TIGERS STUN TORNADOES AT THE BUZZER, 22-19

Bay didn’t have much to feel good about through the first half of the season, losing four of its first five outings, including a district loss to Arnold in the league opener. Pensacola only added to the Tornadoes’ misery Friday night at Mike Gavlak Stadium, dealing them a heartbreaking 22-19 loss at the buzzer. Kojo Dahn squeezed a 25-yard field goal attempt inside the uprights on the final play of the game to lift the Tigers to the victory and send the Tornadoes (1-5) to an 0-2 start in District 1-5A competition. It was the district opener for Pensacola (2-4). An interception by Deaaron Finkles and a 40-yard run by quarterback Ladarius Harris set up the game-winning kick for the Tigers and spoiled a valiant comeback effort by the Tornadoes, who rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to take a 19-13 fourth quarter lead. Bay coach Mike Watkins praised his players’ effort and resiliency and put the brunt of the blame for the defeat on his own shoulders. “I’m just really proud of their effort. I didn’t do a good enough job of getting them ready and prepared,” he said. “I’ve got to do a better job coaching. The guys are doing a great job. They’re standing in and fighting. I have to coach better. I’m proud of my coaches and my kids. I’m just letting them down right now and I’ve got to fix that.” The game featured wild swings of momentum throughout the night, with Pensacola jumping out early with a 74-yard opening touchdown drive and an interception return for a touchdown by Tyrese Albritton to make it 13-0 at the halftime break. Bay hit back in the second half with its first scoring march of the game, as a 23-yard completion from Blayne Watkins to David Chapman set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Mikey Sims to make it 13-7 with 4:42 left in the third. That’s where the score remained until a pair of late Pensacola turnovers quickly turned the game on its head. After a 53-yard punt by Tanner Reese pinned the Tigers back at their own 9-yard line with 3:32 to play, an option pitch by Harris was blown up by the Bay defense, and the Tornadoes recovered the fumble at the 2-yard line. Sims took it in on the very next play, though an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the extra point back 15 yards and Reese’s attempt was blocked, leaving the game tied 13-13. Two plays later, the Tigers coughed it up again on a fumble by Albritton with 2:38 remaining. A 23-yard run by Keith Hayes set up Sims’ third touchdown run of the night from a yard out, but the extra point again was blocked, leaving the Tornadoes up 19-13 with 1:37 to play. The Tigers’ offense reawakened on the next series, as Harris completed five passes – all to Ernest Stallworth – for 80 yards and a touchdown, culminating in a 28-yard strike to the left corner of the end zone with 40.6 seconds to play. The extra point attempt by Dahn hit off the right upright and missed and the game remained knotted up at 19-19. Bay started its next series at its own 35-yard line with 34.2 seconds on the clock, but Blayne Watkins was picked off on the second play on a throw over the middle of the field to give it back to the Tigers at their own 46 with 26.1 seconds left. Harris opened the drive with a 5-yard completion to Antarus Jackson, who got out of bounds to stop the clock, and then broke free on a second down scramble and raced down the right sideline all the way to the Bay 9-yard line with 10.2 seconds on the clock. Pensacola took one shot at the end zone with a pass intended to Stallworth that was nearly intercepted by the Tornadoes, and then set up for the field goal with 5.2 seconds on the clock. Mike Watkins said he didn’t second guess his decision to take a knee and send the game into overtime on the Tornadoes’ last possession, believing that they still could create an opportunity for a potential game-winning kick by Reese in the time remaining. “I just felt with the field position we have, and we have an unbelievable kicker, I wanted to give him a chance,” he said. “It was just a bad play call on my part. I screwed it up.” Harris completed 11 of 19 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown while rushing 19 times for 148 yards and another score. Blayne Watkins finished 17 of 33 for 144 yards and three interceptions. Sims had six rushes for 22 yards and three touchdowns, with Hayes adding 29 yards on seven carries. Chapman had eight receptions for 68 yards, with Zander Lovchuk adding four catches for 48 yards. Pensacola next plays host to Arnold on Oct. 13. The Tornadoes also have a week off before jumping back into district play against West Florida at Gavlak Stadium. What they do with that time off is pretty straightforward, Mike Watkins said. “We’re down right now,” he said. “Where do we go from here? There’s no question, the answer is you get up and keep fighting and try to improve yourself and pay better attention to details. I’ll get them better prepared and we’ll keep playing.”

TIGERS STUN TORNADOES AT THE BUZZER, 22-19

Photo Credit: Joshua Boucher

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