Area football fans had circled Oct. 20 on their calendars before the season began, figuring that the match between Whitewater and Starr’s Mill would be a classic with serious implications in the region football standings. They were right. The game was filled with everything one looks for in a football game; big plays on offense, hard tackles on defense, a loud and energetic crowd on both sides of the field and a ton of drama in the final moments of the game.

Starr’s Mill opened up a 14-0 lead in the game as quarterback Robby Davis ran 10 yards for the first touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter he ran nine yards for the other touchdown. On the following drive by Whitewater, Davis recovered a fumble and when the Panthers ensuing drive stalled, he punted to the Whitewater seven yard line.

The second half began much like the first half ended with Davis executing a great punt once again, this time the ball was stopped at the Whitewater one yard line. The Wildcats were able to get on the board in the third quarter though when quarterback Jay Bright hooked up on pass with Cody Haralson with an 80 yard touchdown pass. A 40 yard field goal attempt by the Wildcats towards the end of the third quarter was no good but they would score again, this time on their biggest play in the team’s young history.

On a fourth down with four yards to go from the 12 yard line and a 1:12 left on the clock, a halfback pass was called and Tavoris Dixon found Bright in the end zone. Instead of kicking the extra point and likely going to overtime, the Whitewater coaching staff went for the two point conversion. Bright ran to the right and just made the corner, getting into the endzone. The Panthers still had over a minute left to drive the field and get in position for a winning field goal. Whitewater’s Ryan Johnson dashed those hopes though when he intercepted a pass with 35 seconds remaining.

After the game, Whitewater coach Amos McCreary stated that the team had practiced the halfback pass recently and that the entire coaching staff made the decision to go for it. McCreary praised his entire team.

“These kids are unbelievable at what they do and they always amaze me,” he said.

Whitewater is 5-1 in the region with two game remaining. They are currently in second place behind Creekside. Starr’s Mill is in sixth place with a 2-3 region record. The Wildcats have a bye week this week. They will host Woodward Academy on Nov. 3. Starr’s Mill will play at Woodward Academy (6-2, 4-2 region) on Friday.

In other region 2-AAAA action last week, the McIntosh Chiefs (0-7, 0-5 region) lost to Woodward Academy 42-22. The War Eagles built a 42-0 lead by the half and McIntosh came back in the second half with two touchdowns from Nick Popeill and one from Joe Martin. The Chiefs will play at Northgate (4-3, 3-2 region) on Friday. Fayette County (1-6, 0-5 region) played at Westlake (4-4, 4-2 region) on Friday and lost 41-7. The Tigers will host Banneker (1-6, 1-4 region) on Friday.

In 6-AAA action, Sandy Creek (4-3, 1-3 region) lost to Carrollton (7-0, 4-0 region) 17-0. The Patriots were held to a total of 136 yards of offense. Defensively, the team was led by Robert Jaracz who had 10 tackles. Chris James and Zack Hilton each added eight tackles. The Patriots will host Haralson County (2-5, 1-3 region) on Friday. The school will retire Kedric Golston’s jersey at halftime of the game.

In region 5-A, the Landmark Christian War Eagles improved to 5-2 (2-0 region) on the season after defeating the Fellowship Christian Academy Paladins 49-21. Matt Thornton and Jimmy Eden each had receiving touchdowns, while Brian Lee, Trey Strickland, and Colby Wren scored on the ground. Matt Moody and Tanner Bryant threw one touchdown each, while Scott Berger and Walter Lenard each returned punts for touchdowns. The War Eagle defense caused numerous turnovers all night and only allowed only one touchdown in the second half. Landmark travels to take on the Mt. Pisgah Patriots (2-5, 1-1 region) in region play this Friday night.

Our Lady of Mercy (1-6, 0-2 region) hosted Mt. Pisgah last Friday and lost 35-13. The Bobcats rushed for 115 total yards and passed for 70 in the loss. quarterback William Pearl rushed for both touchdowns. Christian Willis led the team in rushing with 61 yards, while Brett Thomas, Chris Gair and Will Simmons all had three catches on the night. Christian Brow was the team’s leading tackled with 11 total tackles, while Gair added nine and Simmons added eight.
Our Lady of Mercy will play at Whitefield Academy (0-7, 0-2 region) on Friday.