By MARK EVERETT KELLY, Mountain Valley News
FYFFE — Winter officially visited the patrons at Fyffe on Friday night, as wind gusts reached 25 MPH and the temperature dipped to 41 degrees, as the Red Devils won Class 2A Region 8, defeating a determined Collinsville team, 29-21.
Led by senior quarterback Mason McAteer and an aggressive, physical defense, the Panthers showed why they are a team to keep an eye on in the postseason.
Despite throwing an interception to Ian “Wonderboy” Patterson on the first play from scrimmage, McAteer and the Panthers kept their poise.
Patterson’s pick set up Ryder Gipson’s three-yard touchdown run, giving Fyffe a 6-0 lead just two minutes into the game.
Both teams exchanged possessions before Collinsville’s defense made its first fourth-down stop of the game.
Facing 4th-and-3 at their 35-yard line, the Panthers held the Red Devils a yard short and enthusiastically charged off the field.
“Our defense came to play tonight. It’s a credit to how hard we work in practice; no one is going to outwork us,” Collinsville Head Coach Ernie Willingham said.
The Panthers drove 70 yards, culminating in McAteer’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Noah Johnson.
Trailing for the first time since their season-opener at Central Clay, Fyffe quickly pushed the ball into Panthers’ territory.
However, Collinsville’s defense responded again, recovering a Red Devils fumble at their own 26-yard line.
This time, Fyffe’s defense answered back, holding the Panthers to three plays and forcing a punt.
Collinsville avoided disaster when punter Brantley Daugherty raced back to retrieve the ball that sailed over his head on the snap. Daugherty never panicked, grabbed the bouncing ball and somehow got the punt off, landing near midfield.
Hoping to take the lead into halftime, the Red Devils moved the ball inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line on 1st-and-goal with under a minute left.
Three plays later, it was now 4th-and-goal from the three-yard line. A false start moved the ball back five yards.
Maddox Doss’s pass was knocked down at the goal line as time expired, and Collinsville took a 7-6 lead into the half.
One couldn’t help but compare it to the first half of last season’s September 5th matchup on the same field, when the teams entered halftime tied 22-22 (Fyffe outscored Collinsville 36-0 in the second half).
The Red Devils found themselves the beneficiaries of another Ian “Wonderboy” Patterson interception a few minutes into the third quarter.
As they had on the first drive of the game, Fyffe turned Patterson’s interception into a touchdown.
Maddox Doss connected with Hunter Lathum for a 14-yard touchdown, giving Fyffe a 14-7 lead after a two-point conversion succeeded.
As the third quarter came to an end, McAteer connected with Johnson and Jeremiah Killian on long passes, moving the Panthers to the Fyffe 1-yard line, where they faced a pivotal 4th down.
The senior quarterback extended his body just over the goal line, tying the game at 14 after completing the two-point conversion.
Fyffe quickly answered, converting on fourth down inside the Panthers’ 20.
Patterson continued his dynamic performance, completing the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. Another successful two-point conversion put the home team ahead 22-14.
The Red Devils defense contributed to Fyffe’s fourth-quarter effort, stopping the Panthers 4th down attempt from their own 30.
Two plays later, Doss seemingly put the final nail in Collinsville’s coffin with an 18-yard touchdown run.
Fyffe 29, Collinsville 14, 3:03 remaining in the game.
While everyone else started packing up, the Panthers had other plans.
Leading a flawless 80-yard drive in under two minutes, McAteer completed all seven pass attempts, culminating in a 29-yard strike to Sylas Adams.
Red Devils 29, Panthers 21. 1:15 left in the game.
The Panthers, needing to recover an onside kick, floated their attempt along their sideline. Suspense filled the air as bodies flung all over the place.
Who had possession? From my vantage point, it looked like Fyffe had recovered the ball, as I swore I saw a player arise from the pack with the ball.
As the seconds turned to tens of seconds, both crowds howled at the referees who met to determine who had possession.
Collinsville’s bench and sideline erupted with joy as the official motioned that the Panthers had recovered the ball.
Poised as ever, McAteer continued his assault on Fyffe’s defense with a completion, moving the ball near the 35-yard line.
The clock became an issue, as the referees weren’t clear on how to signal to wind it.
The Red Devils defense forced a few incompletions, but Collinsville converted a key third down, moving the ball inside the 30.
McAteer then fired a brilliant pass to Johnson inside the five-yard line, appearing to put Collinsville in prime position to tie the game with just under 25 seconds left.
However, the Panthers were called for holding, moving the ball back to the 43.
McAteer connected with Killian at the 20, who somehow made it to the sideline, stopping the clock.
With time for just one more play, McAteer was chased around the backfield by numerous Fyffe defenders before launching a pass that fell incomplete.
Final Score
Collinsville 21
Fyffe 29
The Red Devils travel to North Sand Mountain on Friday, while the Panthers host Pisgah in a matchup that will determine who receives the second home playoff game in round one.
Seniors Gavin Lang, Kyler Beene, and Killian also contributed to the Panthers’ scoring drive, showcasing their athleticism.
The win was the Red Devils’ 27th straight over the Panthers, but it marked the first time since their 16-14 win in 1993 (18 games) that Fyffe won by a single digit.
Quotes from Coach Benefield
On the play of Collinsville
“Those kids (Collinsville) came to play tonight; never quit, never gave up, and that’s what high school sports is all about.”
On Fyffe’s ability to fight back after losing at the half
“We kept doing what we do. We had a couple injuries (Gipson) and our lineman, Patterson & Doss kept us in it.”
Fyffe runing back Ryder Gipson (22) takes the handoff and looks for running room against Collinsville in third quarter action Friday night. PATRICK GRAHAM l The Leader
