Montgomery Academy beats Trinity in overtime thriller
MA’s Braden Gordon fends off Trinity’s Chase Lashlee in Friday’s clash between the Eagles and Wildcats. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Montgomery Academy was on its heels after Trinity had rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
As the Wildcats drove to a first and goal with a little more than two minutes left and Trinity quarterback Patton Mitchell rolled left, Montgomery Academy safety DJ Vinson was waiting.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve studied that one play,” Vinson said. “I knew if we got in that situation, they’re going to run that little Q-stretch or Wildcat outside. They did it one time earlier in the game and didn’t throw it. I knew they would come back to it.”
Mitchell’s pass to the corner of the end zone for Xavier Boswell was intercepted by Vinson, preserving the tie in regulation. The Eagles answered a Trinity touchdown in overtime with one of their own and Rob Ashworth added the extra point to give Montgomery Academy a 28-27 win at McLemore Field on Friday.
The Wildcats had rallied from a 21-7 deficit with a pair of touchdowns in less than three minutes to tie the game, then marched 37 yards on their next possession to a first down at the MA 7, using their size advantage to control the line of scrimmage.
“It’s a matter of our guys understanding what we’re trying to do defensively,” Montgomery Academy coach Ethan McBride said. “We knew they’d be able (to have success running the ball) and we were fine with that. What we wanted was to see all of their formations and what they were doing out of everything and learn because then we could execute better the next time around.
“Hats off to them. They’ve got a very, very talented offensive line and four guys that carry the ball well.”
Vinson’s interception helped the Eagles turn back Trinity’s rally, at least in regulation.
“I probably shouldn’t have put Patton in that situation right before the end of the game,” Trinity coach Brian Seymore said. “I was just looking for the bootleg and really wasn’t looking for ‘Bos.’ They had DJ on him and he made a great pick there.”
Trinity took the ball first in overtime and found the end zone in three plays, with Fleming Hall scoring on a 2-yard run in Wildcat formation. Seymore made the decision to go for the two-point conversion, but Montgomery Academy linebacker Knox Wingate knifed through and tripped up Hall just inches from the goal line.
“I just felt their kids were a little bit tired,” Seymore said. “We didn’t do a good job on the backside and a guy came from the backside and tripped up Fleming. Kudos to the kid for making the play. He made a great play.”
Trailing 27-21, Montgomery Academy quarterback Reid McBride was sacked on third down, setting up his 15-yard pass to Braden Gordon in the end zone that tied the game and set the stage for Ashworth’s game-winning kick.
“I thought Coach (Jeremy) Arant and Coach (Brad) Parker did a great job of trying to disguise what we were doing,” McBride said of his offensive coordinators. “We didn’t ‘iso’ somebody up, we put all three of our talented players there together, making (Trinity) kind of pick and choose and then (Reid McBride) throws it up and gives them a chance. Hats off to Braden Gordon going up and making a huge catch in a clutch moment.”
Gordon, in fact, scored all four of his team’s touchdowns, following Vinson on a sideline route for a 15-yard reception, adding a 27-yard reception on a crossing route and then scoring on a 2-yard run with 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter for a 21-7 lead.
“We got too relaxed,” Vinson said. “They came back and smashed it back and we put our heads down and they scored again. Once that happened, we took it play by play. Make the play and keep on moving.”
Trinity answered in three plays on a 43-yard run by Chase Parker, his only carry of the game. Parker ran down the sideline, kept his balance despite a facemask penalty and continued to the end zone on the final play of the third quarter.
“We were trying to hurry up and get a play off there,” Seymore said. “We felt like they were a little gassed right there. Obviously, Chase made a big play there. He got a facemask (penalty) and made a good run.”
The Wildcats then opened play in the fourth quarter with an onside kick. Luke Hall recovered for the Wildcats and Trinity marched to the goal in six plays, using a spectacular catch by Chade Lashlee on a 23-yard reception to tie the game.
Montgomery Academy had the lead for much of the game, but in a tie game the momentum had shifted to Trinity, which churned out 293 total yards with a larger offensive line as the Eagles had managed just 69 rushing yards and ended each of its fourth-quarter possessions with interceptions, the 11th and 12th of the season by the Trinity defense.
“They’re a great defensive team,” Vinson said. “They have a great scheme, play over the top of a lot of great receivers. But when it came down to it, the wide receiving corps knew we’ve got to make the play. That’s a young quarterback (McBride) making a read in a big game. They have a great defense but I think our coaches’ scheme outworked their defense this time.”
Gordon finished with six receptions for 77 yards and three touchdowns, threw a 6-yard pass to McBride and rushed 11 times for 26 yards and a touchdown.
“We held them to fourth down and it came down to a jump ball and they make the play and we don’t,” Seymore said. “That’s on me.”
Interestingly enough, both coaches had the same strategy as they prepared for overtime.
“I told our OC, Coach Arant and Coach Parker, have your two-point play ready,” McBride said. “We were going to go for two. Did I think we could stop them from going 10 yards? Quite honestly, no. But what I did think was if they were going to go for two, we could stop them from getting three yards.”
The plan worked, leaving Montgomery Academy, Houston Academy, Trinity and Wicksburg all tied for first place in region play.
“Hats off to them, they made the plays,” Seymore said. “We’ve got to get back and get to work because it’s a dogfight now. Everybody’s tied in the region and it may come down to some tiebreaker stuff.”
Montgomery Academy (6-1) closes out region play with three road games, traveling to Slocomb, Prattville Christian and Alabama Christian.
Trinity (5-2) plays host to Northside Methodist next week, then closes out region play at Wicksburg and at Houston Academy.