November 20, 2021
By Glendon Poe
Special to East Alabama Sports Today
Wildcats use ball-control offense, ‘lights out’ defense to get past three-time reigning champion Fyffe and set up 3A semifinal rematch with Piedmont
FYFFE – Jonathan Miller had a feeling his Saks football team would have a good game on the defensive side of the ball.
After going through an eye-opening experience that almost put them out of the playoffs in the first round, the Wildcats have upped their focus to detail.
They needed every bit of it in their Class 3A quarterfinal game against one of the best programs in the state and they delivered on several occasions in a 14-7 victory at Fyffe.
“Any time you go on the road this late in the year and win a playoff game, it’s a big deal,” Miller said. “Especially with it being a seasoned team like Fyffe that has been there, done that for many years.
“It’s’ a big win for our kids. They prepared well all week. We played hard and got after it. We just made a couple more plays than they did.”
When the Fyffe Red Devils are playing at home, head coach Paul Benefield always likes their chances.
Even when the Red Devils trailed 8-0 at halftime — something the Big Red Machine hasn’t done all season — the veteran head coach knew the game was still up for grabs.
But Wildcats quarterback Sean Parnell’s second-half rushing effort allowed the Region 5 champions to chew up time and ultimately upset the three-time reigning champions.
“When your kids play hard and do the best they can do and you finish 10-2 in the quarterfinals, you have to be proud of them,” Benefield said. “…There’ll be another day for Fyffe.”
Another day for the Wildcats (12-1) comes Friday when they host region rival Piedmont (10-2) in the semifinals. It will be Saks’ first trip to the semis since 2017 and third in Miller’s tenure.
The Bulldogs won the regular-season meeting between the teams 28-12, but Saks hasn’t lost since. The Wildcats are riding a 10-game winning streak into the game. [**read more]
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