Football playoffs: ‘This is what we wanted.’ Sayre fends off Paris to remain unbeaten.
Despite all that Sayre’s undefeated football team has done — two straight 12-win seasons, a historic No. 1 Class A ranking in in the final media poll and the No. 2 ranking in the KHSAA’s RPI standings — the Spartans still have their doubters.
When Paris rallied for a 20-20 tie at Sayre with 5:30 to play in the third quarter of their second-round playoff game on Friday, the Spartans could have given into those doubts.
They chose differently.
Sayre (12-0) scored 21 unanswered points on a pair of touchdown passes from Luke Pennington to Brock Coffman and another to Charlie Slabaugh as its defense stopped the Greyhounds on downs on each of their last three drives to pull away for a 41-20 win at home.
“This is what we wanted. We’ve been waiting for this moment our whole season,” said Coffman, who finished with 11 receptions for 176 yards and three TDs. “Everybody said we don’t play anybody. But when we get somebody to play, we go out and we do what we do.”
The Greyhounds (7-5), ranked No. 9 in the Class A RPI standings, shrugged off a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter and a disastrous sequence at the end of the first half.
Trailing 20-6, Paris couldn’t convert a fourth down at the Spartans’ 23-yard line with 53.2 seconds left in the half. But the Greyhounds caught a break on the next play as Luke Pennington’s pass into the left flat tipped into the hands of Brandon Santiago for an interception. A penalty gave Paris the ball at the Sayre 10-yard line with 47.6 seconds to play before the break.
The Greyhounds got as far as the 3-yard line before Sayre turned them back for the second turnover on downs in the Spartans’ territory in less than a minute.
Sayre coach Chad Pennington took the blame for the play call that led to his son’s first interception of the year.
“I was very proud of them for stepping up and saving me,” Pennington said of his defense.
Paris came out with purpose in the third quarter. Greyhounds quarterback Julius Gregory hit Elijah Webb on a 35-yard pass play to cut Sayre’s lead to 20-12 less than three minutes into the second half.
Moments later, Webb picked off Pennington at the Paris 30 and returned the ball to midfield.
Still, it looked like Sayre might be able to overcome that mistake and stymie Paris’ momentum.
But the Greyhounds converted a fourth-and-13 with a sensational trick play that helped tie the game. Gregory lateraled the ball to Shayne Bowling out to the left. Bowling then hit a wide-open Fred Carson for a 40-yard touchdown. Alex Koeder ran in the two-point conversion.
Coach Pennington later told his team that they could have folded at that moment. He liked how they responded.
“I really liked their demeanor. They didn’t panic,” Coach Pennington said. “There it was 20-20 with five minutes left in the third quarter and you either make plays or you don’t. … They really became stronger and relied on each other.”
Luke Pennington went 18-for-22 passing for 245 yards and five TDs. He had a rushing score as well. His first-half TD throws went to Coffman and Jackson Stuart as Sayre built a 14-0 lead. Paris got a first-half TD on a pass from Kaden Frederick to Latonio Leavell.
“We showed in that second half what it looks like when we respond to adversity,” Luke Pennington said. “We’ve got a lot of things to work on, which is great. When you can beat a team 41-20 and play bad but still win by three scores, it shows that you’re a very talented team and you have playmakers.”
Next, Sayre will host three-time defending state champion Pikeville (7-5). The Panthers rank as the No. 8 team in the RPI standings thanks to an extremely difficult schedule that saw Pikeville lose four of its first five games to mostly ranked teams in bigger classes.
“We played in Pikeville’s district for two years. We played them three years in a row. We know what they’re about,” Coach Pennington said. “We know based on their schedule — the teams they play and the teams that won’t play them — we know where they are right now. … We know what we’re up against.”
Results from other Lexington games
Frederick Douglass 49, George Rogers Clark 20: After ceding a 14-0 lead to the Cardinals (5-7) less than six minutes into the game, the Broncos (8-4) scored 42 unanswered to take control.
Dakari Talbert rushed for 124 yards to help set up teammates Derion Talbert, Jaxon Strautman and Peyton Smith for touchdown plays. Strautman also had TD passes of 15 and 61 yards to Aveion Chenault. Chenault added a 66-yard punt return touchdown.
Clark benefited from two Douglass miscues in the first quarter.
The Cards stuffed a fourth-and-1 on Douglass’ 17-yard line. Two plays later, Trey Davis ran in a touchdown from 12 yards out to help put Clark up 7-0 with 7:46 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Douglass fumbled the ball at its own 32-yard line. Clark struck on the first play after the turnover with a 32-yard TD pass from Sam Clements to Kamden McAlpin to help put the Cards up 14-0.
Douglass scored touchdowns on each of its next six possessions to pull away. Davis later scored on a 1-yard run for Clark in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Douglass will host Madison Central next week for a Class 6A region title.
Madison Central 21, Bryan Station 19: A pair of touchdown runs by Corinthian Barnes and another by Brian Mathis staked the Indians (7-4) to a 21-0 lead in the first half.
It took a defensive stop on a Bryan Station two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Derek McElwee tackled Bryan Station quarterback James Davis short of the goal line with 3:36 to play in the game.
The Defenders (7-5) had just blocked a 25-yard Madison Central field goal attempt and scored a touchdown on ZjaLijuon White’s 63-yard return.
Bryan Station cut Madison Central’s lead to 21-6 just before halftime on a 6-yard pass from James Davis to Montae Ashford. Davis threw a 12-yard TD pass to Demond Green to help cut the Defenders’ deficit to 21-13 with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
Lexington Catholic 42, East Carter 7: Brady Wasik threw for 209 yards and had TD passes to Jackson Kruetzer, Jack Wedding and Matthew Kern as the Knights won their sixth straight game after starting the season 0-6. Wasik also had an interception return on defense. Aven Blair and Duncan Guance scored rushing TDs for LexCath in the rout.
The Knights next travel to Class 3A No. 2 Bell County on Friday to play for a region title and spot in the state semifinals.
Lexington Christian 42, W.E.B. DuBois 6: Saxton Howard had a pair of TD runs and threw a TD pass to Tyler King as the the Eagles (10-2) rolled past district rival W.E.B. DuBois (5-7).
LCA established a mercy-rule 36-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Paxton Gray, Leland Edwards and Mac Darland also scored rushing TDs.
LCA will travel to Class 2A No. 2 Mayfield next Friday for the third year in a row to try to keep its state title hopes alive. The Cards won both of those prior meetings.
This story was originally published November 16, 2024 at 8:32 AM.
