VALDOSTA — The Wildcats were pinned just a yard from their own end zone, facing a dire situation in what would become a memorable Winnersville Classic Friday night.
Early in the second quarter, as both teams were dead-locked at 7-7, Valdosta’s coaching staff called down a controversial play on a big third down situation.
Valdosta faced a third-and-24 from the 1-yard line, and had to figure out a way to get out of an area where a mistake would be crucial, and put itself in a more suitable field position. The Wildcats would need a big play to gain the 24 yards for the first down, and most likely would have been kicking on fourth down with the Vikings bearing down full-gear.
Instead of risking a punt-block, a kicking mistake or a Greg Reid return, Valdosta called for a quick kick.
Quarterback Kyle Rowe received the snap, picked up solid protection and put it in the air.
“It was a third-down, we were backed up and we knew they wouldn’t be expecting a quick kick,” Valdosta coach Rick Tomberlin said. “I think it was a great call.”
Rowe, who had practiced the quick kick throughout the season, shanked the ball off to the right, and it landed out of bounds, just 11 yards away.
The Wildcats had not run the play in a game this season, but had run it several times in practice, and Friday it just went bad.
“We all agreed it was a good call,” Tomberlin said. “He just shanked it.
“Kyle is a good punter, and with a good roll, we could have gotten ourselves out of a bad field position.”
The play could have achieved its attended purpose with a better kick and a friendly roll, because the Vikings weren’t expecting it.
“It was kind of a surprise,” Lowndes coach Randy McPherson said.
As a result of the play, the Vikings took over on the Wildcats’ 12-yard line, and needed just three plays to find the end zone.
On first down, Valdosta committed a face mask penalty, putting the Vikings on the 8-yard line, before a Reid run of seven yards to it to the 1. Gerald Demps then ran the ball behind left tackle for a 1-yard score, then Mark Willis added an extra point for the final point.
“That was big right there,” McPherson said.
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