Damian Baker”s 10-yard touchdown run lifted the Columbus High School football team to a 35-27 overtime victory against West Point in a non-region prep thriller Friday night at Falcon Field.
After West Point tied the contest with 19 seconds left in regulation, the Falcons went first in overtime. Baker”s third touchdown gave the Falcons the lead. Baker also kept it for the two-point conversion.
Defensively, Columbus then held on downs to improve to 2-0.
“It wasn”t anything different than what we do in practice every day,” Columbus senior quarterback Cedric Jackson said. “Every day, we practice goal line situations from the 10-yard line. It”s first-team offense versus first-team defense. Even though we are all brothers, we push each other hard to be the best we can be.”
The Falcons weren”t the best they could be Friday night. However, they were awfully good. The Falcons controlled the line of scrimmage, collecting 320 yards of offense. Two turnovers were critical and eight penalties didn”t help, either. However, the Falcons found a way, despite trailing for a large part of the second half.
“This was very big for our team,” Columbus coach Tony Stanford said. “We talked all week about how they thought they were more physical than us. We had to hit them in the mouth. That is what we preached all week in practice. I thought we did a great job of hitting them in the mouth.
“West Point is a state championship program. They are where we want to be. This was another stepping stone in that process.”
Columbus continued its two-quarterback system. The philosophy paid dividends as sophomore Trace Lee threw for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Deontae Jones.
The Falcons opened the scoring on the team”s second possession. An interception by Jabari Edwards set Columbus up for a short march. Lee engineered a 40-yard, six-play drive. The touchdown came when Lee hit Jones from 13 yards.
The extra point try was good by sophomore kicker Michael Sturdivant. However, Sturdivant was rolled into on the kick and broke his leg. Without another kicker on the roster, CHS was forced to go for two and not try field goals the remainder of the contest.
“Michael is one of our brothers,” Jackson said. “We were motivated to play for him. I ask everybody in the community to pray for Michael. I am very happy we were able to win this game for him.”
West Point (0-2) tied the contest on its first possession of the second quarter. The Green Wave moved 63 yards on 10 rush attempts. Tez Lane did the scoring honors on a 4-yard rush. Eric Lemus” kick tied the teams at 7 at halftime.
The Falcons appeared to seize control with a quality drive to start the third quarter. However, when Jackson hit Baker in the flats, the ball fell to the ground. An alert Freddie Reed picked up the football and raced 34 yards for the go-ahead points.
Not deterred, Columbus went back to work. Quan Latham had a spectacular 89-yard kick return brought halfway back by a holding penalty. After the flag, Lee moved the Falcons 57 yards on three plays. Again, Lee hit Jones for a 57-yard scoring strike. The try for two failed, leaving West Point ahead 14-13.
This time, the Green Wave answered right back. A 30-yard kick return by Lane set West Point back in business. A 53-yard scoring drive was capped by a 7-yard touchdown run from Aeris Williams. This time, West Point missed a kick, placing the score at 20-13.
“Our kids really played their hearts out,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said. “But we made too many mistakes. That is why we are playing a tough schedule. If you are going to make mistakes, I want to make them against good teams. That is the best way to learn.”
Baker then took matters into his hands. After the next Columbus possession stalled and resulted in a punt, the Falcons went on an 84-yard, three-play scoring drive. Baker darted around left end for a 67-yard touchdown. The try for two failed and West Point led 20-19 with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left in the contest.
The Falcons forced a punt and moved ahead on their next possession. After a 30-yard punt return by Latham, Columbus only needed 40 yards to move ahead. The six-play drive was again capped by Baker diving in on fourth-and-goal from 2 yards. A 42-yard run by Jackson had moved the Falcons in the red zone.
A two-point rush by Jackson sent the home crowd into hysteria and created a 27-20 Columbus lead with 2:41 left in regulation.
“We came out and showed great determination in the second half,” said Baker, who rushed 16 times for 122 yards. “There was never any panic on the sidelines. This win is a big motivation for us. We will come back out Monday ready to work hard. This is a good win, which will help us down the line.”
The Green Wave answered with a monumental 60-yard, 13-play drive. The big play was a fourth-and-14 that resulted in a 20-yard completion from quarterback Dequinten Spraggins to Lane. Three plays later, Spraggins busted up the middle with a 7-yard touchdown run. The PAT try by Lemus tied the game at 27 with 19 seconds left in regulation.
“After they made the drive to tie it, our kids stood up tall and made the stop,” Stanford said. “You could get a little down after that touchdown. Instead, our kids worked way too hard to win this game. They were determined to not let it slip away.”
After the Baker touchdown in overtime, West Point started with first-and-goal at the CHS 5-yard line thanks to an offside penalty. However, the Falcons held on four straight rushing plays. Jarcquaris Clark, Gemriah Williams, and Byerson Cockrell combined for two critical tackles for loss on the game-clinching stop.
West Point finished with 15 first downs and 208 yards. The Green Wave ran 36 times for 156 yards, while Spraggins hit on 5 of 17 passes for 52 yards. Lane finished with a team-high 136 rushing yards on 20 tries. West Point had one turnover — a first-quarter pass interception.
Columbus finished with 12 first downs and 320 yards. The Falcons ran 33 times for 156 yards, while Jackson and Lee were 11 of 26 for 164 yards. Columbus had two turnovers — a pair of lost fumbles.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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