The No. 6 ranked Hinds Eagles used a touchdown in the final seconds of regulation and a field goal in the first overtime to hand the East Central Warriors a heartbreaking 23-20 football defeat and spoil Homecoming 2019 on the ECCC campus Thursday, Oct. 17.
East Central led 20-13 with just seconds to play before Hinds rallied to score the final 10 points of the game. The MACJC South Division contest was played in Bailey Stadium in Decatur.
With the Warriors leading by a touchdown, Hinds got the ball with 1:04 on the clock. The Eagles drove 80 yards in six plays to tie the game with 23 seconds to play. Quarterback Elijah Walker hit a wide open Tabashi Thomas for the 26-yard score to send the game to overtime.
The Warrior offense turned the ball over on downs on its first overtime possession with a costly penalty and a sack in the four-play series. The Eagles got the ball and moved to the East Central two-yard line before Carson Flumm kicked the game-winning field goal from 19 yards out.
East Central opened the game with an onside kick that was recovered by Hinds. The Eagles promptly drove 50 yards in six plays for the opening score and a 7-0 lead. Don Ragsdale carried from the eight for the touchdown.
The Warriors responded with a 70-yard, 13-play drive capped by a 16-yard scamper by freshman JD Martin (Wetumpka, Ala.). The drive included East Central converting a fourth and eight from the Hinds 34 on a 23-yard run by freshman quarterback Holman Edwards (French Camp Academy). The point after was blocked and Hinds led 7-6.
The Eagles scored again on their second possession, this time going 65 yards in 10 plays. Walker hit Traveyon Craig from four yards for the score. The Hinds point after was blocked, and the Eagles led 13-6 late in the first quarter.
It wasn’t until the next to the last play of the first half that either team was able to put more points on the scoreboard. Following an interception by freshman linebacker Trenton Ladner (Hancock) with 1:17 to play in the half, the Warriors moved to the Hinds six. With :04 on the clock, Edwards connected with sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Zachery (Dayton, Ohio) on a slant pattern for the score. The point after attempt from Robens Beauplan (Lehigh Acres, Fla., Riverdale) was wide left and the No. 6 Eagles carried a 13-12 lead to the locker room.
East Central wasted little time taking the lead to start the third quarter. The Warriors drove 75 yards in just seven plays, with Martin scoring his second touchdown of the game this time from the nine. Edwards carried for the two-point conversion and East Central had its first lead of the game 20-13. Martin picked up 52 yards on three carries on the drive.
The East Central lead held until 23 seconds to play when Hinds tied the game in regulation and then kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime.
Both teams moved the ball well offensively, with the Warriors gaining 348 yards in total offense, including 215 on the ground. Hinds amassed 402 yards of total offense, with the majority of that coming through the air. Penalties also were a factor in the game as East Central was flagged 10 times for 85 yards to just five penalties on the Eagles.
