Sports

Monroe survives Crisp

• An interception by Russell Roberts preserves a dramatic 14-13 victory for Monroe on Thursday against Crisp County.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — After trudging through a second half in which execution was as sloppy for Monroe as the conditions on a rain-soaked Thursday night at Hugh Mills Stadium, the Tornadoes could only hold their breath in disbelief as Crisp County’s wild drive in the final seconds drew a shocking upset within reach.

Once a 29-yard pass into the end zone fell harmlessly to the ground and the following toss by Crisp’s Chris Yowe landed in the arms of Monroe safety Russell Roberts, the Tornadoes let out a collective sigh of relief, surviving for a 14-13 victory.

“It was a night to remember,” a beaming Roberts said after the game.

He was one of only few Tornadoes smiling after this ugly win, though.

If not for a missed extra point by Crisp kicker Justin Richardson after a Frederic Johnson touchdown run with 9:55 remaining, it could have been remembered for all the wrong reasons.

“We know we didn’t play like we should have,” Monroe linebacker Wendell Pringle said. “We won, but we are still disappointed.”

In a game Monroe dominated throughout a first half in which it built a 14-0 lead on defense and power running, the Tornadoes fell apart in the second half. The offense didn’t convert one first down after halftime, committed two turnovers and gained minus-13 yards of total offense.

“I honestly believe we did not come out in the second half ready to play football,” Truitt said. “We came out here thinking they were going to lay down and die. But they haven’t laid down and died all season.”

It nearly cost Monroe (6-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 1-AAA) its region loss in seven games. Midway through the third quarter, an uneven night took nightmarish turn for talented Tornadoes quarterback Sherman Stephens. Caught scrambling in his backfield leading, 14-0, the senior fumbled to set Crisp up on the 16-yard line. It only took one play for Yowe to rush around the left end to pull within 14-7.

The senior finished 2-of-7 for nine yards and was sacked three times, leaving the offense one-dimensional.

“We are going to work on that, it is something we are going to address,” Truitt said, mentioning the gameplan shifted slightly toward the conservative side considering the conditions. “We have been trying to run, but we will be able to throw the football.”

Two possessions after the first fumble, Stephens fumbled the snap, leaving Crisp (2-4, 0-2) on the doorstep, this time at the 27.

It only took three Johnson runs to cross the goal line. When Richardson’s PAT sailed wide right, Monroe still held the lead.

Typically, the Tornadoes are the team that experiences the extra-point problems, but Truitt decided to avoid those issues Thursday. After both a Tony Greene 4-yard TD run and a slicing 35-yard ramble by Greg Harris in the first half, the coached elected to go for two. The first failed, but Pringle pushed the second try in for what turned out to be the game-winning score.

“The weather like it was — the snap, hold, kick — we just wanted to take that whole phase out of it,” Truitt said.

If not for two timely interceptions, the score could’ve been different.

Crisp’s first drive to win the game in the final minutes failed when Yowe overthrew a crossing pattern and Curtiss Walker picked it off at the Monroe 33.

After a three-and-out, Crisp stood on its own 18 with 3:23 remaining. Forced into a fourth-and 14, Yowe lifted a lob pass to his favorite target, 6-foot-5 Bo Carter, who jumped over the top of the Monroe defenders, giving up about seven inches to complete a 26-yard pass. After Carter then took a screen 16 yards, Crisp was at the Monroe 29 with 27 seconds remaining. A second-down pass attempted to utilize Carter’s height in the left corner of the end zone, but Tim Jackson defended the lob. On the next play, Carter ran deep and Yowe’s throw fell short into the hands of Roberts, igniting an explosion from the Monroe bench.

Monroe plays Westover a week from Saturday.

“I’m happy we won, but we know we’ve got some work to do,” Truitt said. “These kids in this locker room are not satisfied; they are upset. But that is an indicator of being champions. We won, but they know we should have played a lot better.”

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