Ramsay defeated Calera 18-7 on Thursday night at Legion Field in a Class 5A Region 4 matchup.

With only 27 seconds left in the game, Ramsay running back Zamarian Scroggins ran around the right end for a 12-yard game-winning touchdown as the Ramsay Rams won 18-7 over the Calera Eagles at Legion Field on Thursday night.

Defensive lineman Karlos May returned a fumble as time expired for the Rams' final touchdown. "We just couldn't get anything going on offense," said Rams head coach Ronnie Jackson. "Too many turnovers and not taking care of the ball, but our defense kept us in the game and stepped up until we were able to break through and put points on the board. We thought it would take the whole team, with the special teams, offense, and defense. When one team is slacking, I expect the other team to step up and make plays."

The Ramsay offense came through on the last drive of the game, but committed a whopping seven turnovers, with four interceptions and three fumbles. The Rams defense came to play, holding the Eagles to fewer than 200 total yards.

The Rams struck first in the opening quarter. Quarterback Davey Lawrence III connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass play to Mitchell Orr, putting Ramsay ahead 6-0 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. 

The extra point was missed, and that 6-0 lead held through a defensive struggle into the first half. Ramsay blocked a Calera field-goal attempt right before halftime, and the Rams took the halftime lead into the locker room. "We have been working on discipline this week, not jumping offsides," said Rams linebacker Chase Holt. "Also, we worked on getting the linebackers downhill. We blitz a lot and had to get the ball out of the quarterback's hand."

Calera finally broke through late in the third quarter. With 1:26 left in the third quarter, Calera quarterback KG Whatley found Xzavier Boone for a long score, a 38-yard touchdown pass play. With the PAT, it gave the Eagles their first lead of the night at 7-6.

With only 58 seconds left in the game, Ramsay took over at their own 47-yard line to make one final offensive push. Seven plays later, Scroggins scored, and Ramsay took the 12-7 lead with only 27 seconds left in the game. Calera took over the ball around midfield, and with the last play of the game, Ramsay DL JiQuan Rogers forced a fumble, and May scooped it up for the last score of the game.

"We thought through adversity," said Rams DL Rogers. "This was a big win, but we have to keep winning. Pass rush was the key for us tonight. We knew that they would throw the football 95 percent of the time. We had to get on them."

With the win, Ramsay improves to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in Class 5A, Region 4. Calera drops to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the region. Up next, Ramsay will host Pinson Valley while Calera will host Gardendale in non-region games. This was the first game between the two programs.