Trailing 50-49 with just minutes remaining,
Bunker Hill (Claremont, N.C.) was stopped on fourth down. With no timeouts remaining for Bunker Hill, it seemed like
St. Stephens (Hickory, N.C.) would hang on for a one-point victory.
That's when things got a little crazy last Friday in a western North Carolina showdown between Catawba County rivals.
Taking a page from his JV squad which ran an identical play the night before, Bunker Hill coach Travis Conner waved his defense to the sideline as St. Stephens prepared to snap the ball.
The St. Stephens offense appeared confused at first. Then quarterback
Spencer Brown took the snap and he--along with the other 10 St. Stephens players--jogged uncontested toward the goal line while the Bunker Hill players watched from the sideline 50 yards away.
However, rather than plunge into the end zone to stop the clock, St. Stephens head coach Wayne Hicks yelled to Brown to stop at the 1-yard line.
When Conner realized what was happening, he quickly sent his team into action. Bunker Hill players sprinted toward Brown.
St. Stephens' players attempted an unconventional "block-an-entire-team-sprinting-from-the-sideline" move, but Bunker Hill tackled Brown into the end zone for a touchdown.
Following a PAT, St. Stephens led 57-49 with less than a minute to play.
"You have to give your kids a chance," Conner told MaxPreps.
Bunker Hill made the most of their unorthodox opportunity, marching downfield and scoring on a pass from
Cameron Chapman to
Dijoun Huitt with no time remaining to make it 57-55.
However, the team's two-point conversion attempt fell short, and Bunker Hill lost 57-55.
St. Stephens coach Wayne Hicks could barely believe what transpired.
"In my 28 years of coaching, I've never seen anything like that," he said.
"I almost got outcoached."
