Phoenix earn gritty road win
BREMEN -Sonoraville and Bremen both came into Friday’s 6-AAA South opener knowing the importance of getting a win to make sure they didn’t start 0-1 in the subregion and dig themselves an early hole. And each side played like it in a playoff-type atmosphere.
What ensued was a back-and-forth affair in the first half and a defensive battle in the second half. When the dust settled, it was the Phoenix who made enough plays down the stretch to pull out a gritty 28-21 road win.
“This was a total team effort,” said Sonoraville coach Jim Kremer. “We knew if our offense could find a way to get some things done and our defense continued to play as well as it had, we could get this win. But Bremen earned every yard they got, and people are going to find out quick how good a team they are. I’m proud of my kids. We held our composure in a hostile environment. I feel like that fuels our players, and every time our back is against the wall, they respond well.”
After the first half was filled with momentum shifts back and forth as Sonoraville (4-2, 1-0 subregion) held a 21-14 halftime lead, the second half was a battle between the two defenses. The Phoenix defensive unit didn’t allow a single point. (Bremen’s lone secondhalf score came on a 60-yard interception return by Kyle Bailey.) They came up with several huge stops on their side of the 50 and got a fumble recovery at the Bremen 19 from Tate Moore to set up what would prove to be the game-winning score. A couple plays later, Sonoraville quarterback Patrick Moore scrambled 16 yards into the end zone to make it 28-14 in favor of the Phoenix with 6:41 to play.
The Blue Devils (3-3, 0-1) got Bailey’s interception return to pull within one possession, but Sonoraville’s defense once again responded with a stop on Bremen’s next offensive possession, forcing a punt. The Phoenix offense was then able to put together a few first downs to ice the game. Tristan Key and Patrick Moore had several big runs on the drive. Key finished as Sonoraville’s leading rusher with 124 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown, and Patrick Moore rushed for 85 yards and two scores.
Bremen got a huge night from Bailey, who rushed for 214 yards on 25 carries with 174 yards coming in the first half before Sonoraville’s defense clamped down in the final two quarters.
Sonoraville started the wild, roller-coaster first half with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Moore to Bailey Reece on a possession that followed a Bremen fumble recovered by Sonoraville’s Ryan McCallion.
After a fourth-down stop, the Phoenix struck again, this time scoring on a 47-yard TD run by Patrick Moore on the first play of the second quarter, which was a 4th-and-2.
But Bremen responded to get right back in it with a quick touchdown drive that was set up by the running of Bailey before it culminated in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Wade Cartwright to Chipper Taylor.
The Blue Devils defense got a fumble recovery of their own on Sonoraville’s next possession with Logan Johnson coming up with the ball at the Phoenix 23. But they couldn’t capitalize as they missed a 39-yard field goal, and Sonoraville followed with an 80-yard touchdown run by Key to make it 21-7.
Bremen got the final score of the half midway through the second quarter on a one-yard plunge by Cartwright to make it 21-14, which would hold up at the half. Sonoraville’s Tate Moore came down with an interception to stop one possession for Bremen and then the two defenses traded stops.
Kremer said it was a big win with only four other teams in 6-AAA South.
“When you’re only in a four-team subregion, each game is huge,” said Kremer. “We have some goals that we’ve established, but we’re just going to take one game at a time. I think this game will catapult us to another level and hopefully we can continue playing well down the stretch.”
Sonoraville is back home next Friday to host Haralson County in another subregion showdown.