Rivalry gets heated
- Updated: August 28, 2021
White Plains returns Golden Football to its case after beating Donoho in a game that had a weather delay, shortened second half and controversy
By Dean Harrell
For East Alabama Sports Today
There’s an old trophy sitting in the White Plains trophy case. It’s been there since 1983, sliding further back in the display each year, tucked behind the shinier awards of a newer era. But at one time it was the trophy to play for.
They broke it out for Friday night’s game with Donoho, this Golden Football the teams have played for. After nearly 40 years collecting dust it’s going back where it came from – maybe with a little tarnish this time – after White Plains beat the Falcons 29-14 in a game that endured a 90-minute lightning delay and a bit of controversy.
This Golden Football trophy hadn’t really been on the line since 1983 even though the teams played more than a dozen times before renewing the rivalry in a game ultimately canceled by COVID last year. White Plains coach Chandler Tyree heard stories of the trophy, sought it out and decided the time was right to revive the tradition.
The Falcons, coming off a shutout victory over Pleasant Valley last week, were hungry for another win early in the season. Meanwhile, White Plains, falling short to Ranburne by only two points last week, were eager to bounce back and earn their first victory, which they did in a rather unorthodox fashion.
The Wildcats were able to control the running game early, with Walker Osteen racking up 101 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns in the first half alone. Alongside Osteen, Dylan Barksdale was able to earn 74 yards on the ground, including a 47-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Osteen had 212 total yards in the game.
Donoho’s offense was led by quarterback Ridge Hopkins once again, going 10-of-18 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Grant Steed led the Falcons’ receivers with 96 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Logan Melton was on the receiving end of a huge touchdown reception of 61 yards in the first quarter to put the first points on the board for the Falcons.
Retaining the trophy would have been news enough, but the third quarter will perhaps be the most memorable part of this game because it ultimately determined the accelerated finish. The Falcons, already down one crucial lineman in Tyler Allen and several others injured, had another major part of their defense go down when Judson Billings became the victim of a chop block by Dalton Faulkner with 1:35 left in the third quarter.
“They had a two-score lead at the time and felt like they needed to cheap shot my players to win a ball game,” Falcons head coach Mark Sanders said.
After the penalty, chaos ensued from the stands of both teams. Fans vocally expressed their disapproval of the play along with the Falcons coaching staff rather immediately. Both head coaches discussed the previous play with the referees and after a nearly 15-minute discussion play continued.
However, as an option in games with a weather delay, the fourth quarter was only three minutes, to give the game a conclusion, due to the Falcons running low on players due to injuries.
Both teams headed straight to their locker rooms after the game concluded without any more conflict.
“It was an embarrassing way to end a game,” a visibly frustrated Tyree said. “It was embarrassing, but it definitely was not intentional by our guys.”
This was the 17th matchup between the two rivals since The Golden Football trophy last was played for 1983. The Wildcats now have a commanding 18-10 lead in the series, including an 8-1 run since 2000, including last year’s COVID-forfeit win.
White Plains 29, Donoho 14
| Donoho (1-1) | 7 | 22 | 0 | 0 – | 29 |
| White Plains (1-1) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 – | 14 |
WP – Walker Osteen 3 run (Hayden Howard kick), 8:37 1Q
D – Logan Melton 61 pass from Ridge Hopkins (Grant Steed kick), 4:32 1Q
(90-minute lightning delay)
WP – Walker Osteen 2 run (Hayden Howard kick), 9:13 2Q
WP – Dylan Barksdale 47 run (Walker Osteen run), 7:09 2Q
D – Grant Steed 68 pass from Ridge Hopkins (Grant Steed kick), 5:15 2Q
WP – Hayden Howard 25 rush (Hayden Howard kick), 2:23 2Q
| Don (14) | WP (29) | |
| 7 | 1st Downs | 15 |
| 19-45 | Rush-yds | 33-289 |
| 10-18-0 | C-A-I | 4-6-1 |
| 182 | Pass yds | 86 |
| 2 | Penalties | 6 |
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