Williams Late Field Goal Lifts Soddy Daisy

Trojans Rally To Beat Red Bank In 24-23 Thriller

  • Friday, October 4, 2024
  • John Hunt
Soddy Daisy's Alex Pinson hands off to Tucker Ross Friday against Red Bank. A late field goal by Calum Williams gave the Trojans a slim 24-23 win over Red Bank.
Soddy Daisy's Alex Pinson hands off to Tucker Ross Friday against Red Bank. A late field goal by Calum Williams gave the Trojans a slim 24-23 win over Red Bank.
photo by M.A. Locke

Josh Owensby has won some mighty big football games in his short career as a high school head coach, but none have been any bigger than the one his Soddy Daisy Trojans pulled off Friday night.

It took a 20-yard field goal from junior Calum Williams with two seconds to play to secure the heart-stirring 24-23 victory over the Red Bank Lions at Soddy Daisy’s Robert Talaska Field.

What a nice reward for the Trojan kicker, who had missed a 22-yarder midway through the final stanza, but more than made up for it with his game-winning boot that split the uprights.

“That was a scary moment for me. I felt terrible after missing the first one, but I was ready when I got the second chance and I just had to make it,” Williams said shortly after the final horn had sounded.

That first miss was a chance for the Trojans to regain the lead after Joe Thompson had given the Lions a 23-21 lead with a 29-yarder with 4:32 left in the third stanza.

The Soddy Daisy defense stood tall and forced a Lion punt that went out of bounds at the 27 with 1:44 to play. The Trojans were out of timeouts at this point, but a huge pass play from Alex Pinson to Max Bowman covered 53 yards and put the Trojans in business at the 15.

A Red Bank penalty moved the ball to the 8 where Soddy Daisy gained five yards on three rushing attempts before Williams made the biggest kick of his life.

Soddy Daisy’s Owensby was almost speechless following the game.

“That first attempt was a chance for us to win the game, but he stepped up and made it when it counted,” the coach began.

“What a great throw and catch to put us in that position, but what a big win for Soddy Daisy football. Red Bank has a great football team and we said from the beginning that our success had to go through Red Bank and Loudon.

“This was just another huge test for us to pass. We made some defensive adjustments at halftime that were huge, but we scored just enough points to win. What a night,” he concluded with a smile.

Red Bank coach Ted Gatewood has been involved with games like this in the past, but his teams normally come out on top. He was pretty matter of fact when talking about his team’s latest loss.

“What a great game. It came down to a play or two and which team made it when it counted. Josh has done a great job with his kids and they are to be congratulated on a great win. We just have to regroup and get better,” he nodded.

The Trojans took the opening kickoff and marched 56 yards in 11 plays, scoring the first touchdown on a run from the 6 by Gage Welch, who led the Trojans with 90 yards on 16 carries before getting hurt late.

Red Bank answered in a hurry as Josiah Featherstone raced 46 yards for the tying score on a sweep where he started right and made a sharp reversal to score on the other side of the field. The kick was blocked, leaving the Trojans ahead 7-6 when the first quarter ended.

The Lions scored on their next two possessions as well and had a 20-14 lead at intermission.

Olivir Merritt put the Lions ahead with a run from the 5 while a nifty 65-yard pass play from Logan McGinnis to Cayden Loveless with 2:13 before halftime gave Red Bank a 20-14 lead at the break.

Soddy Daisy had regained the lead briefly when Pinson hooked up with Bowman on a 43-yard TD strike at the 3:40 mark.

The Soddy Daisy has allowed 249 yards in the first half, but those adjustments limited the Lions to just 115 yards in the final two quarters and just the one field goal.

Welch added his second touchdown midway through the third quarter, setting the stage for Williams’ heroic kick at the end.

Soddy Daisy ended the game with 304 total yards, including 186 on the ground and 118 through the air. Welch was the leading rusher while Bowman was the leading receiver with four catches for 116 yards and the one TD.

Soddy Daisy will be at home again next week to play East Ridge while Red Bank will be the road again at Sequoyah.

SCORING SUMMARY

RED BANK

6

14

3

0

--23

SODDY DAISY

7

7

7

3

-- 24

SD – Gage Welch 6 run (Calum Williams kick), 6:03 left in first;

RB – Josiah Featherstone 46 run (kick blocked), :17.7 left in first;

RB – Olivir Merritt 5 run (Joe Thompson kick), 5:23 left in second;

SD – Max Bowman 43 pass from Alex Pinson (Williams kick), 3:40 left in second;

RB – Cayden Loveless 65 pass from Logan McGinnis (Thompson kick), 2:13 left in second;

SD – Welch 5 run (Williams kick), 7:13 left in third;

RB – Thompson 29 field goal, 4:32 left in third;

SD – Williams 20 field goal, :02 left in fourth.

STATS

RB

SD

First Downs

13

15

Rushes-Yards

31-222

41=186

Passing Yards

142

118

Total yards

364

304

Passing (Comp-Att-Int)

6-8-0

5-11-1

Punts-Average

2-12.5

0-0.00

Fumbles-Lost

1-0

0-0

Penalties-Yards

6-58

4-45

INDIVIDUAL STATS:

RED BANK RUSHING: Olivir Merritt 18 for 125 yards and one TD; Josiah Featherstone 9 for 64 and one TD; Logan McGinnis 4 for 33.

RED BANK RECEIVING: Drayden Collier 3 for 39 yards; Josiah Featherstone 2 for 38; Cayden Loveless 1 for 65 and a TD.

RED BANK PASSING: Logan McGinnis 6 of 8 for 142 yards.

SODDY DAISY RUSHING: Gage Welch 16 for 90 yards and two TDs; Tucker Ross 13 for 59; Alex Pinson 8 for 26.

SODDY DAISY RECEIVING: Max Bowman 4 for 116 yards and one TD; Gage Welch 1 for 2.

SODDY DAISY PASSING: Alex Pinson 5 of 11 for 118 yards with one TD and one interception.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)

Prep Sports
PREP SCHEDULES
  • 12/30/2024

Prep Schedules for Week of: November 4th All times are local to the event (Coaches/ADs: Please send any schedule corrections or additions to Dennis Norwood, Prep Sports Editor, at ... more

Bradley Central Falls To Bearden, Misses Playoff Berth
  • 11/2/2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Despite struggling through a hard luck season, the proud Bradley Central football program didn't go down without a fight Friday, closing out the season with a tough loss at ... more

Silverdale Sinks CAK 28-16 Behind Connor Jenne's Big Night
  • 11/2/2024

Silverdale clinched the number two seed in the East Region of DII-AA with a comeback 28-16 win over Christian Academy oi Knoxville Friday night on the Seahawks home turf. As such, they will host ... more