The Douglas Byrd quarterback loses the football after being tackled. The loose ball is not ruled a fumble.
Dec 6, 2008
DURHAM — Douglas Byrd kicker Danny Fischer got a second chance to put his team in the state championship game and made it count.
Fischer capped a nine-point, fourth-quarter rally when he hit a 20-yard field goal with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Eagles a 9-7 victory over Hillside.
He had pushed a 25-yard attempt wide left just seconds before, which appeared to put the Hornets on the brink of advancing. However, a personal foul for roughing the center was called on the play. According to the NCHSAA rules, contact with the center is prohibited on any kicking play.
As the Hillside players and crowd celebrated their apparent victory, the officials marched off a half the distance to the goal penalty and the Douglas Byrd special teams unit came on the field again. This time Fischer’s kick was right down the middle.
Hillside was unable to return the ensuing kickoff for a score.
Hornets coach Ray Harrison couldn’t believe the call.
“I’ve been paying football a long time and coaching a long time, I’ve never heard that call in a football game,” he said. “It was a horrible call with seven seconds left in the game. … Who makes that call? You should never let the refs decide a game. And that’s what they did.”
A blocked field goal attempt earlier in the contest helped set the stage for the game changing call at the end, said Eagles coach Russell Stone.
“When they blocked our first field goal, they had a guy hurdle our center and block it,” Stone said. “I asked the officials if he could do it and he said he can do it as long as they don't touch him. So I asked my center to lean up as soon as he snapped and he got hit and you know the rules clearly state you can't hit the center on a [kick] attempt.”
Penalties aside, the game was dominated by defense.
For the Eagles, the ground game was quite effective as they collected 206 yards on 50 carries. Seven different players had rushing attempts.
Their passing attack however, was abysmal. Quarterback Malcolm Rowe didn’t complete a pass until the middle of the fourth quarter, failing to connect on his first 12 attempts. The lack of a passing game helped the Hornets defense clamp down inside the 20.
While Corey Gattis and Desmond Scott showed flashes of brilliance, the Hornets were unable to put together sustained drives against an impressive Byrd defense that possesses an uncommon blend of size, speed and athleticism. Gattis and Scott accounted for 222 yards of total offense but couldn’t crack the end zone. Gattis finished just 6 of 19 passing, but his receivers dropped several catchable balls.
“You've got 5,000 yards of offense over there and two of the best players to come through in a long time. Our defense shut 'em out,” Stone said.
While the Hornets defense allowed more total yards, they came up with big takeaways all night. Early in the second quarter, Hillside scored its only touchdown when senior linebacker Nick Stone intercepted Rowe and went 22 yards the other way for a 7-0 Hillside lead.
In addition to the interception return and blocked field goal, the Hornets continually frustrated the Eagles in the red zone, turning them over on downs once and forcing and recovering two fumbles there.
The game stayed 7-0 until late in the fourth quarter when Rowe drove the Eagles 40 yards on a short field and finished the drive with a one-yard plunge to draw Byrd within a point. Stone decided to try for the two-point conversion, but Rasheem Bronson was stopped short of the end zone.
Even with all the missed opportunities his team had in the game, Stone said he wasn’t frustrated until that play failed.
“I thought maybe I'd cost my team by going for it,” he said.
Clinging to a 7-6 lead, Hillside took possession with less than four minutes remaining. Needing just a couple of first downs to run out the clock, they got a 20-yard run from Gattis that advanced the ball to their 35-yard line. But two penalties and two incompletions later, they punted the ball back to the Eagles who started the final drive at the Hillside 45 with two minutes remaining.
Rowe was sacked for a nine-yard loss on first down and the Eagles prospects looked dim. But he completed passes on the next two downs for a total of 21 yards and a first down. Three straight running plays gained 21 more yards and set up a third and 1 at the Hillside 12. With 17 seconds left, Rowe attempted a pass that fell incomplete and on fourth down, Stone decided to go for it. Defensive lineman and running back Donnie Owens, who is 6-foot-3 and nearly 300 pounds, got his fourth carry of the game for a two-yard gain and the Eagles took their final time out.
That brought Fischer on for the 25-yard field goal try.
Still dealing with the difficult set of circumstances that had unfolded, Harrison tried to stay positive.
“I'm proud of these guys, very proud of my coaching staff, and very proud of the community that came out and supported us.”
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