MUNFORD — Todd Smith admitted he was hoping for Thursday night’s game to end.“You just want it to get over with,” he said. “It didn’t feel like this one was going to end.”
When it did end, it was Smith’s team on top – the Lions scored first in overtime against 4A Region 4 foe Childersburg, then held on the Tigers’ possession for a 23-15 victory at Holcombe Field.
The win pulls the Lions (3-3, 2-2) back to .500 in overall and region play, and sets up a big region showdown next week against Anniston.
“It feels real good,” senior Montrel Parker said afterward. “To come in here, play a real good team, and come out on top, that feels real good.”
Parker was the catalyst for Munford in the fourth quarter. In overtime, the senior tailback carried the ball over the left side for a nine-yard touchdown on second down, then carried three yards on the ensuing conversion.
“The offensive line did a great job,” he said. “My fullback threw me a good block – they gave me a hole, and I just hit it.”
Munford’s defense yielded only five yards for a facemask penalty on Childersburg’s (2-4, 2-2) possession. Quarterback Nathan Gardner’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, prompting a wild celebration.
“The kids played really hard tonight,” assistant coach Wiley McKeller said after the game. “They (Munford) just made a few more plays than we did.”
McKeller called the shots down the stretch for the Tigers after head coach Jeff Bullen departed in an ambulance, along with his son Will, a junior tailback.
Facing first-and-10 at their own 14-yard line, with a 12-8 lead and 4:37 showing on the fourth-quarter clock, the Tigers called Bullen’s number – he scooped up a loose ball, evaded two tacklers before taking a one-yard loss on the home sideline.
The junior didn’t get up, prompting a hushed silence at Holcombe Field, and an ambulance.
Childersburg’s veteran head coach left with him, leaving McKeller to coach the team.
“When something like that happens, football is the last thing you’re thinking about,” Smith said. “Our prayers are with coach Bullen and with Will. I thought the medical staff did a great job, too.”
Bullen’s status was unknown at press time.
After holding the Tigers, Munford went right to work on its next possession, with quarterback Drakkar Holcombe finding Parker down the left sideline for a 43-yard touchdown – an Anthony Tisdale extra point made the score 15-12 with 2:18 to play.
“I actually called that play for Coach,” Parker said. “I give the offensive line credit for holding them out, and Snap (Holcombe) threw me a great pass.”
There was, however, no quit in the Tigers. Gardner found junior Cordarius Reynolds for a 45-yard gain on the ensuing drive, and Reynolds advanced the ball all the way to the Munford 16-yard line.
“We came back just like we thought we would,” McKeller said.
They could move only a few yards more, before senior Gabe Hernandez coolly knocked down a 28-yard game-tying field goal with just 18 seconds to play.
“He’s (Hernandez) never been in that situation before,” said McKeller. “He kicked the ball real well – he drilled it.”
Munford had controlled much of the game going into the fourth quarter, but didn’t have much to show for it. Childersburg actually gained the Lions by nearly 100 yards, but lost three big fumbles, twice inside the Lion 20-yard line.
The home team held an 8-0 lead headed into the fourth, thanks to a 15-yard run by Petey Mosley, and a two-point conversion run by Dominique Allen.
Mosley led the Lions in rushing, netting 108 yards on 22 carries. Parker carried the ball 16 times for 73 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 51 more, plus that fourth-quarter score.
Childersburg wouldn’t go quietly in the fourth, however, turning a Holcombe interception into points when junior Cordal Turner scored from 16 yards out with 9:17 to play in the game.
On the very next possession, sophomore Fabian Garrett finally broke loose, running 79 yards on third-and-1 to put the Tigers ahead.
Garrett finished with 180 yards on 12 carries.
“I give Childersburg a lot of credit,” Smith said. “Their kids never quit when they got down. They’re a very good football team.
“We didn’t quit, either.”
Munford actually nearly won the game in dramatic fashion in regulation, as Parker slipped down the sideline uncovered again with 7 seconds remaining. Holcombe’s pass landed just out of his reach, however, and the clock hit triple-zeroes with the score tied at 15.
The two teams continue region play next week. Childersburg will host Handley, while Munford hosts the Anniston Bulldogs, in a game that will likely determine the fourth spot in Region 4.
