Late rally by Coosa ends Lanett’s title bid
BY ROB DAVIS
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — Coosa Christian scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the game to defeat the Lanett Panthers 29-22 in Friday’s 2A State Football Championship at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
It was the first-ever state championship for the Conquerors and the eighth high school state championship for Coosa head coach Rush Propst. Propst took over the Coosa football program in late August of this year after the suspension of the team’s previous head coach. Following the game, Propst said that this championship was perhaps his most challenging to achieve.
“Knowing the circumstances we were dealing with, this has probably been the most difficult job I’ve ever had to do,” Propst said. “Anytime you have a transition there’s going to be resistance. The bottom line is these players bought in. These players had my back and they had each other’s back.”
Lanett running back Nadarious Morgan had a monster game, carrying the ball 19 times for 185 yards. And with just over five minutes to play in the game Morgan took a hand-off and broke three tackles before racing down the right sideline for 67-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 22-14 lead.
From there Coosa took control of the line of scrimmage. On their next possession the Conquerors methodically moved the ball 60 yards down to the Lanett 4-yard line. Facing third-and-goal, running back Kylen Johnson bulled his way in for the touchdown. Down by two points Coosa decided to go for the two-point conversion. Senior wideout LJ Mostella caught a pass in the left corner of the end zone to tie the score at 22 with 3:20 left to play.
“We had a really good drive and scored and then we flipped it when we got the pick,” Propst said. “We were able to score again and the rest is history.”
With the score tied, Coosa found themselves at their own 45 with 2:32 remaining in regulation. With their workhorse Johnson on the sideline with an injury, the game fell in the hands of Coosa quarterback Mac Long. The sophomore QB looked like a veteran as he took command of the game and capped a five-play drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. Kicker Jorge Cantellano added the extra point to give the Conquerors a 29-22 lead with just 22 seconds left in the game.
“We were really just trying to run out the clock so they wouldn’t have any time left,” Coosa quarterback Mac Long said. “I kept handing the ball off to Joseph East just trying to get the defensive end to bite. I finally got him to bite real good, and I was able to keep it and score.”
Lanett made one last valiant effort to tie the game, but Coosa had succeeded in giving the Panthers little time to work with. Following the game, Lanett head coach RJ McDonald said he was heartbroken for his players, but he was also reflective about the season and leading his team to the state championship.
“This is a tough one,” McDonald said. “The boys fought hard. They played resilient all year long. We talked extensively back in January that we want to get back to the standard, and the standard is championships. These guys bought in even though sometimes it was tough. They got here when nobody really believed in them except for the guys in that locker room. I just want them to know how proud I am of them not just as players, but also the young men they’ve developed into.”
Coosa scored first midway through the first quarter when Long hit Johnson on a quick slant over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown. Lanett answered on their next possession. Morgan carried the ball seven times on the 78-yard drive, but it was quarterback Fred Broughton who took it in from 21 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was blocked by Coosa defensive end Radley Mays and the first quarter ended with Coosa leading 7-6.
Set up by a 59-yard pass play from Long to Mostella, Johnson scored on a 3-yard run to extend the Coosa lead. But with under two minutes left in the first half, Morgan scored for Lanett from the 3-yard line. The Panthers decided to go for two to tie the score but Morgan was stopped just short of the goal line.
“I love these guys,” Morgan said. “I’m a senior and there’s been a lot of ups and downs. I just wanted to help bring the team back to the state championship. We practiced hard all year to get the job done. It’s going to be hard for me to leave. I’m really going to miss these guys and these coaches.”
