FRIDAY PREP: Pike Road goes back to the drawing board to beat Andy

By TIM GAYLE

PIKE ROAD -- Pike Road had managed just 22 yards and a first down in the second quarter, watching as Andalusia built a 14-7 halftime lead and grounded the Patriots’ high-scoring offensive attack.

“We didn’t expect them to stop me like,” Pike Road quarterback Iverson Hooks admitted. “We thought we’d be able to throw the ball a lot more. They were comfortable sitting back (and covering the receivers) and when I went in at halftime, I was a little down on myself.”

What coach Patrick Browning and his offensive staff would draw up on the board wasn’t flashy, but it was incredibly effective. If Andalusia chose to drop back and shut off the big play, Pike Road would respond by running Quinshon Judkins out of the Wildcat.

Judkins picked up 73 yards and a touchdown out of Wildcat formation in the second half, wearing down a smaller Bulldog defensive unit as the Patriots scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win a crucial 5A Region 2 showdown 28-14 on Friday night.

“We weren’t planning to run it this week,” Judkins said. “We went in at halftime and Coach just drew it up and said we’re going to come out against the front they’re running and we’re going to run this. I just said ‘OK’ and came back out and did what I did.”

The energy seemed to ebb from the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball. They ran for 52 yards on their first two plays of the second half, then managed 14 total yards (and no first downs) the remainder of the game. Defensively, meanwhile, the Bulldogs were on the field for 15:59 of the final 24 minutes, wilting under an assault of 19 Wildcat runs out of 30 Pike Road offensive plays that included only one pass attempt in the second half. 

“I think our kids played hard,” Andalusia coach Trent Taylor said. “They got tired in the first half. We got a little gassed, our defense had to stay on the field pretty much the whole second half. We’ve got to do a better job offensively throwing the football.”

Andalusia tailback Jamarion Burnett rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries, scoring on runs of 3 and 71 yards to put the Bulldogs in front 14-7 early in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs tried just about everything from fake punts to onside kicks in an effort to keep the Patriots’ offense on the sideline.

“We knew we were the better team,” Hooks said, “but we knew that was a hard team, too. We just wanted to see who the tougher team was.”

Ten minutes later, it was still 14-7 at the half and Pike Road coach Patrick Browning was thankful an Andalusia fumble on the Pike Road 22 on the Bulldogs’ final first-half possession and a missed field goal attempt on Andalusia’s first possession of the second half kept the Patriots within a touchdown.

“We knew the mistakes that were being made and we knew we had to get to halftime with a couple of those guys up front and really show them in a calm environment,” Browning said. “Those young guys did a great job stepping up. We sensed what was working and we just stuck with it.

“They had a good plan early. We made some mistakes, but here’s the bottom line: the kids went in at halftime and they never doubted what we were doing. To see the team respond the way they did was incredible. That’s what sports is all about, facing adversity, back against the wall and how these guys responded, I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Judkins finished with 115 yards on 15 carries, with Hooks adding 61 on 17 carries, as the Patriots turned to power football in the second half. Judkins’ 5-yard run tied the game with 10:12 left, Anthony Rogers ran 19 yards out of Wildcat on the next possession to put Pike Road on top with 7:22 left and Brennen Jordan’s 15-yard interception return for a touchdown moments later sealed the victory. 

“They wore themselves out,” Judkins said of the Bulldogs. “Everybody on defense did their job and got the job done.”

The Pike Road victory marked only the third time in Taylor’s seven years at Andalusia that the Bulldogs have lost back-to-back games against region opponents -- UMS-Wright in 2018 and 2019, Hillcrest-Evergreen in 2018 and 2019 and now Pike Road.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Coach Taylor and the job he has done throughout his career, especially Andalusia football,” Browning said. “It’s one of the premier programs in the state. Those guys came in here and played extremely hard and with class. Fortunately, we put up more points at the end and came out on top.” 

Pike Road (4-0) improved to 2-0 in region play and will host Rehobeth next week. Andalusia (2-2, 1-1) returns home to host Charles Henderson in a region game. 

“I felt like it would be a big win for them, just to beat our program,” Judkins said. “Obviously, we came out here and got the job done.”