GAME 11: B.B. Comer 14, Saint James 11

BBC 8 0 0 6 14

STJ 0 0 8 3 11

SCORING SUMMARY:

BBC (1) 5:41   Green 80 run                      (Knight pass from Embery)    0 -   8
STJ   (3) 10:02 Armstrong 1 run               (Searcy pass from Armstrong)    8 -   8
STJ   (4)   6:12   Darneille 26 FG                                                                         11 -   8
BBC (4) 0:06 Knight 34 pass from Embery                          (run failed)   11 - 14

November 11, 1994. Carlisle Field. Game Conditions: Partly/mostly cloudy, cool, light wind Game Temperature: 55

B.B. Comer, the 3A Area 6 Runner-Up, scored on both its first play from scrimmage, and moreso amazingly on its last play from scrimmage, despite doing little in between. However, the two touchdowns were enough as the Tigers defeated the Saint James Trojans who were hosting their first playoff game since 1985, in thrilling 14 - 11 fashion.

Saint James had good field position early as Justin Perelle returned a short kickoff to the Trojan 42. Eight consecutive runs by Mark Berry, Hunter Pappas, and quarterback Cade Armstrong picked up 42 yards and the Trojans had first down at the Tiger 16. A run and a short pass completion were offset by a costly third down delay of game penalty, and after an incomplete pass, Jason Darneille tried a 33 yard field goal which veered just right, and Saint James had failed to score despite using up half of the first quarter on their drive.

It took B.B. Comer only seconds to reply. On first down, Anthony Green took the handoff, broke through the line, and somehow found a hole in the secondary, cranked up the afterburners, and was in the endzone after an 80 yard scamper. While the Trojans were trying to shake off the first play disaster, quarterback Tellie Embery found Marcus Knight in the endzone for a two point conversion, and the Tigers were up 8 - 0 after only one play from scrimmage.

The Trojans again had good field position after Pappas returned the kickoff to the Trojan 47. Once more, Pappas, Berry, John Searcy, and Armstrong continued to run the ball, and the first quarter clock. On the first play of the second quarter, the Trojans had fourth down and 2 at the Comer 24. A pass attempt to Brian Brown was ruled incomplete, although it appeared the defender had grabbed Brown's arm prior to the arrival of the ball, and Saint James turned over the ball deep in Tiger territory.

Comer lost a net of two yards deep in their own territory, and Perelle returned the punt to the Tiger 47. Again, the Trojans could not take advantage of the good field position, and later trapped the Tigers with a punt down to their own 11. Embery finally got the Comer offense going with a barrage of short passes and quarterback keepers. Green's 3 yard run on third and 2 gave the Tigers a first down at the Trojan 16. However, a 3 yard loss on first down was followed by two incompletions and a mere five yard gain on 4th and 13, allowing the Saint James defense to avoid further trouble.

With over four minutes remaining, the Trojans did not want to give Comer another scoring chance, but the offense only gained four yards in three plays. On fourth down, however, Darneille was roughed after his punt, and Saint James had a gift first down at their own 35. Berry picked up eleven on the next play, and two more runs gained four yards. The Trojans called time out with 61 seconds remaining. Brown caught an eleven yard pass for a first down, and on the next play Armstrong hooked up with Webber for 21 yards and another first down at the Comer 18 with 30 seconds remaining. However, on the next play, Armstrong was intercepted and the Trojan scoring threat was stopped, with the halftime score remaining 8 - 0.

The first two minutes of the second half were disastrous for the Tigers. A reverse attempt on the kickoff return almost led to a fumble and did lead to a tackle at the 13 yard line. On the next play, the Trojans recovered a botched snap at the Comer 15. Webber ran for six on first down, Pappas for eight on second down, and Armstrong called his own number on the third play for Saint James' first score of the game. As it appeared points would be at a premium in this game, the Trojans opted to go for the tying two point conversion, and Armstrong threw a precision-necessary pass to Searcy just inside the endzone for the score, and an 8 - 8 tie early in the third quarter.

Comer picked up two first downs on their next drive before punting, and the Trojans used up virtually the rest of the third quarter on their ensuing drive. Runs were called on thirteen consecutive plays, primarily by Pappas and Berry. A time out was called by the Trojans who faced third and six at the Comer 28. Armstrong attempted a pass which was incomplete, but offensive pass interference pushed the ball back a costly 15 yards and the loss of down hurt even more. Darneille punted the Tigers deep in their own territory again at the end of the third quarter.

Three plays, including a dropped pass which would have converted a crucial first down, lost yardage and led to a short punt giving Saint James excellent field position at the Comer 37. Again, the dominant running game was called on, and five plays later it was first down on the Tiger six yard line. Two runs picked up four yards, but a critical and untimely illegal procedure penalty and a loss on third down pushed the ball back to the nine. From there, one play later, Darneille was called on for the field goal and this time he connected from 26 yards, giving the Trojans their first lead at 11 - 8 with 6:12 remaining in regulation.

The Tigers got some of their best field position to start their next drive at their own 39, but on first down their own offensive pass interference penalty pushed them back 15 yards with a loss of down added. However, an 11 yard pass completion and a 13 yard run by Embery left a fourth down and 1, which Knight converted by the nose of the football. A costly clipping penalty offset a five yard run on the next play, and from the Comer 36, a backwards pass was not handled properly and recovered by Saint James at the Comer 27, giving the Trojans an excellent chance to score and sew up the game.

Three running plays used up nearly half of the remaining clock and gained exactly 10 yards, giving Saint James a first down at the Comer 18. Two consecutive runs by Berry gained five yards, and Comer used up their final two timeouts in desperation. With 1:28 left to go, the Trojans opted to try and run out the clock. On third down, Armstrong carried for a few seconds before kneeling down in the backfield for a two yard loss, and a delay of game penalty stopped the clock with 41 seconds remaining. Armstrong picked up two yards and ran seven seconds off the clock before turning the ball over on downs seemingly safe deep in Tiger territory.

With no regular place kicker, the option for a tying field goal was not there, so Comer had to travel 82 yards in 34 seconds with no timeouts. On first down, Embery lofted a pass to Knight, who battled with a defender and caught the pass for a 48 yard gain before going out of bounds with 19 seconds remaining. An incomplete pass stopped the clock at 14 seconds, but on second down, Embery found Knight unexplicably open behind the Trojan defense for a 34 yard touchdown with six seconds remaining. A two point run failed, but Comer had "done the impossible", and taken a 14 - 11 lead.

The following kickoff was a squib touched by several players, and the time it took for the Trojans to control it and advance it several yards ran out the remaining clock. The Tigers celebrated their still unbelievable win as they moved on in the playoffs and Saint James could do little more than leave the field in shock as their very successful season had ended abruptly and unexpectedly.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME ELEVEN

SAINT JAMES RUSHING    58 attempts 210 yards 1 TD (3.62 yards per carry)

                          17   Pappas         23 / 92          69   Berry          21 / 69        12   Armstrong       8 / 33 (1 TD)
                          20   Searcy           4 / 10          21   Webber         2 /   6

PASSING 3 completions 8 attempts 1 INT 36 yards 0 TDs (no sacks of)

12 Armstrong 3 - 8 - 1 36 yards

RECEIVING

21 Webber 1 / 21 30 Perelle 1 / 11 19 Adams 1 / 4

TOTAL YARDS: 246

                  KICKS: XP 0 / 0             FG 1 / 2
                          2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 1 / 1
                          KICKOFFS:   3 (50,40,30)                PUNTS:   2 (30,24)
                          KO RETURNS: 3 (5,23,0)                PUNT RETURNS: 2 (5,4)
                          FIRST DOWNS:   17 (14 rushing, 2 passing, 1 penalty)
        FUMBLES: 0
TURNOVER MARGIN: + 1
      PENALTIES: 4 / 30 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION: 33:55

B.B. COMER RUSHING    21 attempts 144 yards 1 TD (6.86 yards per carry - 80 on one carry)
                          PASSING     6 completions 15 attempts 0 INTs 130 yards 1 TD (no sacks of)
                          TOTAL YARDS: 274

                          KICKS: XP 0 / 0                FG 0 / 0
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS: 1 / 2
                          KICKOFFS: 3 (23,36,28)             PUNTS: 3 (30,35,21)
                          KO RETURNS: 3 (2,11,9)          PUNT RETURNS: 0
                  INTERCEPTION RETURNS: 1 (7)
                          FIRST DOWNS:   9 (5 rushing, 4 passing)
    FUMBLES: 2, lost 2
        PENALTIES: 4 / 50 yards
                          TIME OF POSSESSION: 14:05

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