Bessemer tops Cougars, 32-14
Published 9:55 pm Friday, October 31, 2014
Escambia Academy running back Tim Finklea tries to break the tackle of a Bessemer Academy defender Friday night. Finklea scored a touchdown in No. 3 EA’s 32-14 loss to the second-ranked Rebels.
No. 2 Bessemer Academy beat No. 3 Escambia Academy 32-14 Friday night, in a battle of unbeaten teams at Bachelor Field in Canoe.
EA finished the regular season with a record of 8-1 and will host Glenwood next Friday in the first round of the AISA Class AAA playoffs. During the regular season, EA defeated Glenwood, 41-0, on Friday, Oct. 24.
Against Bessemer, EA fell behind 24-0 after three quarters before making a late rally. Tim Finklea scored a 21-yard touchdown run with 7:51 left in the game, and the two-point conversion was no good, cutting Bessemer’s lead to 24-6. The Rebels answered right back with an 87-yard touchdown pass with 6:39 left.
EA closed out its scoring when Kris Brown scored on a 3-yard touchdown with 2:30 remaining. Brown also ran for the two-point conversion.
“We just made too many mistakes tonight and gave them an insurmountable lead,” EA coach Hugh Fountain said. “In the second half, we went back to our running game and did the things we like to do. I’m proud of our kids for battling back.”
Bessemer and EA are on opposite sides of the Class AAA playoff bracket, and it is possible the two teams could meet again in the postseason.
“Now that we’ve felt what it’s like to lose a game, maybe it will keep us motivated to not have to experience that feeling again,” Fountain said.
For more on this game, see the Wednesday, Nov. 5, edition of The Atmore Advance.
