With Columbus just a few minutes away from clinching its first playoff berth in six years, the Falcons were forced to punt on fourth down around the 50-yard line.
At this point, the game was all but sealed, with Columbus leading 28-11. But in the second half on Friday night, just about everything was going right — just like the ensuing punt.
A botched snap forced punter Darius Miller on the run to salvage anything out of the play, and salvage he did, picking up the first down and then some to officially seal the game.
From that point, the party was on in this homecoming game, with Columbus head coach Joshua Pulphus getting a Gatorade bath after a statement 28-11 victory over Saltillo.
“It was great,” Pulphus said. “They caught me off guard. They were talking and fussing about some other stuff. The bath wasn’t just for me; it was for everybody. We all got a piece of that water.”
Looking at how this season began for Columbus (4-5), an 0-4 start with three straight shutouts, no one would have guessed that by Week 9, the Falcons would be 4-1 in district play and headed to the playoffs.
Even on Friday, things seemed like they were headed south after Saltillo got on the board in the first quarter with a touchdown and field goal.
However, it wasn’t the first half that decided this game but the second half as the Columbus defense didn’t allow a point after the first quarter and played well in the final 24 minutes of play.
“Everyone was thinking about the moment instead of going out and playing the game,” Pulphus said. “At halftime, we came back, re-adjusted, calmed down, and we came out and played Columbus Falcons football.”
Once Reginald Wilkins scored the first touchdown of the day for the Falcons, trucking a Saltillo defender over in the process, momentum slowly started shifting the way of Columbus.
Taking that first lead in the second half was when things really got going and what a way to take the lead.
Falcons quarterback Shaun Williams found Zywan Lacey open on a screen pass, and one missed tackle later, he was sprinting down the sideline for a 63-yard receiving touchdown.
“I just had to make one person miss,” Lacey said. “My goal was to make one person miss and just take it to the crib.”
After that point, it seemed like Columbus didn’t need to do much on offense to get points on the board because of the work of the defense.
For three consecutive drives later in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, Saltillo finished the drive inside its own 10-yard line through a combination of botched snaps, defensive stops and penalties.
On each of those three drives, Columbus started inside the Tigers’ 40-yard line or better, and those short fields tired out Saltillo’s defense quickly.
Williams took advantage, using his legs to rush for two touchdowns, along with his passing touchdown, all coming in the second half.
“My teammates continued to encourage me to run the ball and get touchdowns,” Williams said. “That second half, we just needed to talk through it, having my teammates just talk us through it.”
Columbus might have just clinched a playoff berth, but the work isn’t done yet for the Falcons, who have two games remaining on their schedule.
During the post-game huddle, the goal for the Falcons the rest of the way is clear: win a district championship.
That won’t be easy, especially ending the season against West Point, but with how Columbus has played in district play so far, anything is possible for the Falcons.
Columbus 28, Saltillo 11
Saltillo (3-6) 11 0 0 0 — 11
Columbus (4-5) 0 7 13 8 — 28
First quarter
S — Coby Owens 6 run (Peyton Weems kick), clock 5:08
S — Weems 22 field goal, clock 1:43
Second quarter
C — Reginald Wilkins 15 run (Courtavien Clark kick), clock 6:24
Third quarter
C — Zywan Lacey 63 pass from Shaun Williams (Clark kick), clock 6:22
C — Williams 40 run (kick failed), clock 3:41
Fourth quarter
C — Williams 7 run (Williams run), clock 10:27
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