QUITMAN — Garrett Stevenson’s career-best 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game lifted Pierce County to a 17-14 slobber-knocker victory here Friday night against Brooks County.
Stevenson’s kick tied for the third-longest field goal in school history behind the leading 52yard effort of Jonah Allen in 2021 against Fitzgerald. The kick gave the Class 2A No. 1 Bears’ (5-0) a school-record 14th straight win in the September 20 matchup. It was also PCHS’s first-ever victory in five tries in Quitman.
“I asked him (Stevenson) if he could make the kick,” said head coach Ryan Herring afterwards, “and he said ‘yes sir’ looking me dead in the eyes. That was what I wanted to hear, and he did it. That’s the first time in my 26 years of coaching I’ve ever been a part of a walk-off, game-winning kick.
“This was a physical game. It was not pretty. At times, we got whipped at the line of scrimmage on both sides. We (coaches) knew if they (Trojans) played to their potential the game was going to be physical. They did and it was. This was a great test for us.”
The game-winning kick came after the Class A DII fourthranked Trojans (2-3) tied the game at 14-14 with 3:20 to play on a nine-play, 56-yard drive ending with a 15-yard touchdown run by Trae Stevenson (five carries, 29 yards) and Rafael Mojica’s PAT.
Joe Drew returned the ensuing kick 30 yards to set up the Bears at their own 32. PCHS overcame a five-yard penalty and a 11-yard quarterback sack (18 seconds remaining) converting twice on third down to move to the Brooks County 30.
The last conversion was snapped with five seconds left. Drew (five catches, 43 yards) pulled in Caden McGatha’s (11-of-19, 123 yards) pass on third-andsix for seven yards on an out route stepping out of bounds with one second remaining helping the Bears move 58 yards to get into coring position. The play followed a pass interference against the Brooks County defense on thirdand- 21.
The Trojans could not freeze the junior kicker, having used all three of their second-half timeouts, the last before their gametying touchdown and PAT.
Stevenson’s foot-to-leather line drive kick twirled sideways barely crawling over the crossbar just inside the left upright setting off a wild celebration. His previous career- long was a 33-yarder just before intermission last year at Toombs County in what proved to be the difference in a 17-14 victory in Lyons in another Top 10 battle.
Up until Friday night’s final two possessions, both defenses were dominate. PCHS recorded seven negative plays for minus-37 yards, four quarterback sacks for minus-26 yards and caused two fumbles. The Trojans converted their first three thirddown situations before finishing the night 3-of-9 with an average conversion attempt of 7.9 yards.
The Bears limited Brooks County to 173 yards of total offense (133 rushing, 40 passing) on 43 plays and 19:45 in time of possession.
The Trojans’ defense totaled six tackles for loss for minus-54 yards, four quarterback sacks for minus-51 yards and caused three fumbles. Brooks County limited the Bears to a 5-of-14 struggle on third down (3-of-12 before last drive) with an average of 6.5 yards to gain a first down.
PCHS had two empty possessions in the second half in which it ran 21 plays in consuming 12:21 of the clock. The Bears lost a fumble after reaching the Brooks County 23 (4:47 in third quarter) and turned the ball over on downs at the Trojans’ 44 (6:38 to play) setting up the gametying score.
Of Pierce County’s eight total possessions (four in each half), two ended in three-and-outs, two on downs, one on a turnover, two finished with touchdowns and the last with a field goal.
“With everything that went wrong and shooting ourselves in the foot on both sides of the ball, in the end we found a way to win,” said Herring. “We got the test we needed because the first four games we had a running clock in the fourth quarter. Maybe the players thought we were better than we are, but this got their attention.”
Brooks County took the opening kick 70 yards in 12 time-consuming plays (6:05) to take a 7-0 lead. Senior all-state running back candidate Chris Cole (26 carries, 137 yards) carried on 10 of the snaps scoring from a yard out to cap the possession. Mojica’s PAT gave the home team a 7-0 lead with 5:55 left in the first period.
The Bears, who’s deepest penetration on their first three possessions was the Brooks County 34, scored just 15 seconds before intermission on a fourth-and-four completion of 37 yards from Mc-Gatha to Jones Herrin (three catches, 53 yards) ending a seven-play, 80yard drive.
With a ground game that had struggled for 29 yards and zero passing up until the final possession of the half, McGatha completed 6-of-7 passes in the scoring march with four covering 10 yards or better. The senior signalcaller delivered the scoring toss while being drilled by a Brooks County defender. Stevenson’s PAT evened the score at 7-apiece.
PCHS opened the second half moving from its own 16 to the Trojans’ 23 eating up 7:33 of the third quarter clock. A sack and fumble losing 22 yards was recovered by Brooks County back at its own 45.
A 34-yard run by Cole on the first play, the longest gainer of the night for the Trojans, quickly moved the ball to the PCHS 21. A one-yard run by Cole was followed by three consecutive sacks losing 17 yards by the Bears’ defense to turn the ball over on downs.
Pierce County followed with a lightning-quick four-play, 63-yard drive highlighted by McGatha’s 48-yard burst off left tackle to spot the ball at the Trojans’ 12 on the second play. He scores two plays later on the first snap of the fourth period from 12 yards out giving PCHS its first lead at 14-7 after Stevenson’s PAT.
The Bears’ next possession ended on downs following a failure to execute on fourth-and-one at the Brooks County 42.
The Trojans put together a nine-play, 56yard scoring drive eating up 3:18 to even the score at 14-all with 3:20 to play.
“If we had converted that may have sealed the game,” said Herring of the thought process. “We missed a block on the backside and they (Trojans) made the play.”
