By Cinthia Rico
TANNER – Leading 28-0 at the end of the opening quarter, top-ranked Pisgah cruised to victory in the Class 2A second-round playoff matchup against Tanner at Rip Swanner Stadium.
The Eagles, who entered the game with a 10-1 record and an offense that averaged 48.7 points per game, performed up to their reputation as they scored 66 points, a season-high.
With 231 yards gained through rushing and 176 yards through passing, the Eagles finished with 407 total yards.
Jakob Kirby led the Eagles with five receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Holcomb completed 13 of 23 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns.
Gilbert gained 78 yards on five carries, McCrary gained 82 yards on 11 carries, and Watkins gained 47 yards on six carries.
A large Pisgah crowd filled the stands, having made the long drive to support the visiting Eagles, who didn’t disappoint as quarterback Mason Holcomb scored from 1 yard away on Pisgah’s first possession of the game.
6:19 into the opening quarter, Holcomb connected with Jakob Kirby on a 60-yard touchdown pass, and Luke Gilbert added a 2-point conversion.
On the following play, Legion McCrary intercepted a Tanner ball, and the Eagles took over in the red zone. Holcomb found Jett Jeffery for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth down with less than three minutes left in the first quarter.
Early in the second half, McCrary forced and recovered a Tanner fumble, which set up his 4-yard touchdown run and another two-point conversion from Gilbert to increase Pisgah’s lead to 28-0.
Tanner got on board when Karl Parham connected with Endymion Tyus for a 45-yard touchdown pass, cutting the score to 28-6.
The Eagles answered with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Holcomb to Kirby. The Rattlers answered with two scoring runs for a 34-16 halftime score.
The second half saw an offensive push from Tanner, and despite having two runs for scores and four touchdown passes from Karl Parham, Tanner’s (8-4) offense was unable to find a flow.
Pisgah’s defense put in some work before their offense took back control of the game, scoring 32 more points en route to a 66-38 final.
Pisgah (11-1) hosts Tuscaloosa Academy (10-2) for a quarterfinal matchup on Friday at Sam Kenimer Stadium.
The matchup marks not only the first time in Pisgah football history that the Eagles have advanced to the quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons but also the team’s fifth all-time appearance in the playoff quarterfinals.
