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Gutsy victory
Alan Rogers
Jacob Wilson of Fred T. Foard (left) tries to get out of the grasp of Bandys' Dillon Crites
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Published: November 1, 2008
CATAWBA - When Fred T. Foard High head football coach Ryan Gettys heard perhaps his most conservative assistant encouraging him to "go for it" on Friday night, he figured it would be OK.
Faced with a fourth-and-1 at the Foard 32 in the closing two minutes and up by seven points over host Bandys, the Tigers called running back Quentin Owen's number for the 20th time.
Owens tacked nine yards onto the 253 he already had and the Tigers ran out the clock to beat Bandys 35-28 and wrap up the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A-3A Conference's No. 1 3A seed into the state playoffs.
Foard (9-1, 7-1) also stayed tied with Hibriten and Newton-Conover for the CVAC lead and can get at least a share of a league title for the first time since 1983 by beating St. Stephens at Foard on Friday night.
The decision to go for it and close Bandys (5-5, 4-4) out was just another one that went right in a special season for the Tigers.
"I was scared to death," said Gettys of trying to decide what to do on the fourth down. "If we don't get it, it's possible they could tie it or take the lead.
"I hesitated, but then I heard my defensive back coach (Shawn Miller) say go for it. Oh man, that just makes it harder.
"He's usually real conservative… so I said 'Shoot, let's go for it.'"
Owens, who started the game by breaking a 75-yard run for a touchdown, saw a hole and darted his way through to make sure Foard reached nine wins for the first time in 26 years.
"It was the right call," said Owens, the first 1,000-yard rusher at Foard since B.J. Walton (1998). "I saw a hole open up and just cut through."
Both offenses cut through the defenses most of the night, combining for 887 yards (Bandys 452, Foard 435).
The Tigers had an early 14-0 lead, but the Trojans cut it to 14-12 when quarterback Kyle Houser (23-of-41 for 257 yards) hit Seth Cranfill (nine catches for 117 yards) twice for TDs.
Owens broke a 47-yard run for a TD with 56.9 seconds left in the first half and Jordan Thacker's PAT pushed the Tigers' lead to 21-12 by the half.
After Bandys drove to the Foard 4, Houser was intercepted in end zone by Jameel Owens. Foard then stretched its lead to 28-12 by driving 80 yards for a 3-yard TD run by Micah Huffman.
Houser hit Cranfill for a 27-yard TD as time expired in the third quarter and threw to Logan Rowe for a two-point conversion to keep Bandys in it.
That's when the Foard defense stepped up, twice stopping the Trojans on downs early in the fourth quarter – once at the Tigers 47 and once, after Quentin Owens lost a fumble and Bandys recovered, at the Tigers 40.
Five plays later, Quentin Owens got to the right sideline and went 27 yards for a TD and a 35-20 lead with 4:31 to play.
Bandys, which set a CVAC record with 29 first downs, then went 70 yards for a TD on a 17-yard pass from Houser to Bradley Rowe. Houser threw to Cranfill and, with 2:01 to play, it was a seven-point game.
Foard started its last drive at its 23, then suddenly faced a big-time decision on fourth down.
"I had an idea they would (go for it)," said Bandys head coach Randy Lowman. "It had gotten to the point with us offensively that the best bet was not to give it back to us."
Bandys did not touch the ball again, leaving Newton-Conover as the only team that has touched Foard's record.
Playing with a quiet confidence, the Tigers made big play after big play to win.
"They've got that swagger," said Lowman. "And when you've got a kid like the Owens kid he gives you a little extra confidence.
"They play at the speed they want to, they've got two backs they can run in and out of there and they don't really lose anything and they play solid defense."
Quentin Owens was the Friday night workhorse, more than offsetting 184 yards rushing by Bandys' Josh McCombs, who was trying to become the first CVAC running back with five straight 200-yard games.
"We played good tonight," said Lowman. "What's so good about them (the Tigers) is they do their stuff.
"They don't try to reach and grab (for plays). There's no smoke and mirrors. If it doesn't work, they just line up and come at you again."
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