Published: 12:35 AM, Sat Nov 24, 2012
Jack Britt beats Garner 14-8 in state 4-AA semifinal
GARNER - Jack Britt senior Keon Young broke in front of the game-ending pass, picked it off near the left-front pylon and quickly stepped out of bounds along Garner's sideline.
Young was initially headed in a different direction than most of his defensive teammates, who sprinted toward the visiting bench to celebrate a dramatic playoff victory for the second straight Friday night.
The Buccaneers secured a spot in next Saturday's 4-AA state championship game against unbeaten Butler by claiming a 14-8 win against Garner. Jack Britt, which was shut out for three-plus quarters, recorded four of its five interceptions in the final eight minutes to stun the Trojans (14-1) in a surprisingly low-scoring East Regional final.
In the state quarterfinals, the Bucs (13-2) batted away a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of a 56-52 victory at Richmond Senior. Garner had a final chance to tie the score and possibly win with a PAT when quarterback Vincent Jefferies took a snap from the Britt 12 with 2.9 seconds left, but Young made the right read on a back-shoulder fade intended for receiver Armani Lanier.
For the second straight Friday night, the defense prevented a pass from being caught in its end zone as time expired.
"It's nerve-wracking," said Young, who finished with two interceptions, "but when you're on the good end of the stick, it feels good."
The Bucs, who lost 34-27 at Garner in the 2011 state semifinals, have advanced to the championship round for the fourth time. They're 0-3 with a lopsided loss in 2009 to Butler, which won 27-0 against Mallard Creek in the West Regional final Friday.
Garner was threatening to add to an 8-0 lead with seven-plus minutes left when Jack Britt's Jaquise Foster intercepted a third-and-11 pass at the Bucs' 11 and returned the ball 54 yards. Eric Carter rushed for a 35-yard touchdown on the next play, but the Trojans stopped him on a conversion run to the right.
They faced a third-and-27 from their 32 on the next series, and Jefferies rolled toward the right sideline before throwing back across the middle of the field. Senior linebacker Andre Scott, who had dropped an interception earlier in the game, made the pick at Garner's 46 and gained 8 yards on his return.
Carter (game-high 126 rushing yards) reached the 13 on a first-down carry, and Edmund Grant easily caught an underthrown fade from quarterback Mark McRae near the right edge of the end zone with 4:48 remaining.
Scott's mother, Cheryl Scott-Johnson, died earlier this month from an extended bout of pneumonia. Before passing, she instructed the third of her four boys to keep going in school as well as football, and Scott made one of the biggest plays of Friday's game.
"This means the world to me," Scott said. "My mom is my angel; she's watching over my team. I pray to her before the game, after the game, no matter if we lose or win. Thank God for my team, my coaches and my family."
Quick comeback
Britt, which had a trick-play, 80-yard touchdown pass to Grant wiped out by a hold on the first snap from scrimmage, posted two touchdowns in a span of two minutes, seven seconds after being blanked for the first 40 minutes.
Four plays after Grant scored the go-ahead TD, Dylan Clayton made an interception in a crowd with running back Raevon Smith and fellow linebacker Jordan Williams, who tipped the ball in the air. The Bucs faced a fourth-and-1 from the Garner 8 with 55.2 seconds left and a shot to seal the outcome, but a false start forced them to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which was short.
The Trojans, who had no timeouts remaining, reached their 48 before Nyheim Hines slipped out of a few tackles and gained 30 yards on a relatively short pass. A back-shoulder throw to Lanier for 15 yards along the left sideline moved the ball to Britt's 7 with 2.9 seconds left, and Garner backed up because of a false start.
Young reported that he asked to guard the Trojans' top receiver on the final play. With the Bucs in a man-under defense with two safeties, Young said he noticed Jefferies look in Lanier's direction before the snap.
"Keon all season long is a guy who has asked for the pressure, asked for the other team's best receiver," first-year Britt coach Brian Rimpf said. "I don't doubt at all that he wanted to be part of the last play and wanted to be the one to seal the game.
"Those are the type of kids we've got, a lot of kids who love pressure, love the big situation, love the big stage. Lots of kids love attention, and these guys are getting enough of it right now."
Staff writer Bret Strelow can be reached at strelowb@fayobserver.com or 486-3513.