By Michael A. Cummings
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.
But just seconds later, Cullman got a lifeline, as Erwin’s Jordan Hall fumbled at the Eagles’ 49-yard line.
Josh Barksdale picked it up and raced 47 yards to the Erwin 2. Two plays later, Caldwell found Drew Forrest on a 3-yard touchdown completion. Knight’s extra point put Cullman up 14-12 with 8:34 left in the half.
After trading punts, Erwin took over with 3:04 left in the half, and drove 67 yards for the go-ahead score. Bowie kept an option play and ran 5 yards for the touchdown with 0:03 left in the half. The 2-point pass failed, and Erwin led 18-14 at the break.
The Eagles would not trail again.
After the break, Cullman got a couple defensive stops — first on a fourth-down tackle by Steele, and later on a touchdown-saving interception by Justin Self.
But after a short punt set them up at the Bearcats’ 40, Erwin pushed its lead to 11 with a quick five-play drive — capped by Bowie’s 9-yard touchdown pass.
With its back against the wall, Cullman drove 81 yards in 15 plays, finished by Adams’ 5-yard sweep past left end. The score was set up by a fourth-and-inches conversion by Caldwell, who had been knocked out of the game for a second time earlier in the drive.
“He took a couple big hits in there,” Britton said of Caldwell. “But he’s a battler and he kept us right there.”
Controversy then struck on Erwin’s next drive.
After a 32-yard punt by the Eagles was seemingly whistled dead, Cullman was called for a 15-yard illegal participation penalty. Erwin retained possession at the Bearcats’ 33 and kept the ball for three more minutes, setting up some final-minute drama.
After taking over at their own 9 with 0:59 to play, Cullman drove to Erwin’s 42 before Caldwell’s final pass fell to the turf.
Bowie finished 7-for-19 with 137 yards and one touchdown passing. He added 66 yards on the ground.
Mustaffa Woods led the Eagles’ (4-2, 4-2) ground attack with 86 yards on 17 carries.
For Cullman (5-1, 5-1), Caldwell competed 16 of 40 passes for 168 yards and a score. His favorite target was Forrest, who grabbed seven passes for 58 yards.
Adams was the Bearcats’ leading rusher with 34 yards on just eight carries.
“We just didn’t have an answer for their ball control,” said Britton. “And it’s hard to get into any kind of rhythm on offense when you’re on the sideline so much.”
Cullman continues regional play next week with a home date against Springville.
