Falkville ends 15-game losing skid
By Staff
Dan Vinson, Enquirer Correspondent
BREMEN – That noise you might have heard Friday night was the sound of a 15-game losing streak being broken by the Falkville Blue Devils. When the dust cleared after the hard fought contest with the Cold Springs Eagles, Falkville stood victorious for the first time in two seasons, winning by a score of 15-7.
If not for the strong character of the Falkville team, the game could have had a much different outcome. The Blue Devils received the ball first and had to punt after having two incomplete passes and a mishandled sweep. With Cold Springs' initial drive came a 33-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Colton Strickland to junior running back Nick Self on just its sixth play from scrimmage, quickly making the score 7-0 in favor of the Eagles.
After the ensuing kickoff, Falkville used a combination of powerful running behind a strong offensive line and pin-point passing by senior quarterback Kevin Russell to methodically drive the ball down the field. Highlights of the 74-yard drive included a sweep to Cory Shadden for 25 yards and a 25-yard pass from Russell to Blake Jump. After receiving the pass, Jump eluded the Eagle defense until he was stopped just inches away from the goal line.
The offensive line then made it possible for Russell to sneak in for the touchdown on the next play, tying the game at seven points each.
Falkville's defense took the field and shut down the Cold Springs offense on its next possession. Falkville defensive lineman Alex Holt made a big tackle on first down, setting the defensive tone for the night. With Blake Jump making two crucial tackles, the Eagles were quickly forced to punt the ball away.
The Blue Devils had little problem moving the ball on their next offensive series, but mistakes cost the Devils dearly. A 32-yard touchdown run was taken away after a block in the back penalty was assessed against Falkville. Two other penalties stopped the drive and the Blue Devils turned the ball over on downs.
The second half of the game saw both teams locked in a defensive struggle. The only sustained second half drive for the Falkville offense came early in the third quarter. Falkville controlled the ball for most of the quarter, eating up a lot of clock in the process. Jump ran the ball right through the Eagle defense with gains of 20 yards and 12 yards.
But the play of the night belonged to Cory Shadden. Taking a toss sweep, Shadden was initially hit hard three yards in the backfield, but with great determination the senior refused to go down, bouncing off would-be tacklers for an amazing 13-yard gain to the 9-yard line. After gaining four additional yards Falkville was poised to take the lead with a field goal, but a false start penalty pushed the ball back five yards and the kick attempt just missed.
Falkville was forced to punt after a strong defensive stand by the Eagles on the next Blue Devil possession. But Cold Springs could not handle the towering punt and Falkville recovered the fumble just 11 yards away from the end zone.
It looked as if Falkville would not be able to capitalize on the Cold Springs mistake as the Blue Devils were assessed an illegal block penalty moving them back to the 19-yard line.
But Falkville stayed focused, feeding off the energy of their visiting fans, as the Blue Devil faithful started chanting, "Score, Score!" The next play Russell found Cody Simpson in the back of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion made the score 15-7 in favor of the Blue Devils, giving Falkville its first taste of victory.
When asked about his first victory as a head coach, Neil Estes quickly deflected all praise onto his players.
"It's a great feeling and I am so proud of these seniors," he said. "They had 15 losses on their back and they could have hung it up and quit. They worked their tail off and provided leadership."
Enjoying the win, Coach Estes quickly re-focused on the player's goal. "These guys want to win," he said. "They are not satisfied with just one. They want to get in the playoffs and that's a great goal."
