There was major drama in North Carolina's 3A high school football state playoffs Thursday night as
Terry Sanford (Fayetteville) advanced to the third round with a tipped-ball Hail Mary as time expired.
Down 55-52 against
Scotland (Laurinburg) with two seconds to play, backup quarterback
Jaylen Wright of Terry Sanford (10-2) took the snap, dropped back and hurled a 36-yard prayer into the end zone. As the ball spiraled down, it was tipped by two Scotland defenders before landing in the hands of senior wide receiver
Patrick Shook for a 58-55 win.
"When the ball was caught, I couldn’t really see who it was, but I would have bet it was Shook," Terry Sanford head coach Bruce McClelland told
The Fayeteville Observer. ". … He’s just always in the right spot."
See the miracle play here:
Wright came into the game late in the fourth quarter after the starting quarterback left following a big hit. He had thrown for just 132 yards all season but his poise helped the Bulldogs set up a meeting with Eastern Alamance in the round of 16.
"It’s wild," McClelland said of Wright's late entrance in the game. "Just for him to be that cool under pressure and come in for the last four of five plays was amazing."
Scotland received a noteworthy performance in a losing effort from junior running back
Zay Jones, who ran for 323 yards and five touchdowns.
Terry Sanford senior wide receiver Patrick Shook caught a Hail Mary after it was tipped by a defender to win a North Carolina playoff game 58-55 with no time remaining. (File Photo: Matthew Plyler)
