Chris King (32) of Cass wraps up Chattahoochee’s Warren Hansbrough (3) in the fourth quarter of their game Friday. The Colonels were unable to pull out a victory in the final game in Earl Cunningham Stadium history.
SKIP BUTLER/The Daily Tribune News
The Colonels, however, fell behind by 21 points at halftime and a key fumble in the third quarter swung the game open for the Cougars, who went on to a 49-14 victory.
"That's the kind of play they make," Cass coach Rick Casko said afterward, referring to the turnover that ended his team's opening drive of the second half.
"That was by far the turning point in the game."
After falling behind by three touchdowns in the first half, the Colonels began the third quarter with a spark, taking the ball at their own 18-yard line and moving it steadily down the field.
Cass quarterback Elijah Windom hit Tarris Batiste for a 10-yard gain on third down to move the ball to the 30.
Windom found Miles Terrell for a 15-yard reception a play later.
Following a 5-yard run by Jay Stephens, Colonels running back Michael Saunders took an inside handoff to get deep into Chattahoochee territory at the 34.
The pumped-up Saunders could hardly control his excitement, sending the ball through his legs after Cass' third first down of the possession.
Batiste's 11-yard catch a couple plays later gave the Colonels first down at the Cougars' 20-yard line.
Saunders picked up 2 yards before an incomplete pass brought up third-and-eight from the 18-yard line.
As Windom went back to pass, he looked to screen the ball to Saunders, who appeared to have running room.
The junior QB's pass was batted backward by Chattahoochee defensive back Chris Johnson for what looked to be an incomplete pass.
Officials, though, ruled the close call in the Cougars' favor, and Josh Gregory, who never quit on the play, scooped the ball up and raced 59 yards for the touchdown and a 35-7 lead with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Chattahoochee went on to add another TD on its first possession of the third quarter, as QB Timmy Byerly skipped over a defender on his way to a 13-yard score -- his fourth and final of the game -- which gave the Cougars a 42-7 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chattahoochee freshman Chase Nelson ran it in from 18 yards, and the Cougars led 49-7 with 10:06 left in the game.
With a running clock in the final quarter -- per Georgia High School Association rules -- the Colonels added the final TD in Earl Cunningham Stadium history on their ensuing drive, going 80 yards in six plays as Stephens took a 5-yard end around and went up the middle with 5:43 remaining.
A beautiful, arcing 47-yard pass from Windom to Jordan Wright -- who raced past a Cougar defensive back to bring in the grab -- got the ball down to the Chattahoochee 11 and set up the score.
Guadalupe Rangel's extra point provided the final margin, with the Cougars driving down the Cass 4-yard line before kneeling to end the game.
"They're a good football team," Casko said of Chattahoochee. "They made plays when they had to, and we didn't."
In the first half, Byerly put the Cougars ahead after Kane Whitehurst's 43-yard kick return gave them field position at the Cass 33 to start.
Eight plays later, the Chattahoochee QB took the ball from shotgun and busted in on fourth-and-goal for a 1-yard TD.
Ammon Lakip's extra point with 9:03 in the first quarter made it 7-0.
Byerly continued to do damage on the Cougars' next possession, avoiding a potential loss before reversing field for a 33-yard gain.
The drive, however, ended in a missed 29-yard field goal by Lakip.
The Colonels couldn't avert danger much longer, unfortunately, with Windom overthrowing his intended target, a misfire that resulted in an interception by Chattahoochee's Ben Blanks.
Blanks returned the ball 23 yards to the Cass 29, which eventually led to Byerly's 12-yard TD pass to Gregory, who took some shots on his way into the end zone.
Lakip's extra point stretched the lead to 14-0 with 2:57 in the first.
The Colonels finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter after stopping the Cougars deep in their own territory, which led to a short punt that Batiste returned to the opposing team's 29.
Windom's first pass to Wright fell incomplete before the two connected on a 28-yard pass, which the senior brought in at the 1 after adjusting to the underthrown ball.
Windom kept it on the next play for a 1-yard TD with 10:12 left before halftime.
The Cougars scored on their next two drives both on runs by Byerly -- 13- and 8-yard scores -- but watched another Lakip kick -- from 27 yards -- miss 14 seconds before halftime.
Chattahoochee held a 28-7 lead at the break, thanks mainly to the legs of the 6-foot, 206-pound Byerly, who had 129 yards and three TDs on 17 first-half carries.
"He's a big kid, and he's deceptively fast," Casko said of the Cougar QB, who is considering Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Troy and Furman, according to espn.com.
Following a bye Friday, the Colonels will finish the season Nov. 5 at Lambert.
Casko sounded disappointed that his seniors didn't get to win in their final home game in Earl Cunningham Stadium history -- last year's 25-21 win over Osborne wound up being premature as the school opening got pushed back to January 2011 -- but more disheartened that they didn't get to play in Cass' new home -- Doug Cochran Stadium.
"We got a good senior bunch," he said. "I really tip my hats off to the kids.
"The fact that the kids didn't get to play there ... deep down in there there's a little bit of wind that comes out of your sails."
Casko said he will try to have the team's end-of-season banquet at the new school.
First, though, he wants to send his seniors out with a 5-5 record.
"Let's see what we can do against Lambert," he said.
Saunders, a senior who dislocated his elbow in the third quarter, may not play in that game, Casko said.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 F
CHA 14 14 14 7 49
CAS 0 7 0 7 14
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
CHA -- Timmy Byerly 1-yd run (Ammon Lakip kick), 9:03
CHA -- Josh Gregory 22-yd pass from Byerly (Lakip kick), 2:57
2nd Quarter
CAS -- Elijah Windom 1-yd run (Guadalupe Rangel kick), 10:12
CHA -- Byerly 13-yd run (Lakip kick), 9:00
CHA -- Byerly 8-yd run (Lakip kick), 2:03
3rd Quarter
CHA -- Gregory 59-yd fumble return (Lakip kick), 6:52
CHA -- Byerly 13-yd run (Lakip kick), 2:26
4th Quarter
CHA -- Chase Nelson 18-yd run (Kevin Hady kick), 10:06
CAS -- Jay Stephens 5-yd run (Rangel kick), 5:43
TEAM STATS
CHA CAS
1st downs 18 12
Rushes-yds 43-334 15-63
Passing yds 126 204
Comp-Att-Int 13-17-0 19-34-1
Total yds 460 267
Penalties 8-71 4-27
Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1
Punts-yds 1-30 6-175
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing -- Chattahoochee: Timmy Byerly 20-165-4, Chase Nelson 10-115-1, Aaron Guerrant 5-33, Warren Hansbrough 3-27, Josh Gregory 2-5, Cody Britt 1-2, Alec Rubin 1-(-4), Team 1-(-11); Cass: Michael Saunders 9-46, Jay Stephens 3-16-1, Elijah Windom 3-1-1.
Passing -- Chattahoochee: Byerly 13-17-126-1-0; Cass: Windom 19-34-204-0-1.
Receiving -- Chattahoochee: Kane Whitehurst 7-79, Shawn Derck 2-25, Gregory 3-18-1, Stephen Frankiewicz 1-4; Cass: Jordan Wright 4-85, Tarris Batiste 7-64, Miles Terrell 2-30, Jozelle Payne 2-16, Stephens 3-9, Saunders 1-0.