Paden ful | Sport
by Scott Herps
Nov 16, 2007 | 81 views | 0 0 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The third time was the charm for Gordon Lee senior Paden Harris.

After a wild chain of events on the game's final play, Harris, who had missed two field goals on the night, split the uprights from 31 yards out on an untimed down to give the Trojans an improbable 16-14 over visiting Commmerce in the first round of the Class A state playoffs.

Harris had pushed a 36-yarder wide right at the end of the first half and pushed a 31-yard attempt to the right with 59 seconds to play that looked to signal the end of the Trojans' season.

But the football gods intervened.

Gordon Lee (6-5) used their timeouts and stopped the Tigers on downs, forcing a punt. The ball was blown dead at midfield giving Gordon Lee one final shot with three ticks left on the clock.

Quarterback Josh Weller dropped back and launched a pass downfield, which was tipped twice before being grabbed by receiver Jordan Afman. Afman broke one tackle, but was unable to break a second as he was brought down at the Commerce 29 after the horn sounded.

Then the flags began to fly.

Commerce (6-5) was flagged for two fouls, a roughing the passer penalty in the Gordon Lee backfield and an unsportsmanlike call at the end of the play. The Trojans were also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, offsetting the same call on the Tigers.

However, the roughing penalty was enforced from the end of the play, moving the ball to the Commerce 14 and giving Harris one final chance. The kick was true sending the sleepy northwest Georgia town into a state of delirium.

It was unbelievable ending to a classic playoff football game.

Gordon Lee held the high-powered Commerce offense in check in the first half, giving up just 60 total yards and three first downs. But a fumble and two fourth-down stops by the Tigers defense allowed the home team to take only a 7-0 lead into the locker room.

After stopping the Trojans on the first possession of the second half, Commerce finally got on track, driving 80 yards in 13 plays. Reuben Haynes snuck it in from a yard out and Cameron Billings kick tied the game at seven late in the third quarter.

The Trojans countered with a eight-play, 73-yard march, helped by a crucial 15-yard personal foul on the Tigers. Jacob Groce, who scored the Trojans first touchdown of the night on a two-yard plunge, carried seven times on the drive before a nifty 11-yard scoring run. But Harris missed the extra point and the Gordon Lee's lead was only 13-7 with 10:30 to play.

Back came the Tigers on another six-minute drive, this one covering 80 yards in 11 plays. Cohen Cooke had a big 19-yard catch on fourth down before Haynes ran it in from two yards out. Billings' kick gave Commerce a one-point lead with 4:44 to play, a lead that looked to be enough before the wild events of the game's final two plays.

The Trojans rushed 48 times for 306 yards. Groce finished with 27 carries for a workmanlike 161 yards while Weller carried 10 times for 112 yards. He was also 3-of-5 in the air for 31 yards, all to Afman.

Haynes was held to just 11 yards rushing in the first half and finished with 17 carries for 86 yards. He completed 5-of-13 passes, all to Cooke, for 60 yards. The Tigers got 55 yards on 13 carries by Jon Cash, but were held to 153 yards rushing as a team.

Gordon Lee will play at Fellowship Christian in round two. Fellowship edged Wilkinson County, 3-0
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