Pisgahs’ Season Ends in Class 2A State Semifinals
By Cinthia Rico
FYFFE – Pisgah capped its season with a 32-14 loss against top-ranked Fyffe in an AHSAA Class 2A state semifinal matchup at Paul Benefield Stadium last Friday.
Mason Holcomb, Pisgah’s starting senior quarterback, finished the season with 90 of 136 passes for over 2000 yards and over 25 touchdowns, respectively. An injury he received in the quarterfinal matchup against Tuscaloosa Academy caused him to miss the semifinal match.
Against Fyffe, quarterback Luke Gilbert completed 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards and ran for 73 yards on 10 carries.
On the ground, Legion McCrary rushed for 31 yards on 10 carries and recorded three catches for 25 yards for the Eagles.
Pisgah’s Landon Watkins hauled in seven passes for 76 yards through the air; Jett Jefferey added two catches for 29 yards; Jakob Kirby had one catch for 15 yards; and Grant Smith had one reception for 15 yards.
Despite the Pisgahs’ best efforts, the Red Devils’ formidable defense, led by Logan Anderson, overwhelmed their offense.
Fyffe took an early lead after stopping Pisgah on their opening drive and scoring on their next possession.
Anderson capped the Red Devils’ opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Fyffe led 8-0 thanks to a 2-point conversion run by Blake Dobbins.
Both offenses fired up in the second frame, with Fyffe and Pisgah having one drive end on downs and another Red Devil drive ending with an interception by Legion McCrary, but the eight-point margin held throughout the first half.
Pisgah’s Luke Gilbert connects with McCrary on a 16-yard pass.
Senior Jakob Kirby stopped Anderson on fourth-and-goal from the Pisgah 2-yard line in the third quarter.
Fyffe’s defense forced a three-and-out, but the Red Devils capitalized with a 17-yard touchdown run by Ryder Gipson and Anderson’s two-point conversion to increase their lead to 16-0.
The Eagles put together a drive that was highlighted by Gilbert’s 22-yard run, his 16-yard pass to McCrary, and McCrary’s 1-yard touchdown run on the next play, after Gilbert completed passes to Landon Watkins for 31, 7, and 8 yards, respectively.
Pisgah pulled within 16-8 with less than two minutes left in the game when Gilbert mobilized and found Jackson Smalley for the two-point conversion.
As the game neared its conclusion, Fyffe added three more points, two of which came from Anderson in response to Pisgah’s two touchdowns.
Around the 10:42 mark, Anderson scored from 15 yards out, and Hicks completed a successful two-point conversion to further their advantage.
Pisgah countered with a 1-yard touchdown run from Gilbert. With 7:25 remaining, the Eagles trailed 24-14 after failing to convert a two-point attempt.
Anderson’s 25-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion with less than five minutes left secured Fyffe the victory.
Pisgah finished their exceptional season with a 12-2 overall record, second place in Region 7, and the Eagles’ second back-to-back semifinal appearance in school history.
Pisgah’s Luke Gilbert hands off to Legion McCrary, who gained ground against Fyffe.
Of his team’s performance, Pisgah coach Luke Pruitt commended the team’s effort despite difficulties on the offensive end.
“I’m proud of our kids – they kept fighting until it was over,” he said.
In the aftermath of the game, Pruitt took the opportunity to honor the seniors, whom he referred to as the cornerstones of the team’s football comeback and who helped lead the Eagles to the second-highest scoring offense in Class 2A and an outstanding season.
For Fyffe, Anderson finished with 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Simon Hicks rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown in the semifinal matchup.
The Red Devils (13-1) moved on to the Super 7 football AHSAA championship in Tuscaloosa on Friday against Reeltown (13-0) at 3 p.m.
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