Football is a game of inches.
One foot proved to be the difference for Kirk Academy last Friday night in the first-round of the state playoffs against Marshall Academy in Holly Springs.
That foot belongs to sophomore placekicker Gunner Vance, who broke a late fourth-quarter tie between the Raiders (6-5) and Patriots (7-3) with his extra-point kick as the visitors escaped Heath Barnett Field with a 7-6 victory.
Kirk head football coach Mike Beagle said that the contest proved to be exactly what he expected.
“It was a slugfest from the beginning,” the second-year coach said after the game. “I had a feeling it was going to be that way. The weather kind of dictated some of that. The defense stepped up and made some great plays for us. Offensively, we were stunned in the first half just like they were. Then, in the second half, we found a way. We just kept battling.”
Vance’s kick followed a 57-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Colbert Hathcock to senior tailback A.J. Wren, who caught a short swing pass and raced down Marshall’s sideline with the Patriots leading 6-0 with 5:57 left to play. The score tied the game 6-6.
On a rain-soaked field as a steady drizzle continued to fall, Vance jogged out to attempt the go-ahead extra point. As adrenaline continued to run high following the explosive touchdown, the Raiders rushed around to setup for the play. Following a quick snap and the hold, Vance’s kick split the uprights to give KA a 7-6 lead.
When asked his thoughts on the kick, Beagle said that he chose not to watch.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t look at it,” Beagle admitted. “I turned my back to it when they snapped it. I didn’t want to look at it, but I knew it was going to go through; I just didn’t want to look at it.”
Vance, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.
“It was a lucky kick,” he said after the game with a confident grin. “The snap was off a bit, but it snuck through.”
Beagle added that Vance has been a vital part of the Raiders’ success this season.
“Gunner has done a good job for us,” the veteran coach said. “He has a chance down the road to be a major-type kicker in football.”
Cold temperatures, steady rainfall and a defensive battle was the storyline for the first half of play as the teams headed into the locker rooms at halftime scoreless. Neither offense was able to sneak into the end zone in the third quarter, however, Marshall lit up the scoreboard for the first time when Patriots quarterback Landon Houston connected with senior receiver Rusty Bolden on a 35-yard scoring pass. The two-point conversion failed, which proved to haunt them two days before Halloween.
Beagle said that he was proud of his players’ grit displayed on the gridiron.
“I’ve been doing this for 42 years and I’ve coached a lot of good football teams that have fought hard, but I have not seen a group fight harder than tonight,” he said. “It was a great team effort. Some guys stepped up that had to play. Noah Jackson stepped in there and did a great job for us for part of the game at linebacker. We made the big plays offensively when we needed to. We got some turnovers, but we turned it over to them to and it put us in the hole, but we found a way to win it.”
The playoff victory is the first in 13 years for Kirk Academy.
“It’s been a long dry spell to win a playoff game and my hat’s off to them, and also our coaches, which did a great job,” Beagle said.
Nevertheless, the Patriots did not make it easy for the Raiders.
“I’ll say this, my hat’s off to them – Marshall Academy – realistically, in a game like that, nobody, nobody needs to lose,” Beagle said. “We’re just glad to come out on the winning end.”
The two teams finished with nearly identical statistical data. Marshall led the game with 156 total yards and 30:22 in time of possession compared to Kirk’s 144 total yards and 17:38 under center.
“The thing that was different – we threw it quite a bit more than we normally do – so they had almost double the possession time that we did, so that tells a lot about our team and our character,” Beagle said. “I’m really excited for our team and our players. I’m excited for our school.”
With the win, Kirk will travel to Lincoln County this Friday night to take on Brookhaven Academy in the second round of the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools’ Class AAAA state playoffs. The Cougars (8-1) had a first-round bye after winning District 4.
“I know that they throw it quite a bit and mix in the run pretty good,” Beagle said. “Their quarterback is a pretty good operator, so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Brookhaven’s only loss this season was a 45-7 mid-season loss to Copiah Academy.
By the Numbers
Hathcock finished the night 7 of 23 for 138 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. Wren, who had a tough night out of the backfield leading the team with seven carries for 14 yards, was the Raiders’ leading receiver with his 57-yard touchdown reception.
“A.J. put it on the line, but our whole team did,” Beagle said.
Beagle went on to commend Hathcock’s play.
“He’s a smart guy and he managed the game tonight like a quarterback is supposed to do,” he said. “They don’t have to win the game; they just have to manage the game, and that’s what he did.”
Senior receiver Chris Bradford, who returned Friday after suffering a broken ankle in a Week 2 victory over rival Carroll Academy, finished the night with three receptions for 48 yards. Senior receiver Montgomery Ferguson finished the night with a 27-yard catch, while junior tight end Lane Goss had one catch for seven yards.
“Chris coming back was a big help to us in certain spots during the game on both sides of the football,” Beagle said. “He had a pick earlier in the game when they threw the deep ball and got us the ball back because that was six points.”
Defensively, freshman Noah Jackson and senior Walker Staten led the charge for Kirk Academy with 6.5 tackles each. Jackson had two tackles for losses, who led the team with tackles behind the line of scrimmage with senior Mason Byars, who finished with six total tackles. Senior Peyton Mitchell chipped in with 5.5 tackles, including one for a loss, and senior Trey Cashaw added five tackles.
Ferguson had the Raiders’ lone sack of the game and also snagged an interception with 53 seconds left to play to end any chance of the Patriots making a comeback. Bradford’s pick in the end zone came with 5:21 left in the first half and Wren snagged an errant Marshall pass with 4:05 left to play and returned it 72 yards to end a scoring threat.
“Now, we have to do this: Enjoy it and go back to work,” Beagle concluded.
Kickoff in Brookhaven is scheduled for 7 p.m.
