Rally Jackets
- Updated: October 31, 2020
Oxford erases 21-point third-quarter deficit, beats 7A Central-Phenix City with 2-point conversion in OT, 32-31
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – The Oxford Yellow Jackets stormed back from 21 points down in the second half with three straight scoring drives, hung on to send the game into overtime and then beat the Central-Phenix City Red Devils 32-31 on a diving catch of a two-point conversion made by Warren Britt.
It was almost over three plays earlier in the overtime. Central scored to take 31-24 lead and the Yellow Jackets had their fourth-down pass knocked down at the goal line touching off a huge Rd Devils celebration.
However, Central’s Sterling Harris was called for a late hit and the Jackets had new life with a first-and-goal at the 10. Two plays saw the Yellow Jackets lose 10 yards and suddenly it was third-and-goal from the 20.
Trey Higgins then found tight end Camden Etheredge, the coach’s son, over the middle. Etheredge made a sliding catch between two defenders for the touchdown that cut the margin to one.
“I just read the play on the touchdown,” Etheredge said. “If they doubled Roc Taylor then I knew the middle would be there and Trey got it to me. I had to catch it or my dad was going to kill me.”
“I am so proud of my son tonight,” Oxford coach Keith Etheredge said. “It is great to share this moment with him. He is the coach’s son and he is going to take a lot of heat and I am tough on him in practice, but we try to keep it all at the school. However, we are probably going to talk about this night for a long time.”
Instead of playing to extend the overtime, Oxford decided to end it there and went for two. It was going to be all or nothing. Higgins fired a pass out in the flats and Britt made the diving catch as he crossed the goal line.
This time the Oxford side went wild with a celebration.
“We practiced that play all week and I was ready for the throw and just went and got it,” said Britt.
Down 21-3 late in the third quarter, the Jackets took control of the game and marched for three straight touchdowns. They went ahead 24-21 with 2:35 left in the game on a spectacular 22-yard fourth-down touchdown reception by Etheredge on the same play he scored on in overtime.
Higgins threw touchdown passes to Taylor (36 yards) and Britt (12 yards) earlier in the comeback. The touchdown pass to Britt came on a busted play and Higgins found him on a desperation pass in the far corner of the end zone.
But it was not over as Central quarterback Trevion Miles put together a 10-play drive that stalled at the Oxford 5. Miles had a brilliant 13-yard run on a fourth-and-9 to keep the game alive. He somehow escaped an Oxford blitz that saw two Jackets hit him the backfield to get a first down.
Stopped at the 5, the Red Devils were forced to kick a game-tying field goal.
Higgins was trapped behind the line some nine times on the night; the Jackets only rushed for 13 yards on 40 attempts. But he was 17-of-25 for 194 yards passing with four touchdowns.
”They really hit me good and I fumbled a couple of times, but this team doesn’t quit,” Higgins said. “Camden made some great catches and I am so proud of him. All the other receivers get a lot of attention, but he is ready when called upon. Good things happen to good people that work hard and he works so hard in practice.”
A lot of coaches take this week as a week of rest and sit their starters or do not even schedule a game in advance of the playoffs, but not these two coaches.
”We want to be known as the best team, regardless of class, and that is why we schedule up teams like Central,” Ethredge said. “It also gets us ready for the playoffs.”
“This game is like playing a third-round playoff game,“ Central coach Patrick Nix said.
Nix was coach at Pinson Valley, a team that the Yellow Jackets had to beat twice last year – by a total of four points – on their way to winning their 2019 Class 6A state championship. Central came in ranked No. 7 in Class 7A and has made it to the Class 7A state championship game the last two years, winning the title in 2018. Oxford came in No. 1 in Class 6A.
The opening quarter was a defensive slugfest. The Red Devils caught the first break when they stopped Oxford at the 50. The Red Devils changed quarterbacks as Caleb Nix was lifted for Trevion Miles. Miles caught the Jackets off-balance with his running as he gained 26 yards rushing on a 10-play scoring drive capped by a 12-yard scoring pass to Karmelo English.
Oxford’s Trequon Fegans returned the ensuing kick-off 35 yards and after a 36-yard pass the Jackets appeared set to tie the game up. However, a fumble lost 31 yards and the Red Devils recovered. They quickly hit on a 44-yard pass from Miles to English and it was 14-0.
Nix was back in at quarterback on the next series for Central and he immediately was intercepted by Rod Elston, who returned the ball 39 yards to the Red Devils 29.
The Jackets got it down to the 11 before a fumble knocked them back and forced a field goal. Nicolas Gutierrez drilled it home from 29 yards and Oxford trailed 14-3 at halftime.
It was Central coach Nix’s third time to prepare for an Oxford football team in his last 16 games (two at Pinson Valley last year) and it showed in the first half. The Jackets only had 38 first-half total yards and three first downs.
The third quarter started with disaster for the Jackets as Higgins fumbled and Central’s Temarrion Parker picked it up and rambled in for a stunning 21-3 lead.
“Phenix City is going to make some noise in the 7A play-offs; they are a great football team,” Etheredge said. “We got out of here with a big win and nobody got hurt and our defense played a great game. I think we are ready for the playoffs.”
Oxford (9-1) will host Minor (7-3) Friday night in the first round of the 6A playoffs. It will not be an easy task as Minor finished fourth in a region that had Pinson Valley, Clay-Chalkville and Gardendale finishing ahead of them and they were the only three teams to beat them this year.
Oxford 32, Central-Phenix City 31 (OT)
Central 7 7 7 3 7 – 31
Oxford 0 3 7 14 8 – 32
CPC – Karmelo English 12 pass from Trevion Mitchell (Dylan Davis kick), 0:16 1Q
CPC – Karmelo English 44 pass from Trevion Miles (Dylan Davis kick), 10:21 2Q
O – Nicolas Gutierrez 29 FG, 4:53 2Q
CPC – Temarrion Parker 14 fumble return (Dylan Davis kick), 10:06 3Q
O – Roc Taylor 36 pass from Trey Higgins (run failed), 2:51 3Q
O – Warren Britt 12 pass from Trey Higgins (Nicolas Gutierrez kick), 0:00 3Q
O – Camden Etheredge 22 pass from Trey Higgins (Jordan Dobbins pass from TreyHiggins), 2:35 4Q
CPC – Dylan Davis 24 FG, 0:13 4Q
CPC – Joseph McKay 10 run (Dylan Davis kick), OT
O – Camden Etheredge 20 pass from Trey Higgins (Warren Britt pass from Trey Higgins), OT
| Cent-PC (6-4) | Oxf (9-1) | |
| 15 | 1st Downs | 15 |
| 33-174 | Rushes-yds | 40-13 |
| 8-22-1 | C-A-I | 18-26-1 |
| 126 | Passing yds | 206 |
| 3-2 | Fum-lost | 4-2 |
| 5-29.3 | Punts-avg | 5-33.3 |
| 11-72 | Pen-yds | 10-79 |
You must be logged in to post a comment Login