Sand Rock looked to be in good shape when Justin Mackey’s 1-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter gave the Rockers a 20-0 lead.
Daniel Kordich’s sack on a fourth down and 12 ended the next Westbrook possession, and a punt on the following Warrior series left the visitors 12 minutes away from hosting their first playoff game in six seasons.
Considering that the ‘Cat defense forced four turnovers and held the Warriors to 124 total yards up to that point, the Lookout Mountain squad’s chance of pulling off the road win looked like a lock.
The momentum shifted in a hurry, however, on the next play from scrimmage.
Hunter Howell’s fumble recovery gave the hosts the ball at the Sand Rock 23, and David Ryan’s 19-yard pass to Chase Saunders moved Westbrook inside the Wildcat 5.
Ryan scored on a two-yard keeper two plays later, and William Catanzaro’s PAT drew the Warriors within 20-7 at 10:02 of the fourth quarter.
A time-consuming possession was in order for Wildcats, but the ensuing drive drained one second off the game clock while netting all of minus-4 yards.
Westbrook then drove to the Sand Rock 40, where on a second and 3 Ryan and James Lee Abner hooked up for a 32-yard completion.
That play wasn’t the worst of it, as a personal foul penalty on the Wildcats put the ball on the 3.
Ryan’s scoring run and Catanzaro’s extra point finished off the 58-yard series, and within the space of less than three minutes Sand Rock’s 20-point advantage was down to six with 7:41 left in the game.
The visitors started the next drive on their own 18, but pass completions to Matt Lee (17 yards) and Corey Adams (20 and nine yards) moved the Wildcats into Warrior territory. But the drive stalled at the Westbrook 43, leaving the hosts enough time for tying or go-ahead score.
That’s when Sand Rock’s special teams halted the bleeding.
On a fourth and 20, Mackey boomed a 44-yard punt that took a Sand Rock roll.
It looked as if the ball might end up in the end zone for a touchback, but Brannon Burt downed the pigskin at the Warrior 1.
“That was the play of the game,” said Sand Rock head coach Russell Jacoway. “There’s no telling what would have happened if [Westbrook] started at the 20. Just a great kick by Justin and a great hustle play by Brannon.”
The Wildcats (9-2) weren’t out of the proverbial woods just yet with 5:12 still showing.
Ryan’s 19-yard completion to Abner gave the hosts some breathing room, while Ryan’s 10-yard scramble on a fourth and 1 brought the ball to the Sand Rock 32 with 46 seconds remaining.
An incomplete pass and a one-yard gain left the hosts with a third and 9 from the 33 with 27 second left.
Westbrook attempted some razzle-dazzle with a halfback-reverse screen pass, but Kordich sniffed out the play and dropped Ryan for a two-yard loss.
Ryan then threw for Abney at the Wildcat 5, but Dex Vines made a nice pass break-up to end the Warriors’ final threat.
Sand Rock hosts 11-0 and No. 4 Red Bay on Friday.
“The turnovers won it for us tonight,” said Jacoway. “You give yourself an opportunity to win if you get the ball back that many times. We were up by 20 points and the next thing we knew it was 20-14. We left the defense out on the field for far too long in the second half, but we stopped their momentum and made a play when we needed to. Another big factor was that Logan Pearson ran the heck out of the ball and R.J. Thornberry did a good job of blocking at fullback. Our starting backfield of Andy Andrews and Jake Thompson was hurt, and those two kids did a great job of stepping in.”
Mackey completed 10-of-20 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 27 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
Adams caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Lee had two receptions for 28 yards.
Adams had two interceptions and a fumbler recovery, while Kordich finished with 10 tackles and two sacks.
“You have to give Sand Rock credit,” said Westbrook head coach Tony Osborne. “They came ready to play and we, for whatever reason, were not. We just started slow tonight. I am really proud of the guys and the way they kept fighting. It would have been easy for them to give up, but they don’t have any quit in them.”
Ryan completed 15-of-24 passes for 183 yards. He also rushed 21 times for 114 yards and two scores.
Westbrook (6-5) had to play catch-up since the game’s opening possession, an eight-play, 60-yard affair that Mackey capped with his two-yard touchdown run. Mackey provided the extra point, making it 7-0 in favor of the Wildcats at 9:06 of the first period.
The first Westbrook turnover came five plays into the Warriors’ initial series when Adams pounced on a loose ball at the Sand Rock 40.
The Rockers quickly turned the Westbrook miscue into points.
After Pearson ran for four yards, Mackey hit J.T. Graves for 11 yards and Shane Wells for another four.
On a second and 6 from the Warrior 22, Mackey found Adams on a slant pattern for the touchdown at 4:46, and Mackey’s PAT put the visitors ahead 14-0 at 4:36.
Westbrook got a huge break on its next possession, when a Warrior punt hit a Sand Rock player and Abney fell on the ball at the Wildcat 8.
The Warrior offense would advance no further. Following three straight pass incompletions, Ryan Oliver stopped Ryan for one-yard gain, completing the goal line stand.
Adams’ interception at 9:42 of the second period halted Westbrook’s next series, but the hosts had a golden opportunity to close the gap before halftime when a 32-yard Ryan-to-Abney completion put the ball at the Sand Rock 12.
With 1:34 left in the half, however, Vines picked off a pass to preserve the Wildcats’ 14-point lead at intermission.
Graves’ interception 49 seconds into the second half gave Sand Rock the ball at the Warrior 48, and the Wildcats'subsequent seven-play drive ended with Mackey’s touchdown run at 7:47 of the third frame.
Lee had eight tackles, followed by Andrew Humphrey with six and Graves and Adams with four each.
“This win means the world to an old football coach,” said Jacoway. “We used to take it for granted around here that we’d make it at least to the quarterfinals every year. For this program to finally make back to the second round after so many years is very satisfying. I’ve got to give these kids the credit. To have a 9-2 record with this bunch is something we didn’t dream of in the spring. We’ll just play hard against Red Bay next week and let the chips fall where they may.”
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