CULLMAN – Pell City dominated the first half of play tonight, leading Cullman 14-3, but the Cats struck back, downing the Panthers 25-24 to pull off a late-game win.
Both teams came out sluggish on their first possessions before the Bearcats struck first on a field goal from Tristan Skinner on the team’s second possession. This would not be the end of Skinner’s kicking talents for the Bearcats on homecoming night.
The Bearcats did not see another scoring drive until later in third quarter when the team was down 21-3. That was when Ross Crocker broke free for a quick score with 4:24 remaining in the third, bringing the score to 21-10.
Cullman kept the throttle down, only allowing Pell City a short field goal for the remainder of the game, but only after the Bearcats hung up 15 unanswered points to make it a 3-point game with 11:02 left in the regional matchup. Dawson Drake scored an easy 4-yard rushing TD before Fletcher Jennings and Crocker finished off the drive with a 2-point conversion pass, making it a 21-18 game.
The Panthers did not go down without putting up a fight of their own as they marched down the field, chewing up 6 minutes from the clock, before netting a field goal to give Pell City a 24-18 lead over Cullman.
On the final drive of the game for the Bearcats, Jennings got it going with a deep pass to Carson Freeman, taking Cullman 40 yards closer to the victory and setting up the team at Pell City’s 35-yard line. Cullman kept it on the ground with Ezra Burks as he ground out 8 yards on the next two carries before busting through a seam for a 15-yard run.
The Bearcats kept knocking at the door as time kept slipping away, but the Panthers stuffed them on the next two runs, only allowing Drake a 2-yard pass play, bringing up a late fourth-and-8. Both teams lined up, each checking their sidelines for direction, before Jennings fired off a 13-yard pass to Caden Winn, which was broken up by Pell City. But the flags came flying out as the Panthers were called for pass interference, setting Cullman up on Pell City’s 6-yard line with 1:25 to play, only needing a touchdown to tie the game.
Burks only needed two seconds as he busted through the defensive line, strolling into the end zone tying the game 24-all with 1:23 remaining. The only thing left was for Skinner to come out and seal the victory with a chip shot extra point giving the Bearcats a 1-point lead with under two minutes to play.
Pell City attempted to take one from Cullman, but on the sixth play of the drive, which began at Pell City’s 45-yard line, Winn went up and snagged an interception in the end zone with 32 seconds remaining in the game. A quick kneel down and the game was over, with Cullman coming from behind late to take a hard fought 25-24 win against region opponent Pell City.
Cullman will travel to Southside-Gadsden for the team’s next regional game.
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