The Escambia Academy Cougars have been a team all season long that just refuses to quit. The same held true in their 26-21 win Friday night against the Macon East Knights.

Literally down to their last play, quarterback Michael Thompson found Tehron Stallworth in the end zone to give the Cougars a come-from-behind win over the Knights.

Together, Thompson and Stallworth accounted for all of the Cougars scores.

Stallworth started the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run. He followed that score with another 3-yard touchdown run. Despite his scores, the team found themselves down 14-12 at the conclusion of the third quarter.

Michael Thompson found the end zone on a quarterback sneak to put the Cougars on top 18-14. Timothy Finklea carried the 2-point conversion in to make the score 20-14.

With less than two minutes to play in the game, Macon East scored again and kicked the extra point to put the Knights in the lead 21-20.
The Cougars moved the ball to the 30-yard line with less than 10 seconds left in the game. A fade route to Winston Barron was unsuccessful, leaving one play left with only two seconds on the clock.

Fountain dialed up a play to the hot hand in the game, Tehron Stallworth and Stallworth came through with a 30-yard touchdown reception.

Thompson faced intense pressure, but managed to avoid getting sacked. After being flushed out of the pocket, he looked to the end zone and fired the ball to Stallworth. The big target showed tremendous concentration to come down with the catch and win the game for the Cougars.

“We had battled them all game,” Escambia Academy head coach Hugh Fountain said. “We had so many close ones. I was really proud for the kids. We kept our composure and ended up making the play at the end.”

On the defensive side of the ball, both Garrett Kirk and defensive end J.P. Sawyer made key tackles and had strong overall performances for the team.

While the final game of the regular season is big for any senior player, the two seniors who accounted for all of the team’s scoring made sure the game would be special for every senior Cougar player. Fountain praised all his seniors.

“They had a new coach this year,” Fountain said. “I appreciate their efforts listening to me. Sometimes, it’s hard when you’re starting over. It was a very fitting end to our season.”

The win over Macon East ensured that whatever happens next week against Tuscaloosa Academy, the team will finish the season with a winning record. Currently, their overall record is 6-4.

Escambia Academy will travel to Tuscaloosa next Friday, Nov. 2 to play Tuscaloosa Academy for their first round playoff game with kickoff at 7 p.m.