Sparkman sparkles in OT , Win Region 8 Title

HARVEST - Sparkman quarterback Wes Alexander lay on the ground, physically and mentally bruised.But he wasn't beaten.Alexander, who separated his shoulder while throwing an ill-advised pass that was returned for a touchdown, missed just two plays and led a comeback that gave the Senators what was arguably the biggest win in school history. When Alexander burst into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown in overtime, Sparkman had a 23-20 win over previously unbeaten Decatur that clinched the Class 6A, Region 8 championship."In the time frame I've been here, it's the biggest win,'' said Sparkman second-year coach Roger Haynes. "We talked about it at the pep rally. We said this might be the biggest game in school history.''And Alexander refused to not play a part.After Decatur's Patrick Golden returned an Alexander pass 28 yards to give the third-ranked Red Raiders a third-quarter lead, Alexander had to leave the game with a recurring shoulder separation.He missed just two plays, and later threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Connor that tied the game at 17-all with 3:23 left to play.Decatur (8-1 overall, 5-1 in the region) then lost four yards in three plays to start overtime, and Joey Woller kicked a 31-yard field goal for a 20-17 lead.Sparkman (6-3, 6-0) took over at the 10, Troy Nance ran for 8 yards and Alexander followed fullback Dezmon Richardson into the end zone."I told (Alexander) he had to tough it out,'' Haynes said. "He did.''Alexander completed 10-of-16 passes for 93 yards with the one touchdown and one interception."I wasn't taking myself out of this game no matter how bad I was hurt,'' he said. "This is what you live for.''Trent Bissell started the scoring with a 32-yard field goal, and Woller followed with a 25-yard field goal to tie it at 3-all in the first.In the second, Sparkman defensive lineman Greg Shoulders tipped a pass into the hands of teammate Chris Wilson for the first of three interceptions. The pickoff led to great field possession and eventually a 45-yard touchdown drive capped by a 3-yard run by Nance.Bissell's kick gave Sparkman a 10-3 halftime lead.The Red Raiders began the third quarter with an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a 2-yard run by quarterback Steven Leach.Three plays later, Alexander tried to unload the ball under heavy pressure and the pass went straight to Golden. He returned it 28 yards for the score and Decatur led 17-10 with 6:05 left in the third.Decatur was on the verge of putting the game away after it drove from its 21-yard line to the Senators' 6, but Blake Burns intercepted in the end zone to end the drive on the first play of the fourth quarter.Sparkman went on to earn the region's top seed, while Decatur is second."My hat is off to Coach Haynes and his coaching staff,'' Decatur coach Jere Adcock said. "I have a lot of respect for what he's done to turn their program around in two years."Their kids kept playing hard until the end and that's a tribute to Coach Haynes.''Decatur's Steve Shackleford played despite a tender ankle. He gained 81 yards, 61 in the third, on 18 carries.

4th

Passing

Kicking and Punting

# 30 Ryan Hurford - 3 punts - 49, 37, 44
44 yard average.

Penaltys- 3 for 30 yards

First Downs - Sparkman 11

Rushing

Receiving

Passing 17 pass attempts for 95 yards

Rushing 40 rushes for 137 yards

Total = 57 plays for 232 yards and 4.1 yards per play

Scoring Summary and other tidbits-

- Senators played a team game as all three phases played well tonight leading to the most historic victory in the programs history.

- Game was the region championship game for Sparkman , and with this win over Decatur win, the Senators clinch the #1 seed in the playoffs. Sparkman will get a rematch with Spain Park here in the first round of the playoffs . Nov 12 at 7PM in Senator Stadium.

- Next week the senators travel to Athens to close the regular season.