Late FG sends Purple Wave home

Raiders prevail in defensive battle

In a hard-hitting game filled with stifling defense, the Baylor Red Raiders out of Chattanooga capitalized on several crucial errors by Christian Brothers to advance in the Division 2-AA state playoffs Friday night at CBHS.

The game seemed destined for overtime, but Baylor (8- 4) marched down the field for a 12-yard field goal by Colin Brewer with 6.8 seconds remaining.

The f irst- seeded Purple Wave (6-5) completed a pass, but Baylor corralled Cameron Sanders as time expired to win 10-7, ending the Brothers’ season.

“Just like I told our kids, as ugly as we played, we were still able to get the win, and that’s the mark of a good team,” Baylor coach Phil Massey said. “It’s so difficult to travel five hours, but I’m proud of how our team represented the east.”

Both offenses struggled in the opening half, but the Brothers mustered a scoring drive to close out the second quarter. After a pair of nice runs by Austin Lee, the Purple Wave’s quarterback, Keagan Voss, ran for a 3-yard TD, giving the Brothers a seven-point lead at the break.

The Red Raiders capitalized on a CBHS miscue midway through the third quarter. With no return men back for Baylor, the Brothers elected to fake a punt with the punter’s heels on his own goal line. The Red Raiders took over on the Purple Wave’s 14 after the pass fell incomplete, and Kalvin Watson found the end zone a few plays later from 1 yard to tie the score at 7-7.

The two squads battled for field position for the remainder of the third quarter until Baylor threatened with just under 10 minutes left in the game. A host of Brothers met Baylor’s quarterback, Nick Tiano, a Mississippi State commitment, on the far hash mark, sending the ball tumbling through the air. CBHS jumped on the ball to end the threat.

The ensuing drive ended with another special- teams fake by CBHS. The would-be 38-yard field goal attempt ended with a screen well short of the first- down marker, returning the ball to the Red Raiders.

Baylor drained the remaining time to set up Brewer’s winning kick.

“That’s all you can ask for — a short field goal to win the game,” Brewer said. “There was no chance it wasn’t going through. That’s what you work for all year, and I just love my teammates.”

Massey added that Brewer’s impact on the game went beyond the winning field goal.

“Colin Brewer did a great job for us all night,” he said. “He kept flipping the field with his punts, and he was able to come through for us at the end.”

Baylor advances to face Montgomery Bell Academy in the state semifinals next Friday.