Gutsy call for a high school kid last night!

[Ben E Lou]

Ya gotta love it.
An audible with 1:07 to play and no timeouts, to win a playoff game.

Ward calls his own number for game-winner

By CRAIG CUSTANCE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Eric Ward saw an opening. With 1:07 left in the game, and trailing by four, the Southwest DeKalb quarterback changed plays. There were too many Sequoyah defenders lining up where the play was supposed to go, so Ward called his own number. Without any timeouts, the Panthers needed to get in the end zone. Six yards stood in the way.

It was a risky call, but it paid off. Ward took the snap and sprinted right for the touchdown. It was Southwest DeKalb's first lead of the game, and it held.

The Panthers advance to face South Gwinnett, beating the higher-seeded Chiefs 24- 21 in the final minute in Canton.

"I was going to get in there," Ward said. "I was getting in there, no doubt."

The touchdown capped a fourth-quarter comeback led by Ward. Trailing 21-10 after three quarters, the Panthers dominated the fourth.

Ward connected with Larry Younger early in the fourth quarter for a 24-yard touchdown pass and started the final drive on Southwest's 34 with 2:12 remaining in the game.

He quickly completed a 16-yard pass to Hezekiah Ross. Two plays later, Ward connected with Omari Crawford for 31 yards to move the ball inside Sequoyah's 20. Ward scrambled his way to the 6, before scoring the game-winner.

"I hope this is the beginning of the new-wave quarterback here," Southwest DeKalb coach Buck Godfrey said. "We've had some good ones. Quincy Carter was one of ours.

"I just hope we can follow in that tradition."

It was a game of gambles. Ward's paid off at the end, but Sequoyah tried a few times as well. Facing fourth-and-9 on Southwest's 31-yard line in the third quarter, the Chiefs opted to go for the end zone. Tony Pastore completed a touchdown pass to senior receiver Michael Murphy.

It was one of two touchdown passes for the junior quarterback.

"We had opportunities to make plays," Sequoyah coach Sid Maxwell said. "You have to make those plays. They made them, and we didn't. That's how you get beat."

Southwest DeKalb 0 10 0 14 -- 24
Sequoyah 7 7 7 0 -- 21

S -- Chris Watkins 1 run (David Walker kick)
SWD -- FG Micah Streiff 22
S -- Danny Payne 16 catch from Tony Pastore (Walker kick)
SWD -- Hezekiah Ross 1 run (Streiff kick)
S -- Michael Murphy 33 pass from Pastore (Walker kick)
SWD -- Larry Younger 24 pass from Eric Ward (Streiff kick)
SWD -- Ward 6 run (Streiff kick)

[SirFozzie]

Nice job. I wouldn't call it gutsy though. With 1:07 to play, and 1st and goal, you don't have to panic. Assuming you don't run all four times, you should have no problem getting four plays off in that time

[Alan T]

Yikes.. I have been gone too long.. You mean that Sequoyah is now actually good? Geesh.. I remember when they were always an easy win.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by SirFozzie
Nice job. I wouldn't call it gutsy though. With 1:07 to play, and 1st and goal, you don't have to panic. Assuming you don't run all four times, you should have no problem getting four plays off in that time

It is gutsy when your head coach is a legend and your once-mighty team has fallen to merely above-average. I'm impressed with Godfrey that the kid felt the freedom to change the play in that situation. Buck is known as a bit of a hard-ass.

[SirFozzie]

*chuckle* to quote the manager in Major League..

"Nice Play, Hayes.. Don't Ever Do It Again"

[Huckleberry]

That's great coaching. Your comment about the coach just makes it even more obvious that he's a great coach. He's a hardass that demands performance but coaches his kids to train hard. If they've trained, practiced, and prepared the right way, then in-game decisions like that can be made with confidence.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Huckleberry
That's great coaching. Your comment about the coach just makes it even more obvious that he's a great coach. He's a hardass that demands performance but coaches his kids to train hard. If they've trained, practiced, and prepared the right way, then in-game decisions like that can be made with confidence.

Excellent point. I guess Ol' Buck hasn't won 200+ games for nothin', huh?

[Ben E Lou]

Dola:

Here's a nice article about Buck Godfrey right after his 200th win: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/columns/bunn/092003.html

[illinifan999]

I'd hate to see our coach if someone did an audible that didn't go to the one of five plays we run.

I hate our coach.

[sabotai]

illini,

I guess my old high school football coach ended up at your school. (We only ran like 5 plays too...reason we didn't win a game for several years).

[Ben E Lou]

Wow. That's amazing. Tucker runs from more than five different formations.

[kcchief19]

Here's the gutsiest play I've ever seen from a high school player. I was working as a stringer covering the game, so this was pretty cool.

Team is down 14-7. They have the ball on a 4th and 1 at around the 8. I think there were 7 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Coach calls a QB roll-out right with three WRs on that side. QB rolls out and sees all his WRs covered. He tucks it in and runs for it, gets hit at the three, drags a guy to the one, gets hit again, and then falls in for the TD with no time remaining.

Kid pops up without looking at the bench, holds up 2 fingers, calls QB option right and runs it in. I talked to the coach after the game and he said they had already decided to for 2 if they got in, but the poise that kid had was incredible.

[McSweeny]

Originally posted by sabotai
illini,

I guess my old high school football coach ended up at your school. (We only ran like 5 plays too...reason we didn't win a game for several years).

my high school team lost something like 28 or 29 in a row over the course of 3 years. I remember people celebrating like we won the state championship when that streak finally came to an end

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by kcchief19
Here's the gutsiest play I've ever seen from a high school player. I was working as a stringer covering the game, so this was pretty cool.

Team is down 14-7. They have the ball on a 4th and 1 at around the 8. I think there were 7 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Coach calls a QB roll-out right with three WRs on that side. QB rolls out and sees all his WRs covered. He tucks it in and runs for it, gets hit at the three, drags a guy to the one, gets hit again, and then falls in for the TD with no time remaining.

Kid pops up without looking at the bench, holds up 2 fingers, calls QB option right and runs it in. I talked to the coach after the game and he said they had already decided to for 2 if they got in, but the poise that kid had was incredible.

Nice!