Photo courtesy of Cullman High School
FORT PAYNE – Cullman got off to a quick start in the first half, but Ft. Payne was able to set the pace and hand the Bearcats a 37-22 loss, ending the ‘Cats season at 3-7 Friday night.
Jayden Sullins took the opening kickoff 32 yards to setup Cullman with good field position. A mixture of ground and pound with Alex Sheppard and Sullins mixed in with an aerial assault from Max Dueland to Cameron Starnes got the ‘Cats down the field and in scoring position. That’s when Dueland connected with Sullins for an easy touchdown, capping off a nine-play drive and giving Cullman an early 7-0 lead.
Ft. Payne didn’t take long to answer, putting together a long drive, but the Wildcats were held to just a field goal, pulling Ft. Payne close with a 7-3 score. Just a series later, the Wildcats found the end zone and went up 10-7.
Following the touchdown, Dueland’s pass on the run was intercepted by Ft. Payne, setting up another Wildcat field goal to extend the lead to 13-7 going into the half.
To start the second half, Cullman elected to go for an onside kick, and it was worth the gamble as the Bearcats recovered. Ezra Burks took advantage of the opportunity and found the end zone on a 33-yard touchdown to put Cullman ahead 14-13. However, just 42 seconds later Ft. Payne found the end zone again to re-take the lead 20-14.
A fake punt by Ft. Payne led to a first down on a risky fourth-down play to set the Wildcats up inside Cullman territory. Cullman’s defense stepped up, forcing Ft. Payne to kick its third field goal of the game. The kick was good to extend the lead the 23-14 with just more than three minutes left in the third quarter.
A late touchdown in the fourth quarter put Ft. Payne up 30-14. The ‘Cats would not lie down and fought back as Dueland connected with Noah Bussman to give new life to the Cullman offense. On the next play, Dueland connected with Sullins for another deep pass to give Cullman great field position inside the Wildcat red zone. Just one play later, Sullins took it in to the end zone, practically untouched, to cut the deficit to 30-22.
On the next possession Cullman’s Jimnie Chau Le came up big when he knocked the ball away on a short fourth-down attempt with just more than two minutes left in the game to give the ‘Cats the ball back trailing 30-22.
The Wildcat defense woke up to force three consecutive hurried passes, with the last resulting in an interception. Ft. Payne continued to press on the offensive side, putting up another touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game, making it 37-22 Wildcats.
A late-game interception sealed the game for the Wildcats, ending Cullman’s season at 3-7. Several seniors with big roles will be gone next fall, but with a lot of young players returning to this roster, the Bearcats will be in good shape to bounce back in 2019.
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