DOUGLAS, Ala. – The West Point Warriors made the trip to Douglas to take on the Eagles Friday night and four quarters weren’t enough for these two squads to settle things. With both teams knotted at 20 at the end of regulation, the game went into overtime. The Warriors scored on their first possession to take a 27-20 lead and after a Douglas touchdown it looked like we were headed to a second overtime, but the Eagles’ extra point attempt was blocked by the Warriors and West Point returned home with a thrilling, 27-26 win at Douglas.
An interception on West Point’s opening possession set the Eagles up with a short field and it didn’t take them long to find the end zone. A 10-yard touchdown run put Douglas in front 6-0 just three minutes into the game but after missing a field goal midway through the opening period, the Warriors got on the board late in the first quarter when Parker Marks got loose for a 36-yard touchdown run down the West Point sideline and Omar Segundo’s extra point made it a 7-6 game.
The Warriors forced a Douglas punt to start the second quarter and capitalized on the defensive stop with a long, methodical scoring drive capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run from Garit Roberson late in the second quarter. Segundo’s extra point split the uprights and West Point went into the locker room holding a 14-6 lead at halftime.
The Warriors added to their lead in the third quarter when Ollie Howell punched one into the end zone from 5 yards out and West Point pulled ahead 20-6 with seven minutes on the clock in the third. However, the Eagles were not ready to lie down, and Douglas capped off a scoring drive with an 18-yard touchdown on a screen pass to trim the lead to 20-13 with three minutes remaining in the third. The Eagles made things even more interesting later in the fourth when another short pass turned into a 40-yard touchdown and the Warriors found themselves tied up at 20 with just over five minutes to play.
An interception gave the ball back to the Eagles with 4:30 on the clock but facing a fourth down and five from the 30-yard line, Douglas was stopped by the West Point defense and the Warriors ran out the remainder of the clock to send the game to overtime.
West Point got the ball first and Roberson dove into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Warriors on the board in their first overtime period. Segundo’s extra point made it a 27-20 game as Douglas’ offense came back out on the field. Once again, Douglas was forced to try and make a play on fourth down but this time the Eagles were successful, tossing a 2-yard pass into the end zone for a touchdown to cut the lead to 26-20. However, Douglas wasn’t allowed to celebrate long because the Warriors swarmed the ensuing extra point attempt and blocked the kick to secure a 27-26 road win in dramatic fashion.
West Point improves to 3-3 with the win and the Warriors will be back home next week to host a regional matchup against Lawrence County.
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