Weaver completes victory
- Updated: September 12, 2015
Bearcats return to the scene of Friday’s suspended game, score two late touchdowns to beat Ashville 42-20
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
ASHVILLE — Daryl Hamby sort of liked the fireworks that brought an unwelcomed interruption to Friday’s Weaver-Ashville football game. He liked the fireworks that came with the conclusion of it even better.
In what many described on the lines of the “weirdest football game I’ve ever been a part of,” the region rivals played the remaining 11:41 of a game interrupted and then suspended because of weather and equipment failures the night before Saturday afternoon.
Weaver added to the lead it brought back to Kin Logan Stadium and drove back to Calhoun County with an important 42-20 region victory.
“I thought they responded well,” Hamby said. “I think we’re playing through adversity where before I thought we would maybe back down from adversity. These are adverse conditions. Two delays and then we have to go home and come back, wow, how are we going to react? Are we going to be grown-ups about it? I think they responded well.”
The win left the Bearcats 2-0 in region play for the first time since 2011, tied for first in 3A Region 6 with Glencoe and Piedmont. Glencoe and Piedmont play each other Friday, while Weaver plays Wellborn; Panthers coach Jeff Smith was in the stadium Saturday.
It was a turnover-filled resumption — there were five total — but the Bearcats (2-1 overall) tacked on two touchdowns in the final 80 seconds to make it all worthwhile.
Delo Forbes scored on a 49-yard run to give the Bearcats a two-score cushion and Maurice Goodman returned an interception 26 yards with 17 seconds left to end any Ashville hope.
The game initially had a 90-minute delay due to weather on Friday. The teams returned to the field and played until a pair of transformers blew showering the field with a deluge of sparks.
Offensive coordinator Gary Atchley said the teams were told about 10:30 if the power could be restored by 12:30 a.m. they would be allowed to complete the game. It never happened.
“I didn’t want to stop play, but also it kind of probably helped us because I didn’t know Paul was injured,” Hamby said.
The Bearcats returned to the game without two key players. Quarterback Paul Hubbard hurt his non-throwing shoulder on the snap before the suspension of play and lineman Brandon Boyce also was injured. Hubbard ran for one touchdown and threw for two more before getting hurt.
Both are expected to return, but not for this one.
Sophomore Dalton Hamby, the coach’s son, directed the offense on the re-start. He had been the quarterback the last two years on a JV team that hadn’t lost in three years and made a varsity start last year so he wasn’t just getting thrown into something.
“I knew I had to lead the team and I was ready for that because Dad kept telling me about it; I felt prepared,” Dalton said. “It really just felt like a baseball game that got postponed to another day, but in reality it felt like a college football game being on a Saturday.”
The coaching staff tried to make things as simple and effective as possible, and Forbes’ ability to break long runs allowed the Bearcats to keep the ball on the ground.
Forbes rushed for 75 yards in the completed portion of the game and also threw a 28-yard pass. He finished with 131 yards rushing in the game.
“I just knew it was the last quarter so I just tried to play hard,” Forbes said. “It was crazy because it seemed like we were about to score every drive, we just kept on fumbling. But our team played hard and we pulled it off.”
On the cover: Weaver running back Delo Forbes breaks off a big gain during the resumption of the Bearcats’ game at Ashville Saturday.
WEAVER 42, ASHVILLE 20
Weaver 14 0 14 14 — 42
Ashville 7 7 6 0 — 20
W – Cody Ortiz 73 fumble recovery (Riley Benavedes kick)
W – Paul Hubbard 1 run (Benavedes kick)
A – Ryan Whisenhunt 16 pass from Judd Mundy (Mundy kick)
A – Landon Cornutt 6 pass from Mundy (Mundy kick)
A – Cornutt 17 pass from Mundy (PAT failed)
W – Maurice Goodman 50 pass from Hubbard (Benavedes kick)
W – Oritz 24 pass from Hubbard (Benavedes kick)
W — Delo Forbes 49 run (Benavedes kick), 1:20 4Q
W – Goodman 26 interception return (Benavedes kick), 0:17 4Q
Category Wea Ash
First downs 12 17
Rushes-yds 34-225 32-182
C-A-I 8-9-0 22-33-2
Passing yds 142 222
You must be logged in to post a comment Login