Hayes for the win

Senior quarterback converts big fourth-down play in fourth quarter, goes on to score as Piedmont holds off Ohatchee for region title, 45-35

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

OHATCHEE — Taylor Hayes has made a lot of big plays in his Piedmont career, but none — this season at least — was as big as the run he made to keep the chains moving in the final four minutes of the Class 3A Region 5 game of the year Friday night.

The play didn’t produce a touchdown, but it was as influential as any score for what it did in the Bulldogs’ 45-35 region-clinching win over Ohatchee.

Hayes, the Bulldogs’ senior quarterback, typically carries the team on his back, but he had the region championship in his hands late in this game.

The top-ranked Bulldogs were leading upstart Ohatchee by a precarious three points — after being ahead by three touchdowns midway through the third quarter — and the No. 7 Indians had all the momentum after two quick scores.

They faced a fourth-and-3 from the Ohatchee 45 with 3:30 to play. After two time outs — one hoping to draw the Indians off – Piedmont coach Steve Smith dismissed the notion of a punt and ran Hayes behind big linemen Blake Headrick and Mason Langley for 9 yards to move the chains.

Smith admitted “that’s not what the book says to do right there,” but he has “extreme confidence” in his players and followed his gut to put it in the hands of a veteran who has consistently delivered in the clutch.

Hayes didn’t stop running after that, capping the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds left that gave the Bulldogs their final margin.

“It was maybe the biggest play of the season so far,” Headrick said of the fourth-down conversion. “I was just thinking I’ve got to make my blocks, the whole line has to make their blocks, against their great defense. It was a good feeling to see him get that first down. It was a great feeling. I was so happy to see it.”

“That’s a win or lose type play,” added Langley. “If we wouldn’t have gotten that play there’s no telling what the outcome of the game would’ve been. I knew T-Hayes was probably going to get that ball right there because he’s a big player, a huge impact player, and he doesn’t give up. He was definitely going to give it all he had to get that first down.”

Hayes carried the ball all 10 plays on the region-sealing drive and 32 times in the game. He finished with 204 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

“I was not going to be stopped short,” Hayes said. “My guys have been giving it their all all game. They looked at me in the huddle and said ‘Go get it; we’re going to block for you.’ They said there was going to be a hole there for you and they were right. There was a hole around where the chains were. They got me to that point I was going to get the first down. I just gave them all like I did all the other times and it turned out good for us.”

The atmosphere was playoff-like. Ohatchee officials said they sold nearly 2,800 tickets for their biggest game in decades. Fans were starting to arrive some three hours before kickoff and by 5 p.m. both sides of the road leading to the stadium were lined with parked cars.

They were entertained by a 42-point second quarter that swung Piedmont’s way when Cardavion Myers scooped up a fumble and went 95 yards for a touchdown when Ohatchee was driving for the tying touchdown. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 35-14 with 6:57 left in the third quarter and 38-21 after Easton Kirk’s 23-yard field goal with 7:53 to play that turned out to be a pretty big kick.

The Bulldogs (9-0, 6-0) did a nice job of bottling up Ohatchee back Austin Tucker, holding him to 22 yards rushing, but that gave quarterback Taylor Eubanks room to operate. Tucker was held to 22 yards rushing, but Eubanks ran for 160 yards and two long touchdowns.

Interestingly, the Indians (7-1, 4-1) came back through the air. Eubanks found Tucker on two touchdown passes in the comeback, including a 20-yarder that made it 38-35 with 4:41 to play.

“Now they know we can throw it a little bit,” Ohatchee coach Scott Martin said. “You do what you have to do and I thought our kids did a great job of competing. When you get down 35-14 it would have been easy for us to hang our heads, say hey we’re not as good as Piedmont, they’re a better football team than we are, but our kids played their butts off. We proved tonight we can compete and play at that level.

“It’s 38-35, they’ve got fourth-and-3. They did not want to give us the ball back and they put it in their best player’s hands and he won that battle. We knew that Taylor Hayes was going to get the football if they did not punt it and he lowered his shoulder and ran over us on that left side over there.”

It was Piedmont’s 19th straight win, 17th straight region win and fifth region title in the last seven years.

Piedmont 45, Ohatchee 35

Piedmont 0 28 7 10 — 45
Ohatchee 0 14 7 14 — 35

P – Taylor Hayes 12 run (kick failed), 11:28 2Q
O – Jesse Sellers 54 pass from Taylor Eubanks (Gage Harrell kick), 10:36 2Q
P – Lee Stanley 60 run (Taylor Hayes run), 10:23 2Q
P – Cardavion Myers 95 fumble return (run failed), 6:33 2Q
O – Taylor Eubanks 67 run (Gage Harrell kick), 6:16 2Q
P – Taylor Hayes 4 run (Austin Brazier pass from Taylor Hayes), 0:17 2Q
P – Taylor Hayes 10 run (Easton Kirk kick), 6:57 3Q
O – Austin Tucker 37 pass from Taylor Eubanks (Gage Harrell kick), 3:35 3Q
P – Easton Kirk 23 FG, 8:59 4Q
O – Taylor Eubanks 52 run (Gage Harrell kick), 7:53 4Q
O – Austin Tucker 20 pass from Taylor Eubanks (Gage Harrell kick), 4:41 4Q
P – Taylor Hayes 3 run (Easton Kirk kick), 0:50 4Q

Team stats Pied Ohat
First downs 21 11
Rushes-yds 46-368 34-208
Passing 7-9-0 6-10-0
Passing yds 92 142
Fumbles-lost 3-2 3-1
Punts-avg 1-25.0 2-30.5
Penalties-yds 3-35 8-55

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