Photo by Dusty Plunkett
Fort Payne closed out the regular season with a 42-18 loss to Gadsden City Friday night.
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Fort Payne rally falls short
Published October 30, 2009
What was shaping up as a magnificent Fort Payne rally came undone as a result of some missed opportunities Friday night.
The Class 5A, No. 9 Wildcats came away without any points after twice driving deep into Gadsden City territory in the third quarter, and the 6A, No. 9 Titans responded by pulling away for a 42-18 victory at Gadsden.
Both teams will enter the playoffs as No. 1 seeds next Friday. Fort Payne (8-2) will play host to Muscle Shoals, and Gadsden City (8-2) will welcome Huntsville to Titan Stadium.
Fort Payne fell behind 21-6 but cut the margin to 21-18 before the comeback lost momentum.
Trailing 21-16 at halftime, the Cats opened the third quarter by driving to the Gadsden City 4-yard line but failed to convert on fourth-and-goal.
Fort Payne trimmed the margin to 21-18 when Gadsden City fumbled two plays later and the ball rolled out of the Titan end zone for a safety.
The Cats took the free kick and marched to the Titans’ 20 before losing a fumble.
Fort Payne coach Paul Ellis took the blame for the missed opportunities.
“We just didn’t score when we got down there, and that’s not the kids’ fault, that’s the coach’s fault,” he said. “Our kids fought hard to the end, and the coaches fought hard to the end.”
Ellis also credited the Gadsden City defense.
“We’ve watched them all year,” he said. “When you get down there, they step up. They make things happen. They’ve done it all year long against 6A competition.”
Fort Payne didn’t pick up another first down until late in the game. Meanwhile, Gadsden City pulled away.
The Titans marched 76 yards on seven plays, pushing their advantage to 28-18 on a 20-yard run by Alonzo Harris.
Following a Fort Payne punt, Gadsden City put together a 14-play, 56-yard march that ended with a 7-yard Harris touchdown.
The Titans tacked on a 3-yard Harris touchdown following a Fort Payne turnover in the fourth quarter.
Antavio Smith carried 15 times for 116 yards for Gadsden City, and Harris added 74 on 13 attempts.
Fort Payne had trouble moving the ball on the ground but made it close most of the way thanks to its passing game.
Quarterback Kyle Crabtree completed 18 of 34 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Barnes caught six passes for 79 yards. Lynus Ryan hauled in four for 84, and Brett Roberts added five for 76.
The teams traded first-quarter touchdowns. Smith scored on a 15-yard run for the Titans, and Barnes answered with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Crabtree. Fort Payne ended the period trailing 7-6 because its extra point was blocked.
Gadsden City quarterback Matthew Banks scored on a 1-yard run in the second period, and the margin grew to 21-6 on Thomas Worthy’s 75-yard put return.
But Fort Payne wouldn’t go away.
The Cats cut the margin to 21-9 on a Ryan Laughlin 27-yard field goal. Crabtree intercepted a Gadsden City pass and then connected with Ryan for 14 yards and a touchdown with 1.7 seconds left before intermission. |
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