Beaufort High pulls out heart-stopping win

The Beaufort High School defense stopped West Ashley quarterback K.J. Cohen on a sneak from inside the 1-yard line as time expired to give the Eagles a heart-stopping 28-23 victory over the Wildcats.

West Ashley began its last drive at its own 29 with 1:31 to play. Cohen hit Markell Heyward for a 29-yard gain to the Eagle 1 with 11 seconds left, but Wildcat receiver Jon Valles suffered a severe leg injury on the play that caused about a 10-minute delay. When play resumed, the Eagles were hit with two consecutive penalties for too many men on the field, which moved the ball almost to the goal line. But Cohen was stopped just short of completing an amazing West Ashley comeback.

The final play was anticipated by Beaufort coach Mark Clifford.

"We run a drill every Monday called 'Oklahoma' where our defensive line works on pushing the offensive line back." said Clifford. "As close as the ball was, we were anticipating the quarterback sneak."

West Ashley coach Bobby Marion, in his second season with the Wildcats, saw it differently.

"We thought Markell got in on the long pass, and thought K.J. got in on the last play," he said. "But I am very proud of this football team. Now, instead of maybe being a series away from winning, we're only a play away."

The Wildcats (2-3) got on the board first on their initial drive of the game. Patrick Adkins capped a 10-play drive with a 34-yard field goal.

Beaufort went ahead late in the first quarter when sophomore tailback Josh McPherson broke three tackles and scored from 13 yards out to make it 7-3. On the Eagles' next drive, senior quarterbak Blake Gruel hit Brad Gonzales from 14 yards out to make it 14-3. The play capped a 14-play 83-yard drive that was all on the ground until the TD pass.

"We generally like to throw more," said Clifford, "but they did a good job defending the pass."

West Ashley cut the lead to 14-10 when Marquel Graham scored from 9 yards out, but the Wildcats then missed a golden opportunity to score points at the end of the half. On first and goal at the Eagle 9, Cohen stumbled and lost two yards. Two plays later, he again lost his footing after being stepped on by his offensive lineman and the Wildcats had to settle for a field-goal attempt. Adkins' kick from 31 yards was blocked by senior Jimmy Legree at the end of the first half.

"Not getting points there really hurt," said Marion.

Eagle senior Andre Carpernter scored from the 3 with 4:28 left in the third quarter to make it 21-10, and scored again at the beginning of the fourth quarter from the 1 for a seemingly insurmountable 28-10 lead.

But the Wildcats came roaring back. On their next drive, tailback Rodney Scott raced down the right sideline from 39 yards to make it 28-17.

On their next possession, Graham scored his second TD of the game, this one from 10 yards out to make it 28-23. The two-point conversion pass failed.

West Ashley then forced an Eagle punt, and after an 8-yard kick, the Wildcats set sail on their dramatic game-ending drive. But the Eagle defensive front ended West Ashley's bid for their third win of the year.

For the second straight game, the Wildcats gave up two 100-yard rushers, as McPherson had 114 yards on 10 carries and Gonzales had 101 yards on 20 carries for Beaufort.

Cohen had 100 yards on the ground for the Wildcats and was 14-for-25 for 160 yards through the air. Scott added 75 yards on the ground for West Ashley.

Beaufort will host James Island next week, while West Ashley travels to Summerville.