Bobcats earn Halloween treat
Published 12:00 am Monday, November 3, 2003
Opp's Bobcats got a treat on Halloween scoring 20 second-half points to overcome an 8-0 halftime deficit and record a 20-8 win against the rival Andalusia Bulldogs.
Opp Head Coach Jeff Rhodes said he knew the Andalusia Bulldogs (2-8) would show up ready to play.
"Andalusia won the first 24 minutes, I tell you that," Rhodes said. "We came back and won the second 24 minutes.
"We're fortunate to get out with a win," he added.
Rhodes said the Bobcats got momentum in the second half when the defense stopped the Bulldogs.
"(The turning point) was stopping them, finally," Rhodes said. "We didn't stop them the whole first half. We started playing football in the second half."
Andalusia Head Coach Tom Causey said his team caught some tough breaks against Opp (8-2).
"I thought our kids played their tails off," Causey said about the Bulldogs. "They tried to do what we coached them to do.
"We had some breaks go the wrong way," he added. "We had some drives end in turnovers and penalties hurt us."
Causey said a 2-8 season is not something the players and coaches can "hang their hats on" but he is proud of the effort out of his players.
"I'm proud of the senior class. We had nine seniors finish and they held the team together," Causey said. "I'm proud of the senior class for hanging in there."
Andalusia went on top with 7:25 left to play in the second quarter when Neal Patterson scored on a 65-yard touchdown run. C.T. Eldridge hit Jerome Tomberlin for a two-point conversion and Andalusia was on top 8-0.
Opp tied the score in the third quarter when Jaquez Henderson scored on a 17-yard scamper with 6:51 on the clock. Jamocolis Stallworth added two points on a running play to tie the score up at 8-8.
Andalusia appeared to retake the lead on the ensuing kickoff when Patterson returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. Yellow flags negated the score.
Andalusia got the ball back late in the third and went for a first down on a fourth-and-one situation from their own 10-yard line. Eldridge appeared to have the first down on a quarterback sneak, but after the ball was spotted by the officials a measurement was taken and the Bobcats took over possession of the ball.
Opp needed one play to score with Daniel Coleman running into the end zone on an 11-yard quarterback sweep to the left. The Bobcats went for two, but came up short. The Bobcats, however, had a 14-8 lead with 11:02 left in regulation.
Andalusia got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff and running back Wesley Liles took a hand off and went the distance after breaking one tackle and outrunning another Opp defender. Once again, a yellow flag negated the score.
The teams exchanged punts and then Opp got the ball back when Coleman intercepted a pass at the 31-yard line. Six plays later, Coleman was in the end zone after another sweep to the left. He broke a couple of tackles on the 44-yard touchdown run. The PAT attempt by Brock Kelley was no good, but Opp had a 20-8 lead with 1:17 left in the game.
Andalusia was unable to score and the Bobcats held on for the win.
The Bobcats will be at home next Friday night when the Beauregard Hornets visit Channel-Lee Stadium for a first-round playoff game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.