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Oak Mountain trailed James Clemens by 28 points just 13 minutes and 13 seconds into their Class 7A state playoff opener.
That's a couple of lucky numbers if you're the Eagles.
Oak Mountain staged one of the most improbable comebacks seen in Alabama high school playoff history as the Eagles rocketed past the Jets for a 60-43 win to advance to the next round.
A couple of other lucky numbers made it possible -- the Nos. 3 and 34. That's the numbers of Warren and Harold Shader, the Eagles' dynamic brother duo.
Senior running back Harold rushed for five touchdowns and junior quarterback Warren rushed for three and passed for a fourth.
"I wish the Shaders had more children," said Eagles coach Cris Bell.
Bell said he'd never been involved in a game like this one.
James Clemens looked to be unstoppable through the ground or through the air in the first half, An 84-yard touchdown pass from Heath Burchfield to 6-4 wide receiver Joshua Garth capped a 21-0 run for the Jets, who added two more easy scores before half with their quick-tempo, quick-strike offense. And the Jets' defense bottled up the Eagles' powerful ground game. Harold Shader finally broke through with a 3-yard run with 7:52 left in the first half to cut the score to 28-6, but the Jets answered with a quick 80-yard drive to make it 35-6. The Eagles took a short kickoff and Warren Shader cashed it in on a 39-yard run to make the score 35-13 at the half.
"I just told them we needed to make it respectable," said Bell about his halftime speech. "That we had 24 minutes to choose our path.
Harold Shader said some inspirational words came form injured running back Josh Gaines.
Whatever was said and whatever adjustments were made worked.
The Eagles piled up 28 third-quarter points -- 20 in 2:30 -- and closed the quarter on a 71-yard run by Harold Shader to take their first lead at 39-35.
Shader added two more long TD runs, of 62 and 68 yards, and Warren Shader added a 1-yard sneak for a score as the Eagles added 21 fourth-quarter points.
The Jets managed just one TD and a two-point conversion in the second half.
Two key played turned the momentum early in the second half, Bell said.
After the Eagles took the second-half kickoff for a quick score on Shader's 51-yard pass to Daniel Salchert, the Jets fumbled the ensuing kickoff at their 31 and Coleman Reeves recovered. Warren Shader sped around right end fora TD on the next play. On the Jets' next series, Burchfield threw the ball directly to the Eagles Allen Perkinsat the 24 and he returned it to the 12. Two plays later, Harold Shader blasted through for a TD to cut the score to 35-33.
That momentum had the Eagles back in the game just two and a half minutes into the second half. When Harold Shader hauled the ball 71 yards on the last play of the third quarter, the Eagles led 39-35 and they never trailed again.
Oak Mountain (10-1) will travel to face Gadsden City in round two.
