HEPHZIBAH – Holden Rippe broke up Jalen Patrick’s pass to Antonio Heath at the goal line on the final play of the game to preserve a 17-14 road win for Harlem over Hephzibah Friday night. After the final play, Harlem and its devoted fan base celebrated the 2-0 start to region play for the Bulldogs, who have won six of their first seven games to start the season.
Hephzibah fell barely short of completing a comeback for the ages after forcing two turnovers in the final three-and-a-half minutes of play. The Rebels converted the first Harlem mishap into a touchdown on a three-play, 65-yard drive that cut the deficit to 17-14. Patrick’s 5-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion by Telly Johnson was made possible after Patrick hit Heath on a 50-yard bomb on the second play of the drive.
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After the ensuing kickoff, Harlem took over on their own 35-yard line only to toss an interception two plays later on third-and-long to Deshaun Lewis, who caught the ball deep in Hephzibah’s territory. After a penalty on the return, Hephzibah started at its own 22-yard line and proceeded to march 68 yards in nine plays over a two-minute time span before falling short at the goal line.
After the game, Rippe explained the play he made on the deciding play, and how he wanted to make up for having given up the 50-yard completion to Heath on the preceding drive.
“On the drive before, I gave up a big completion,“ Rippe said. “And coach had been telling me to keep my head up. I knew they were going to run the slant. They’d been running it a lot. I saw them run it and I just dove at the ball, and he dropped it.”
The play made for the final swing in momentum during a second half that featured two distinct spurts by the region rivals. Harlem was kept out of the end zone the entire first half and fell behind 6-3 at the break. But the Bulldogs sprang to life when Taylor Hart recovered a fumble by Johnson at Harlem’s 35-yard line with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Immediately after Harlem took possession, senior running back Jason Williams went to work. Williams carried the ball on four consecutive plays, gaining 10, 16 and 29 yards on the first three. The 29-yard gain was the most electric play of the game because Williams broke through the line and avoided a sure tackle by hurdling high over a defender, making the entire Harlem crowd gasp at once.
Williams had his helmet knocked off on the fourth carry and was forced to the sideline. But he returned two plays later to rush for a 5-yard touchdown that gave Harlem a 10-6 lead with 3:44 left in the third quarter. Williams rushed for 64 of the 65 yards gained for the Bulldogs on the touchdown drive. And he gained 122 yards on 22 carries for the game.
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After Hephzibah was unable to answer, Harlem took over on its own 33-yard line and marched for another touchdown. This time it took the Bulldogs eight plays to go 67 yards for a score. Williams again made an inspiring run, a 14-yard dash around the left end in which he broke arm tackle after arm tackle before finally stepping out of bounds. And one play later Ryan Newman hit Jackson Rockefeller for a 23-yard touchdown strike that gave the Bulldogs what seemed like an insurmountable 17-6 advantage with 9:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But one shouldn’t count out Hephzibah’s capable offense, which is led by the explosive, playmaking quarterback Patrick, who completed 16 of 21 passes for 178 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Eric Grant, Patrick’s favorite target, recorded 8 receptions for 81 yards.
Jordan Bowers led a tenacious group of Harlem defenders with 10 tackles, including five for a loss. Wyatt McCullough added two tackles for a loss and a sack. Matthew Williams tallied two tackles for a loss, and Landen Beale made six tackles, one for a loss.
Hephzibah’s other touchdown was scored by Johnson, who rushed for 50 yards in the game. The Revels fell to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in region play.
Chad Cook is a sports columnist who is known on the field and court as AugBball. Follow him on Instagram @AugBBall
