By Jack Veltri
Correspondent
INDIAN LAND – Nation Ford head football coach Michael Allen already made up his mind. He knew before it even happened, if his team had a shot to win on Friday, he was going all in.
With less than a minute to go, the Falcons trailed the Indian Land Warriors by a touchdown. They had two prior chances to tie the game but failed to convert on fourth down both times. But then, the defense forced a turnover, giving Allen’s squad one last go at it.
As each second ticked off the clock, the chances of pulling off a win were less and less. At some point in the drive, it was going to take a miracle play to tie the game.
With six seconds to go, Falcons quarterback Kaden Barnette rolled out to his right. He heaved it up from the 31-yard line, hoping it would find the hands of his receivers. Once the ball reached the end zone, it rattled around until it landed into Lucas Barz’ arms. Nation Ford had done the unthinkable and moved within an extra point of tying it up as time expired.
When it came time to make his next move, Allen had it all drawn up. He wasn’t settling for overtime. It was win or go home.
“I already told the OC that we’ve lost a lot of guys,” Allen said. “They’re down, they’re on their heels. No matter when we score, if we score, we’re going for two. So that was decided with six minutes to go in the game.”
As if a prayer to the end zone wasn’t enough, Nation Ford had one more trick up its sleeve. After being bumped back a few yards by a penalty, wide receiver Josh Ameo ran a great route and found himself open in the corner of the end zone. As the pass came his way, he leaned near the front pylon and hauled in the game-winning catch.
In a come from behind effort, the Falcons pulled off a stunning 29-28 win over Indian Land in the season opener.
“We were just able to keep fighting and somehow find a way to win,” Allen said. “And that’s what makes this game so great. Moments like this, there’s no money that you can put on it, there’s nothing. It’s very hard to articulate it. It’s a great moment for our team, and I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of our coaching staff, and the fans hung in there as well. We’ll take it, man. That was a hard-fought win.”
For most of the night, Indian Land controlled the momentum in the game. The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead within the first seven minutes of the game. But Nation Ford got back in it with a 31-yard touchdown catch from Ameo, followed by a scoop and score from the defense.
Just when it seemed the momentum was back in the Falcons’ corner, Indian Land’s Sequel Patterson took it right back. On the next possession, he made a handful of tacklers miss as he raced into the end zone on a 25-yard run to retake the lead going into the second half.
It was one of three touchdowns that Patterson, who’s listed as a freshman quarterback, had in the game. He proved to be a challenge for the defense all night as he was able to make an impact as a receiver, runner and passer.
“I’ve faced a bunch of them through the years. You do it 39 years like me, you’re going to see kids like that,” said Allen, when asked if he had ever seen a talent like Patterson before. “What a tremendous athlete that kid was. Again, (Indian Land) is loaded with talent. They got it.”
Eventually, Nation Ford forced Patterson to make a mistake when he threw up a long pass that was intercepted midway through the fourth quarter. And from then on, everything changed.
On the ensuing drive, the Falcons began moving into Indian Land territory. Barnette was able to connect with Jaydon Scott, making it a one possession game.
Just as the offense was starting to wake up, the defense continued to make stop after stop. It gave the Falcons the boost they desperately needed to find a way to win.
“It’s a double-edged sword there,” Allen said. “The defense really stepped it up there in the second half.”
Nation Ford will have an opportunity to build off the momentum from the last-second win when it faces York at home next Friday, Aug. 25.
