ALABASTER, Alabama -- The 6A Clay-Chalkville Cougars used a double reverse pass in overtime to defeat Thompson 14-13 at Warrior Stadium on Friday night. The wind and rain combined to limit both offenses in the first half, as Clay-Chalkville led 7-0 at halftime.
The fourth quarter is when all the fireworks started. Clay-Chalkville drove the length of the field, and on a third down play at the Thompson 1-yard line, the Cougars were stopped short, making it a fourth and one foot for a score. Instead of going for the short field goal, Clay-Chalkville ran the ball up the middle again and was stopped short, and the Warrior's defense came up big again. With Thompson starting at the one-yard line, Seaborn ran the ball out of the end zone for a big third-down conversion and some operating room away from the end zone. Two plays later, Seaborn connected with Darion Moseley for a considerable gain down to the Cougars 4-yard line. On the next play, RJ Evans scores, and Thompson tied the game at 7-7.
Clay-Chalkville (5-0) took over, drove 13 plays, and had a fourth and one at the Thompson 7-yard line, but again, the Thompson defense turned away the Cougars and gave the ball back to the Warriors. On a third and long play, Trent Seaborn connected with running back RJ Evans, and he raced down to the Cougars 13-yard line. With only seconds remaining in regulation, Thompson lined up for a 26-yard field goal, but it was missed, and the game went into overtime. "We didn't play our best game," said Cougars head coach Stuart Floyd. "Defensively, we played very well; we had some struggles on offense. We can beat anybody; this is what you want to see in your team."
With Clay-Chalkville having the ball first in overtime, on a 3rd and seven-play, the Cougars tried a double reverse pass and wide receiver Marlon Compton found wide receiver Jabari Staples in the end zone for a touchdown. Joseph Del Toro kicked the extra point, and the Cougars led 14-7, and now it was the Warrior's time on offense. "I knew he was going to call the play because we were practicing it all week," said Cougars WR Compton. "Coach told me if the receiver isn't open to run it, but the play wasn't there. I played quarterback my freshman year, so I knew I had to make a play and saw Jabari coming across the middle, so I threw it for the touchdown."
On a fourth-and-five play, Seasborn rolls to his right and comes back to the left. He finds a diving Trey Knight in the end zone for a score and a 14-13 Cougars lead in overtime. At the end of the play, Thompson was flagged for a player taking off their helmet in the end zone, and a 15-yard penalty took the extra point back to the 35-yard line. On the extra point kick, it sailed wide left, and the Cougars came away with the 14-13 win.
The only scoring in the first half was a 3-yard touchdown run by Joshua Woods, which gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead. Next, both teams will return to region play. Hewitt-Trussville will host Thompson, while Clay-Chalkville will host Mountain Brook.
