Patriots miraculous comeback falls just short
SARALAND -- One of the most unlikely comeback attempts nearly had its storybook ending on Friday night, but the Homewood High School football team came inches short of a miracle in a 57-56 overtime loss at Saraland in the Class 6A quarterfinals
The Patriots (11-3) rallied from down 27-0 to force overtime, doing so on a 41-yard Hail Mary pass from Woods Ray to Jackson Parris to knot the game at 50-50 as time expired.
The Spartans found the end zone on fourth down of the first overtime possession via a quarterback sneak by Karle Lacey to take a 57-50 lead.
Homewood answered the same way it had all night; on the arm and legs of Ray. The senior quarterback punched in a score from the 3-yard line and the Patriots chose to go for the win with a two-point conversion try.
Ray looked right and was unable to find anybody open. He tucked the ball, slipped by one defender, and met two more defenders at the goal line. Ray fought and pushed but the refs marked him down just outside of the end zone. Saraland players ran for joy off the field while the Patriots offense sat in disbelief at the one-point loss.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our boys,” said Homewood head coach Ben Berguson. “They were down 27-0 and they could have quit at any time but that’s not who we are. They fought and gave us a chance.”
“I thought he crossed the line but it’s tough to see from the sidelines,” Berguson added about the last play. “Somebody had to lose that game and you hate that for everyone.”
The Spartans' frantic start began when Santae McWilliams crossed into the end zone less than five minutes into the ball game. Jamison Curtis returned a fumble 14 yards for a touchdown on the Patriots’ first offensive drive.
Then, University of Alabama commit Ryan Williams needed only one play as he sprinted away for a 75-yard rushing score.
Williams sparked the next Saraland drive with a 30-yard catch. McWilliams and Williams combined to push the ball down to the 3-yard line, where McWilliams finished the drive to extend the lead to 27-0 before the opening frame ended.
The Homewood offense began matching the home side once the second quarter began. Ray and Parris connected for their first score and following a quick response by Williams to score again, Ray had his first touchdown run of the night to cut the score to 34-14.
Saraland made a field goal before the break and led 37-14. Williams had 219 total yards and a pair of scores at half while McWilliams gained 111 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
The Patriots maintained the newfound momentum to open the second half. Ray flipped it over to Parris for a 9-yard score and the score stood at 37-21.
The Spartans found a lucky break on the next drive. A third-and-9 play saw Lacey heave it deep downfield and, while a pair of Patriots defenders were worried about Williams, Brooks Womble cut in underneath to catch the pass. The other three fell over one another as Womble walked in for the 48-yard score and extended the lead to 44-21.
The Patriots responded four minutes later as Ray found Charlie Reeves on an 8-yard strike to make it 44-28.
Saraland was forced to punt for the first time in the game near the end of the third quarter. Homewood capitalized to open the final frame with a 16-play drive that saw Ray score from a yard out. The two-point conversion was a throwback to a wide open Tripp Gann, making it a one-possession game for the first time since halfway through the opening quarter at 44-36.
The Spartans had an improbable answer to take a two-score lead again. Lacey rolled to his left on fourth-and-15 and hit an open Williams in the back of the end zone. Saraland held a 50-36 lead with just over four minutes to play at that point.
Homewood’s 12-play drive to follow was aided by a pair of defensive pass interferences in the end zone. The visitors still needed all the downs they had as Reeves caught a low pass on fourth-and-goal to keep hope alive at 50-42.
The Patriots defense made a big stand to get the ball back and lead to the eventual Hail Mary attempt. The Homewood offense got the ball back with 34 seconds remaining at its own 18-yard line. Ray opened with a 12-yard run followed by a pair of catches by Reeves to set-up the miracle play. Parris caught the subsequent two-point conversion as well to send the game to overtime.
“I felt like we had the momentum at that point and I thought that was the right call,” Berguson said on going for the win in overtime after outscoring Saraland 36-13 in the second half. “Especially with us being on the road, I thought the best thing there was to go for the win.”
Saraland held the advantage in total yardage for the game at 529-479. Penalties were a great help to the Homewood comeback effort as well, as the Spartans racked up seven second-half penalties for 71 yards.
Williams finished with over 300 total yards and three scores.
Ray’s performance put him at 36-for-52 passing with 326 yards passing and 159 yards rushing as he totaled seven touchdowns.
Parris finished with 16 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns while Reeves caught 13 balls for 107 yards and a pair of scores.
Ray, Parris and Reeves were among the seniors playing in their final game in a Homewood uniform.
“After the Vestavia game this year, that was such a tough loss,” said Berguson. “Our seniors came together and made a pact saying that isn’t who they are. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort they put in.”
Saraland will head to Theodore for the semifinals next Friday night.