CULLMAN, Ala. – After finishing the regular season 7-0, the Cullman Bearcats hosted Florence for the Tennessee Valley Football League (TVFL) Championship Game at Oliver Woodard Stadium Thursday night. The Bearcats led 22-12 at halftime but the Falcons outscored them 12-0 in the second half to come from behind and win this year’s TVFL championship 24-22.
After Cullman fumbled on the game’s opening play, Florence took over possession with great field position and capitalized with a touchdown to take an early 6-0 lead. The Bearcats responded on the ensuing possession when quarterback Wynn Shannon hit James Short over the middle and he broke through a pair of tacklers to reach the end zone and tie the game at 6. On the following two-point conversion attempt, Short took a handoff and threw the ball to a wide open Nelson Hollingsworth in the corner of the end zone to give Cullman an 8-6 lead with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Falcons answered with a scoring drive of their own, pulling ahead to take a 12-8 lead with five minutes to play in the first half. However, the Bearcats dominated the rest of the half, starting with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Shannon to Jon Luke Witcher that put them in front 14-12. James Short punched in the two-point conversion and Cullman led 16-12 with 2:42 on the clock. The ‘Cats defense forced Florence to punt a few plays later and Cullman took possession with just under two minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Bearcats put together a methodical scoring drive, capped by a 26-yard touchdown run by James Short that made it a 22-12 game with just 12 seconds to play in the first half.
The Falcons got the ball to start the third quarter and were able to drive down the field and find the end zone midway through the period to cut the lead to 22-18. On the ensuing possession, Cullman managed to move past midfield and into Florence territory but eventually turned the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to the Falcons early in the fourth quarter.
Florence’s offense stayed hot, keeping the chains moving and finishing another drive in the end zone to take a 24-22 lead with 2:36 remaining in the game. The Bearcats picked up a couple first downs to cross midfield on the following possession, but an interception cut the drive short and gave the ball back to the Falcons with just over a minute to play. Florence finished the game in victory formation and claimed this year’s TVFL championship with a 24-22 win over Cullman.
Shannon completed 17 of his 24 passes for 136 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the loss. James Short finished with 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground and four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown through the air. Hollingsworth caught seven passes for 52 yards and Witcher caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. Sutton Meyer added 35 yards on four carries and Jon Short picked up 20 yards on two carries.
After finishing 8-0 as seventh graders a season ago, this year’s class of eighth graders finish their middle school careers with an impressive, 15-1 record.
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
