PREP FOOTBALL: Feisty Bearcats keep it close, fall 28-14 to No. 6 Falcons

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 11, 2014

Mark Britton couldn’t have been more proud of the way his Cullman football team competed against Class 6A, No. 6 Florence on Thursday night.

The Bearcats went toe-to-toe physically with the Falcons, played with super effort and ultimately gave their Region 8 opponent all it could handle for four quarters inside Oliver Woodard Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, though, it wasn’t quite enough to upstage the preseason region favorite, as they dropped a hard-fought, 28-14 contest to fall to 1-2 (0-1) on the season.

“Our kids played hard,” Britton said. “We had to take some chances during the game to be able to compete with them. I was real proud of my kids and my coaches tonight. Florence is just a really good team.”

The Falcons (2-1, 2-0) came out the gates blazing, as quarterback Blake Hawkins connected with wideout Dee Smith on a 52-yard pass to set up shop inside the Cullman 5-yard line. Running back Roland Adams rumbled into the end zone one play later to give the visitors an early 7-0 lead.

It didn’t last long, however, as Bearcat senior Brontae Harris raced 96 yards on the ensuing kickoff for a game-tying touchdown.

From there, both teams sputtered a bit on offense — Cullman with its inability to move the chains and Florence with a couple of turnovers and the loss of Hawkins. However, the latter was able to take a 13-7 halftime lead on the back of two field goals from kicker Edson Casarrubias.

The Bearcats opened the second half on a mission to succeed, driving 54 yards on seven plays — culminating with a 3-yard touchdown run from Will Crenshaw that gave the Black and Gold its first lead of the night at 14-13.

But just like that, the momentum was gone.

Florence scored on two of its next three possessions — a 70-run from Adams and an 8-yard scamper by Cameron Davis — to build a 28-14 lead which stuck on the back of some wicked defense.

“They just took charge right there,” Britton said. “I thought our kids fought the good fight. It was a tremendously physical game. I wish we could have converted on a couple of more plays here and there, but that’s football. The ball is going to bounce differently each game.”

Cullman didn’t go down without a fight, however, as it blocked a field goal early in the fourth quarter and drove to the Falcon 7-yard line late before turning the ball over on downs.

Ross Crocker went 7 of 18 through the air for 51 yards and an interception before leaving the game in the final frame with an apparent injury. Harris was admirable in his stead, completing one pass for 27 yards and picked up a few rushing yards here and there.

Crenshaw finished with 56 tough yards on 18 carries. Dawson Drake added 42 yards on the ground and Michael Al-Dijali, 15. Mason Goodwin hauled in four catches for 53 yards. Owen Lovell’s lone reception was for 27 yards.

For Florence, Adams finished with 127 yards on 17 carries, while Davis tossed in 63 yards of his own en route to a 365-yard offensive performance.

“We’re not really into moral victories, but our effort was just great,” Britton said. “We’ve shown since Week 1, if we are aggressive and we commit, we can be a good football team.”

The Bearcats will travel to Austin next Friday for another crucial region matchup.

Britton is hopeful to see a good week of practice to go along with some more maturation from his inexperienced-but-talented squad.

“We’re just young right now,” Britton said. “When our babies learn to bite back and do so for the entire game, we’re going to be good.”