MADISON, Alabama -- With #4 Bob Jones clinging to a 37-34 lead with just over five minutes to go in the game, the Patriots needed to run out the clock and they did that to defeat Gadsden City in a key 7A Region 4 contest at Madison City School Stadium.
With #7 Gadsden City scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter which put the Titans back into the game, Bob Jones knew giving the ball back to the Titans offense might not be a good thing for the Patriots defense so Bob Jones needed to make a couple of first downs to run out the clock. On a first third down play, quarterback Brady Polson faked a handoff and ran around left end but was one yard short of a first down and the Patriots stood at 4th down and one. "I told the team, we are going for the fake," said Patriots Head coach Kevin Rose.
So with the punt team heading on the field, everything was the same except for one person on the normal punt team. Brad Anderson was in the upback position in front of the punter, took the snap, took off and made two yards for a huge Patriots first down. "AJ (Harris) is usually in, but I felt like Brad would be better in getting us that one yard. AJ is faster, but Brad such a competitor and I knew if they didn't get him in the backfield, he was going to find a way to get that yard," added Rose.
Anderson had to weave in and out but grinded out the two-yard first down run. "I knew I had to get the first down," said Patriots RB Anderson. "I wanted the ball in my hands. I knew I could get that first down for my team. Coach just told me to follow your blocking and go get that first down."
After a few more Patriot plays and on another big third down and 11 play, quarterback Brady Polson hit Milkhi Stewart over the middle for a 20-yard passing play and another Bob Jones first down. "It was a big pressure moment, but I was ready to step up for my team," said Patriots QB Polson. "My receiver just made a great play on the ball to get the first down. We're getting better as a football team and it showed tonight." After running out over five minutes of the game, Bob Jones punted down to the Gadsden City 15-yard line, but only gave the Titans two seconds left in the game and one play that didn't lead to a score. "Were in the fourth week in the season and three of those four weeks, Brady has made plays on the final drives to win the football game," said Rose. "He is building a lot of confidence from his teammates."
Bob Jones (4-0, 3-0 Region 4) started the scoring with a Miles Strickland 2-yard touchdown run with 9:02 in the first quarter. Gadsden City tied it right back up on their next possession with 5:21 left in the first quarter on a Damon Williams 2-yard run. Both extra points were missed and the game was tied at 6-6. Strickland finished the game with 117 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown.
With 3:09 left in the first quarter, Anderson scored on a 6-yard touchdown run around the right end to give the Patriots a 13-6 lead. With 10:07 left in the second quarter, Ahmad DeRamus scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to tie the game for a second time at 13-13. Anderson had five receptions for 108 yards and 10 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
Gadsden City took their only lead of the game with 7:03 left in the second quarter, when Rodney Bozeman scored on a 12-yard touchdown run for the Titans. With the touchdown, the Titans took a 19-13 lead. Bob Jones came right back though on a Polson to Stewart 25-yard touchdown pass play. With the score and the extra point by Mathew Stephenson, the Patriots took a 20-19 lead.
The Patriots took a four point lead when Stephenson hit on a 25-yard field goal with only :44 left in the half. Bob Jones took a 23-19 halftime lead. "Gadsden City is one of the top five teams in the state," said Rose. "Were getting better, but we have to continue to get better. We made some good adjustments in the second half on defense that really made the difference."
In the second half, Bob Jones scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and Gadsden City scored one touchdown in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. The Patriots two scores came off of a Polson to Jonathan Moss 12-yard touchdown play in the corner of the end zone. The second touchdown of the half came on an Anderson 6-yard touchdown run. With those two scores, Bob Jones took a 37-19 lead with 1:14 left in the third quarter. Polson completed 16-of-26 passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Stewart had six catches for 120 yards and one touchdown.
Gadsden City came roaring back with a Bozeman 6-yard run with :25 second left in the third quarter. The Titans scored their last touchdown with 5:22 left in the game when DeRamus hit Darnell Mooney on a 10-yard touchdown pass. A DeRamus to Denzel Mooney two-point conversion was the last scoring of the game. "We knew this game was going to be a battle," said Titans Head coach Matt Scott. "At the end of the day, we just made two many mistakes. We usually take good care of the football. We just have to get on the same page on offense and defense. We have problems stopping people, but when we did the offense would go three and out."
For Gadsden City, DeRamas completed 13-of-22 passing for 231 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, the lefty QB had 41 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. Williams had 71 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Bozeman had 65 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns on the night. Darnell Mooney had six receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown for the Titans. Gadsden City had 440 total yards on the night.