By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SPRING GARDEN – If you would have told Spring Garden football coach Barrett Ragsdale he would’ve been in a defensive battle with the Berry-Fayette Wildcats, he would’ve liked his team’s chances of coming away with a win.
Coming into Friday’s Class 1A second round playoff battle, the Wildcats were averaging over 53 points per game. They scored a school record 78 points in their regular season finale against Victory Christian, and put up 54 points against Addison in last week’s first round game.
Meanwhile, the Panther defense had only given up an average of less than 11 points per contest coming in.
Ragsdale got what he needed from his defense, but two costly interceptions inside the red zone helped frustrate the Panther offense in a 6-0 season-ending setback.
It’s the first time third-ranked Spring Garden (11-1) had been shut out since last year’s 28-0 loss to Coosa Christian in the first round.
“I really thought this game would be a high-scoring affair,” Ragsdale said. “Our defense played good enough to win tonight, but offensively I didn’t do a good enough job of getting us ready. We drove the ball, had some long drives. We ended up in the red zone but had a couple of turnovers there. They just made the plays in the key moments. It was just one of those nights where things didn’t go our way. It was a tough matchup tonight.”
“Both defenses were impressive tonight. They really showed up,” Berry coach Danny Raines said. “I’m so proud of our kids. They made play after play. (Spring Garden) is a heck of a football team. That’s a great win.”
The only score of the game came in the final 45 seconds of the first quarter. Wildcat senior quarterback Acelynn Norris scored on an 8-yard run to cap a 9-play, 78-yard drive.
But it was the Wildcats’ final drive of the game that really broke the Panthers’ backs. Norris and his brother, junior tailback Ayden Norris, ate up the final 8:07 of the game on a 14-play drive that included making two fourth-and-1 situations.
The two Norris brothers accounted for all 45 yards on the final drive.
“We knew who was getting the ball,” Ragsdale said. “Zero (Ayden Norris) is a great running back. All year long he’s had big games. The quarterback, we knew he’s had big games as well. They just made plays when they had to make plays.”
“They just laid it on the line,” Raines said. “Our kids fight every down.”
The Panthers had their chances, but couldn’t cash them in. Just before halftime, they drove the ball down to the 14-yard line before a penalty and then a Noah Barber interception in the end zone by Drayke Parr killed the scoring threat.
After Clayton Sadler recovered a Wildcat fumble midway through the third quarter, the Panthers put together their most substantial drive by reaching the Berry 10-yard line.
However, another Barber interception – this time by Jayden Smith – denied another chance to tie the game.
Barber led the Panthers by completing 5 of 14 pass attempts for 75 yards. John Welsh was his top receiver with three catches for 46 yards. Connor Bates added 35 yards on the ground on 12 carries. He also had 16 tackles and an interception on defense.
Ayden Norris gained a game-high 144 yards on 27 carries to top the Wildcats. Acelynn Norris connected on 7 of 12 pass attempts for 75 yards. He also had 45 yards and the game’s only touchdown on 21 carries.
The game marked the end of the football careers for 12 Panther seniors who have Spring Garden’s first outright undefeated regular season under their belts.
“Our senior class, the efforts they gave, there’s no doubt they came out here and gave max effort,” Ragsdale said, “Their legacy is something we’ll talk about for a long time. It’s not how we wanted to end. I know it stings and hurts, but nobody questions their effort.”
Berry advances to the state quarterfinals, where it will host top-ranked Wadley.