"Ball."
That's all Junior Gabe Kelly could think of on the last play of Friday's overtime thriller against Hardin County. Kelly, who deflected the final pass, came up big alongside the Jacket defense to prevent a touchdown that would have sent the game into a second overtime, or potentially sent Springfield packing.
The game served as SHS' first overtime battle since 2016 (a 27-24 win at Maplewood High School).
Springfield followed what was familiar offensively Friday: sticking to the run and grinding out a win. The Jackets opened the scoring tab on their first offensive possession for the third straight game, this week a 43 yard touchdown run from Kevontay White. White would finish the evening with 3 rushing touchdowns against a Tigers' defense that hardly averaged 9 points allowed per game this season.
Although the Tigers were limited to seven points by the midway point, SHS' defense struggled covering Hardin County's pass heavy attack, with quarterback Rivers Hunt lighting up the Jackets' secondary. Hunt finished his final game as a junior with two total touchdowns, one in the air and the other on the ground.
Despite Springfield's defensive struggles in regards to yards (325 total), two turnovers were still forced by the Jackets: the first a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Yonel Rodriguez in the third quarter (resulting in another Kevontay White touchdown), the second an interception by Ze'rel Boyd following a questionable fake punt at midfield by the Tigers.
Collapse was almost absolute for SHS by the fourth quarter: two consecutive high snaps to Hudson, and three total in the frame killed any potential scoring Springfield could have accumulated. Frustrations were evident following a first down run from Hunt, when senior Cale Jones displayed his frustrations with the referees throughout the evening, and pushing tackle Eli Staten at the conclusion of the play. Jones was issued an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, thus supplying the Tigers with an additional 15 yards, and eventually a touchdown.
The errors would prove costly, as the Tigers would capitalize with fourteen unanswered points, forcing overtime in the Jackets' nest. Kevontez Hudson would find the end zone for the eleventh time of the playoffs, striking first in OT with a determined one yard run to give Springfield the lead once more.
Kamrin Garrett would produce his second sack of the postseason, facing the Tigers with a fourth and fourteen, a play that would be ultimately broken up Gabe Kelly and company, punching the Jackets' ticket to the TSSAA semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Springfield (10-3) will, once again, face off against the Haywood High School Tomcats (12-1) on Black Friday. This will also be the third consecutive match up between the two teams: the first a 35-28 victory at home, en route to the Class 4A championship game in 2017, and the most recent a 49-14 loss at a neutral site (Jackson Christian School).
-Blaine Kellar is a Broadcasting and Journalism Intern for Social Dweebs, which has covered Springfield High School athletics since 2018.
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