Eagles topple Pace on late touchdown run
BIRMINGHAM -- A blocked punt by the visiting Pace High School (Fla.) football team had quieted the crowd at Oak Mountain’s Heardmont Park.
With just under four minutes to play, Pace’s Jayden Freeman had recovered a blocked punt and returned it about 30 yards to put Pace on top 24-21, the first lead for the Patriots since early in the second quarter.
But Oak Mountain’s sophomore quarterback Evan Smith would not be outdone. On the Eagles’ first play after the blocked punt, Smith dashed left and raced down the sidelines for a 65-yard score that would send Oak Mountain's seniors off with a 27-24 win.
“It’s a resilient group,” Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell said of his team, which will miss the playoffs after finishing 4-6 on the season.
Bell said he was disappointed for the team’s 15 seniors, particularly the 11 who have stayed with the team since their freshman year, to miss the playoffs, but that the team showed great improvement after back-to-back losses in recent weeks.
The game was a battle in the trenches and a battle of running backs, with both teams combining for 480 rushing yards, 253 for Pace and 227 for Oak Mountain.
Junior Judah Tait led the Eagles with 127 yards on 19 carries, while Smith picked up 92 yards, most of them coming on the winning run. Pace was led by running backs Tyler Hunter and Darien Gilbert, who rushed for 95 yards and 75 yards, respectively, with all of Hunter’s yards coming in the first half. Pace quarterback Brandon Mitchell rushed for 72 yards on 16 carries.
The scoring started with just under two minutes left in the first quarter, as Smith ran 25 yards for the Eagles’ first touchdown. Pace answered with a field goal after a dropped pass in the end zone, making it 7-3 early in the second quarter.
After Oak Mountain fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Mitchell punched it in from 1 yard out to put the Patriots on top 10-7.
Oak Mountain fumbled on its next possession as well, but Pace would give the ball back after driving into the red zone.
Starting at its own 8-yard line with less than 90 seconds to play in the first half, Oak Mountain’s run-heavy offense faced a tall task. After picking up 20 yards on three consecutive plays, the Eagles were helped by a late hit on Smith and a defensive pass interference penalty two plays later, moving the ball to the 15-yard line.
With everyone in the stands expecting Oak Mountain to attempt a game-tying field goal, Smith, the holder, received the snap, only to perfectly execute a fake field goal, finding Noah Young in the end zone for a touchdown, putting Oak Mountain up 14-10.
The Eagles expanded on their lead, intercepting Mitchell, who finished just 1-of-10 passing, on Pace’s first drive of the second half. Tait found the end zone from 2 yards out after Smith found Zach Paisley for a 27-yard gain two plays prior.
On Pace’s next drive, Mitchell found David Stickle in the end zone for his only completion of the game, a 12-yard touchdown to cut the lead to five after a missed extra point.
After the blocked punt and Smith touchdown run, the Patriots had one more chance, and picked up a first down around midfield, but Mitchell and the Pace offense were unable to convert on third and fourth down, ending the game.
Smith finished with 75 yards passing, completing 5-of-12passes. Senior Jonathan Bennett aided in the Eagles’ running game, adding 18 yards on eight carries in his final game.
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