By TAYLOR BECK, Sports Editor
The final score read No. 9 Scottsboro 42, Sardis 7, but for everyone inside Lions Stadium on Friday night, the game was about something far greater.
In a night filled with tears, tributes, and a community rallying together, Sardis honored the memory of teammate Branson Peppers, who tragically died in an ATV accident Sept. 13 at just 15 years old.
Fans packed the stands in white shirts printed with the words “Jesus Saves” and Peppers’ No. 8, while players from both teams embraced before kickoff in a powerful display of sportsmanship and unity.
The most moving tribute came on the game’s first snap. With Peppers’ family serving as honorary captains for the coin toss, Sardis didn’t field enough players— intentionally leaving a spot for Peppers empty. The Lions waited until the play clock struck eight, then took a knee. Scottsboro declined the penalty and crossed the line of scrimmage to hug their opponents.
“We wanted to make this about the Lord. That’s how Branson would have wanted it,” Sardis head coach B.J. Brooks said during an emotional postgame interview.
“I hate we couldn’t pull out a [win] you know, but in reality, we all won because we got to be a part of Branson’s life, and Branson is in heaven. Branson’s the real winner, and that’s where I want to be one day. That’s where I hope everybody on this field, everybody in this stadium, and everybody on their team and their buses — I hope that’s where they wind up, too, one day. And so all I can do is try to carry on Branson’s message as long as the good Lord keeps me here, because his message is my message, and it’s that Jesus saves you.
“I’m a competitor, and I’m a football coach, and I love football. It’s a game,” Brooks said. “But you know, the game of life is so much more important … I may not be the best coach. I may not call the right calls all of the time. But I can tell them the guy that is the best coach [Jesus].”
On the field, Scottsboro (4-1, 3-0) showed why it is ranked among the state’s top teams. The Wildcats led 7-0 after one quarter, 28-7 at halftime, and 35-7 at the end of the third. Sardis’ lone touchdown came late in the first half, when quarterback Grant Coe connected with Brayden “Rush” Whidden for a 17-yard score.
But for Sardis (1-4, 0-3), the night wasn’t defined by the result.
Following the game, both teams gathered at midfield. Brooks addressed the players, and then Wildcats and Lions prayed together. After both alma maters played, the Sardis High School Marching Band closed the night with “Amazing Grace.”
Brooks said his team practiced just one hour this week amid grief and loss, yet they still found strength to play.
“The kids played hard tonight. They played for something bigger than themselves. That’s what we always teach them. Life’s about something a lot bigger than their self,” he said. “They’re playing for each other, they’re playing for Branson, they’re playing for the Lord, they’re playing for our community.”
Brooks praised Scottsboro’s sportsmanship throughout the week and during the game.
“Hats off to Scottsboro, man. They’ve got a great football team. … They have a great administration. They understand this is a lot bigger than anything, and so hats off to them in how they’ve treated us.”
Sardis travels to Alexandria next week for a non-region matchup, while Scottsboro visits Central Clay County.
Sardis coach B.J. Brooks talks with players from his team and from Scottsboro after the teams’ region matchup Friday night in Sardis City. Brooks is wearing a T-shirt with a ‘Jesus Saves’ message similar to what the late Branson Peppers wore on his pads when he played for the Lions. Branson, a Sardis sophomore, died in a traffic collision Sept. 13. Photo by TAYLOR BECK l The Leader
