BA Cougars just can’t get earlier Kirk Academy – Day by day Leader

Large university time beyond regulation sites the ball at the 10-garden line and provides each individual group 4 odds to get a score. Friday in their MAIS 4A 2nd round playoff matchup against Kirk Academy, the homestanding Brookhaven Academy Cougars received the toss and elected to go on defense to start with.

The back again-and-forth struggle was tied at 38-38 immediately after regulation.

Kirk Academy needed just two plays to convert their initial additional time possession as senior running back AJ Wren walked in from the 3-yard line on 2nd down after a significant attain on the past engage in.

Stopping Wren had been a challenge the Cougar protection experienced been making an attempt to clear up all-night time as his 44-garden landing operate four minutes into the sport set Kirk Academy up 7-.

BA took the ball to attempt and tie the sport and went to senior quarterback Tyler Fortenberry on three straight managing performs that acquired the ball down to the 1-yard line. On 4th-and-intention a false start out moved the Cougars again and then — as Fortenberry experimented with to find his brother Trevor in the again of the endzone — a different penalty was identified as on Kirk for move interference.

That moved the ball back up, but it remained fourth down. Tyler Fortenberry scrambled, but could not discover a receiver and the ensuing incompletion established off a huge celebration on the Kirk sideline as the Raiders held on for the 45-38 victory on R.M. “Red” Stuard Discipline.

A substantial contingent of KA lovers manufactured the trip from Grenada and they ended up celebrating substantially of the to start with half as their crew arrived out the aggressor.

Kirk scored late in the next quarter and then recovered a line-travel kickoff that struck a BA participant before swiftly scoring all over again. The Raiders led 28-10 with 73 seconds until halftime and the Brookhaven supporters sat in stunned silence.

Fortenberry took his perform to another stage on the subsequent push even though. He hooked up with senior JR Brown on a 40-yard pass that bought BA speedily down to the Kirk 20-lawn line.

On the next play, Fortenberry shot up the center of the KA defense for a dashing score. The PAT kick was blocked, and BA trailed 28-16 at halftime.

Coach Anthony Hart’s workforce commenced to bottle up Wren in the 3rd quarter as each groups swapped punts early on.

Tyler and Trevor Fortenberry hooked up on a limited slant that went for a long 65-lawn score and cut the Kirk margin to 28-23 with 2:54 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

The household bleachers were alive at that stage and they experienced one thing additional to cheer for immediately after another Fortenberry rushing touchdown gave his staff the guide.

This time Fortenberry dove in excess of a Raider tackler from 4-yard out and then hooked up with Trevor on the 2-place try out to give his crew a 31-28 edge with just over eight minutes remaining in the sport.

Which is when Wren designed his presence known yet again. On the to start with engage in just after the BA go-in advance score, Wren took a have about the end for a 41-yard pickup and afterwards capped the generate with a 1-lawn operate that place his team again up 35-31 with 4:34 left in regulation.

The tough, very low kicks that Kirk experienced been employing all night time backfired on them following that rating while as senior Michael Watts of BA fielded the ball and made a 20-property return that was further aided by a 15-garden penalty for a late hit — a single of a number of termed on the evening.

That gave BA possession on the Kirk 20-yard line and it took just one particular enjoy for Fortenberry to tie the sport again up. This run noticed a number of KA defenders grabbing and diving at Fortenberry, but none would choose him down and right after the Corey Scenario PAT kick, BA led 38-35 with 4:18 remaining.

Kirk senior quarterback Colbert Hathcock is a Meridian CC baseball dedicate and he designed some massive throws when his staff necessary it late. Hathcock manufactured a conversion throw on 3rd-and-8 following BA went back up and then discovered Wren on a extended toss that obtained KA into the Cougar pink-zone afterwards on the push.

The BA protection stiffened nevertheless as senior linebacker Trenton Tarver built a massive tackle of Hathcock on a quarterback keeper that aided stall the Kirk generate within the Cougar 10-lawn line.

Tarver was creating his return immediately after lacking the last couple of months with a decreased leg damage. BA was also without having junior linebacker/tight conclude Rayce Stewart who was sidelined by a damaged clavicle.

KA elected to kick a 25-yard industry objective that knotted the video game at 38-all.

A BA travel that started with below a moment remaining obtained the Cougars inside of discipline objective selection, but a 45-garden try by Scenario at the buzzer didn’t have ample carry.

Situation was not 100-per cent on the kick however as he’d taken a big hit from Wren in the decreased back when he caught a go from Fortenberry to get his group into Kirk territory on the earlier enjoy.

Kirk Academy will engage in in Natchez upcoming week at Adams County Christian Faculty in a 4A semifinal recreation. ACCS (9-2) defeat Riverfield 41-7 Friday at home. Tri-County Academy (11-1) and Greenville-St. Joe (9-1) fulfill in the other semifinal.

Brookhaven Academy finishes 8-3 and as district champs in Harts initially season at the school.

Tyler Fortenberry rushed 27 moments for 219 yards and 4 scores in his remaining higher university soccer video game. He also went 13-of-26 for 256 yards and a single landing through the air.

Trevor Fortenberry caught 6 passes for 129 yards. Brown experienced a few catches for 83 yards and Case caught 3 passes for 38 yards.

Trevor Fortenberry led the BA defense with nine tackles and Tarver added 6.5 stops as did senior lineman Jake Livingston.

Kirk Academy finished the night with 498 yards of overall offense — 279 on the floor and 219 by using the go.