touchdown. Ables was also 3-3 passing for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Reckley’s 81-yard touchdown reception was the most receiving yards on the night. Crosby caught one pass for 23 yards. Ethan Duran had CCA’s other reception for the aforementioned 12-yard score.
Bo Roberts led the Patriot defense with 10 total tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries. Roberts also had a two-point conversion. Clay Phillips and Damian Duran each had seven total tackles. Phillips also recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries. Damian Duran tallied a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hurry. Baine Clements finished with a pair of tackles and an interception on one of the Eagles’ two-point attempts.
“We came out and gave them some stuff early. It was just nerves. And then we found a way to win. I preached it to them last year when we played teams like this and we lost: Good teams find a way win, bad teams find a way to lose. And I’ve seen us change from last year to this year. We have to improve. That’s a great coached team. That’s a tough-effort team we just played. We’ll probably get them again in the playoffs. But I couldn’t be prouder of our effort. And then these seniors came out here on senior night, Tyson Crosby, Sam Ables, Luke Rudd. Connor Reckley, Jonah Hall, Ethan Duran, Baine Clements, Beckett Waldron — every one of those guys poured everything in this team. I’m a very proud coach,” said CCA head coach Jed Marsh after the game.
The Patriots are 7-1 overall (4-1 in region) with one game remaining, a road trip to Camilla next Friday night to face the Westwood Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats are 5-3 overall (3-3 in region) and were idle Friday night.
CCA will most likely enter the postseason ranked #2, which guarantees at least one home playoff game. The David Emanuel Academy Eagles are undefeated and ranked #1. The Patriots’ only loss came against the Eagles on August 21. DEA defeated CCA 20-14 that night at Patriot Field.
