LAST SECOND LETDOWN

State title slips from Spartans in final seconds of game



Seniors Dawson Atkinson and Brandon Sharpe react after Edmund Burke’s devastating state championship loss to Piedmont Academy.

Seniors Dawson Atkinson and Brandon Sharpe react after Edmund Burke’s devastating state championship loss to Piedmont Academy.

They entered the game as a long shot to win it all but came out nearly shocking the number one team in the state.

The Edmund Burke Academy football team saved its best performance of the season for last Friday night’s state championship game. The Spartans took on powerhouse and favorite to win the state title, Piedmont Academy, who already beat Edmund Burke 35-14 earlier this season. The Cougars hadn’t lost a game in two years and almost saw their undefeated record shattered last Friday night.

Piedmont made a statement early in the game, scoring a touchdown on their very first possession. After both teams failed to put more points on the scoreboard in the first quarter, the Spartans entered the second quarter down 7-0. After the Cougars reached midfield and looked to have momentum in their favor, senior Clint Saxon stepped up defensively for the Spartans. Saxon forced a fumble the Spartans were able to recover. During their next offensive possession, the Spartans struck when senior quarterback Logan Christian connected on a deep pass to Dawson Atkinson. The pass put the Spartans in scoring position for the first time during the game. Hagen Wade capped the drive off with a touchdown run, which was followed by a successful twopoint conversion by Jon Jon Evans. The Spartans led 8-7.

Despite averaging almost 50 points per game, the Cougars were shut out by the Spartans for the rest of the first half. Lane Clark helped the Spartans defensively, sacking the Piedmont quarterback less than 4 minutes before halftime. EBA took the 8-7 lead to the locker room.

The third quarter was quiet for both teams, with the exception of Piedmont facing a first down and 43 yards to go after multiple penalties were called on the Cougar offense. They were unable to gain the needed yardage and were forced to punt the football. The Spartans carried the lead into the final quarter.

Piedmont threatened to score midway through the fourth quarter, however; seniors Michael Taylor and Clint Saxon put pressure on the football which forced Piedmont to turn the ball over on downs. EBA had the ball and the lead with 8 minutes left to go in the game.

The Spartans began working the clock and were able to maintain possession of the football until just under 4 minutes to go in the game. After Christian’s punt, the Cougars would have to drive over 80 yards with no timeouts to win the game. They did just that.

Piedmont picked up six first downs during the drive, courtesy of standout player Peter Lawson.

With under 20 seconds left to go in the game, Lawson found the end zone from 20 yards away. After the missed extra point, the Cougars led 13- 8. Edmund Burke’s chances of winning the school’s first ever state football title had vanished. The Spartans claimed the GISA Class- AA state runners- up trophy for the second year in a row, posting an 11-2 overall record and going 5-1 in region play. Both losses were courtesy of Piedmont Academy.

Head coach Buddy Sorrow commented on the heartbreaking loss. “I thought we played as well as we could except for that last drive,” Sorrow said. “Piedmont kept picking up first downs, which stopped the clock. That’s what killed us the most during that drive. If we could have kept them from getting a couple of those first downs, the clock would have probably run out or they would have been forced to throw the ball. But, that didn’t happen. They are the defending state champions, and they rose to the occasion when they needed to.”

Still, Sorrow is proud of his team’s performance this season. “ You know, we could have done some things different during the game. But, we did what we thought was best then. Those kids played their hearts out and did everything we ever asked them to do. The seniors have played nearly fifty games together and have battled for two state championships. They have nothing to hang their heads about. I’m proud as the devil of all of them.”

(Editor’s note: Final season stats will be available in next week’s edition of The True Citizen.)


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