Comeback for the ages

FLORENCE - The game and, in many respects, the season, appeared to be slipping away from Florence on Friday night at Braly Stadium.

A gritty comeback against Huntsville seemed to be dying away as the Falcons began one final offensive possession at their own 4 with 1:59 remaining.

Quarterback Bryce Curtis and his band of receivers began carving up the Panther defense, finally getting a tying score with only 37 seconds remaining.

Then a 4-yard run by Damien Simmons and a stand by the Falcons defense in overtime preserved an emotional 41-35 victory in a game, which got Florence back in the race for the Class 6A, Region 8 championship.

"No one panicked; we had to get it in the end zone. Everyone pulled together, and we got it done," said Curtis, who completed 5-of-6 passes for 96 yards on the tying touchdown march.

The tying score came as Curtis managed to sidestep a Panthers rush and found J.J. Jackson in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard score.

"We've been waiting to do that all year," Curtis said. "We knew it was a matter of time before we put it together and had the unity it takes to win one like this. This was, without a doubt, a team win."

Florence, the defending region champions, and Huntsville both left the field with 3-1 records in the region and overall.

"Huntsville is a great team, and they controlled the game for three quarters," Florence coach Alvin Briggs said. "Our guys didn't quit. They just kept fighting and fighting."

The Panthers led 35-14 entering the fourth quarter. Florence, however, got a quick strike to start the quarter.

Shawn Southward took a pitch and made a cutback to the middle of the field to avoid two defenders. He blew past the secondary for a 68-yard touchdown run.

Florence scored on its next possession, this time on a 71-yard march. Simmons had an 18-yard reception early in the drive, but Southward, who finished with 140 yards on 13 carries, did much of the damage. The touchdown came on a fourth-down reverse that Raheem McCray took 23 yards.

The Panthers couldn't run out the clock, and Curtis brought the Falcons offense on the field with 1:59 remaining.

He found Jackson for 23 yards and went to Southward for 23 more and Jake Hall for 26 to the Panthers' 23.

Jackson outfought two defenders for the score.

"There were a lot of big plays, and Jake made a great catch over the middle," Curtis said.

Florence scored on its second snap in overtime and the defense slammed the door as a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

"We gave our players a chance to make the plays and they did," Briggs said.

Curtis finished with 239 passing yards. He scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter and added a 16-yard scoring pass to Jackson late in the half and the tying score late. He also had a 2-point conversion pass to Simmons.

Huntsville sprinted to a 21-0, with quarterback Jared Bastin running the attack to perfection at times.

He scored the first touchdown on a 3-yard run. Alexander Caldwell and Rodriquez Threatt scored two times each for the Panthers.

Curtis said the score just before the half, which came with 34 seconds remaining, got the offense into a rhythm. He completed five passes on the 87-yard drive, hitting Jackson and Simmons twice each.

The two wide receivers combined for 10 catches for 177 yards.

Curtis said Briggs challenged the team at halftime.

"He asked us if we were going to lay down or if we were going to fight for what we believed in," Curtis said.