By Erik Harris
DECATUR – The run continues.
No. 1 Clay-Chalkville, following a 45-35 win at No. 8 Austin, is bound for its second consecutive berth in the Alabama High School Athletics Association Super 7. The Cougars (14-0) will battle Spanish Fort for the Class 6A crown in Bryant-Denny Stadium on the campus of the University of Alabama next Friday night.
“I just thank God for this opportunity, because if it wasn’t for him, we would’ve never been here,” said Clay-Chalkville defensive lineman Qutavius Barber. “Our plan was to be physical and show everyone what we can do.”
Getting there was not easy, as Austin (10-4) did its best to stop Clay-Chalkville’s 29-game winning streak. A tightly contested game saw the knockout blow delivered late in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Ty Pigrome led a season-defining drive.
Pigrome and the potent Cougar offense broke the huddle with 4:31 remaining on the clock, grasping to a 38-35 lead. He never put the ball in the air. Instead, they kept it grounded six times in a row, concluded by a 9-yard quarterback keeper through the middle of the Black Bears’ defense for the final score of the night with 2:05 remaining.
Austin did manage to move the chains three times on the following drive, but eventually saw its season fade on Victor Garth’s 23rd incomplete pass of the semifinal contest.
Garth, a dual-threat senior, was the challenge for Clay-Chalkville coming into the game, and he didn’t disappoint. The senior, fresh off a seven-touchdown performance, was the centerpiece of the Black Bears’ offense. He finished the night with 336 total yards of offense and four scores, three of which came through the air.
However, Pigrome was just better. The righty improved his overall record as a starter for the Cougars to 29-0 with a five-touchdown performance that culminated with another invitation to the 6A state finals.
He went 9-of-18 passing for 166 yards and two scores (one to T.J. Simmons and the other to A.J. Walker) while pulling it down for another 87 yards and three scores.
The two offenses combined for 56 points in the opening half, but it was Clay-Chalkville that scored in the closing seconds to claim a two-touchdown lead going into the locker room. Pigrome rolled right and found Walker from three yards out to convert the visitor’s sixth third down of the evening and spark the halftime festivities with a 35-21 lead in hand.
The hosts wouldn’t flinch, though. They received the second half kickoff and took it 12 plays to the end zone. Nine of those plays were of the running variety, which set the table for Garth’s 27-yard touchdown strike to Eric Washington off a play-action fake to pull Austin to within a touchdown with 6:20 remaining in the third frame.
Clay-Chalkville would respond with two punts, which were separated by an Andrew Van Winkle field goal of 21 yards. The door was cracked open and Garth took advantage.
He bought time with his legs and found T.C. Lowe from 19 yards out to finish another 12-play drive in the end zone. That throw updated the score to 38-35, Cougars late in the fourth and set the stage for the defending champions’ memorable drive to Tuscaloosa.
One thing Clay-Chalkville will take into Bryant-Denny next week will be efficiency when it matters most. The Cougars executed on third downs and in the red zone on Friday night. They converted eight of their 12 third down opportunities against Austin. They also went 5-of-6 in the red zone with four touchdowns and a field goal.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter@jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.