Sun, Jul 05 2009
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Published October 04, 2008 01:51 am - CENTER POINT — The dog pile at the middle of Erwin High’s Bowman Field said it all. Seconds after knocking down Cullman quarterback Tyler Caldwell’s last-gasp Hail Mary pass, Erwin’s players gathered in an impromptu celebration at their own 20-yard line — where cries of “We’re No. 1” floated out into the air. Erwin pulls off upset, topples top-ranked Cats By Michael A. Cummings The Cullman Times CENTER POINT — The dog pile at the middle of Erwin High’s Bowman Field said it all.
Seconds after knocking down Cullman quarterback Tyler Caldwell’s last-gasp Hail Mary pass, Erwin’s players gathered in an impromptu celebration at their own 20-yard line — where cries of “We’re No. 1” floated out into the air. Based on this game’s evidence, it’s hard to fault their reasoning. Behind a bruising defensive line and a ball-control offense that kept the ball out of Cullman’s hands for most of the night, Erwin knocked off the Class 5A No. 1 Bearcats 25-20 Friday night on their home field. The game turned out to be a series of firsts for Mark Britton’s team. In addition to their first loss, the Bearcats allowed their first points in first-quarter play, trailed for the first time all year and gave up more than 20 points for the first time in 2008. It was also the Bearcats’ first regular season loss since the 2006 season. “We’ve got to take this in stride, learn from this,” said Britton. “Sometimes you’ve got to back up before you can jump ahead further. “We still have a chance to win the region next week, so we just have to get back to it in practice this week.” Cullman’s frustrations were evident from the start, most notably as Caldwell misfired on each of his first six pass attempts. Erwin, meanwhile, came out with guns blazing — marching 52 yards in 11 plays while taking 5:02 off the clock, on its first drive. Quarterback Anthony Bowie finished the drive with a 16-yard completion to Tedarius Brown on third-and-7 — the Eagles’ third successful third-down conversion of the drive. The extra point was blocked, and Cullman trailed 6-0 — its first deficit of the year. Cullman responded immediately, taking the ball 76 yards in 11 plays, capped by Bryan Steele’s 2-yard plunge. Jared Knight’s extra point gave the Bearcats a brief 7-6 lead with 3:40 left in the first. The Eagles had the lead back just seconds later. Fielding Knight’s kickoff at his own 15, Marqueze O’Neal reversed field and took the ball 85 yards down the home sideline for a 12-7 Erwin lead. The 2-point try failed. Things went from bad to worse on Cullman’s next possession. On third-and-10, Caldwell’s pass fell incomplete and the Bearcats senior remained on the ground for several seconds after a big hit from an Erwin defender. Bryan Steele entered the game for the fourth-and-10 play, but his pass fell incomplete and the Bearcats turned the ball over on downs. 
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