Pike Liberal Arts quarterback Trey Walters scrambles away from the Bessemer Academy defense at the AISA championships. (Photo by Drew Champlin)
TROY -- Pike Liberal Arts players took the challenge every week and ran with it.
Most people didn’t think the Patriots could repeat as AISA Class AAA state champions a year after losing stud running back Jerel Foster to graduation. Most people thought Bessemer’s athletes would avenge a 23-14 Pike win over Bessemer six weeks ago.
Not the Pike players, though. Trey Walters hit Blake Thomas for a 74-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, breaking a 14-all tie and sending Pike Liberal Arts to a 36-20 win over Bessemer Academy in the championship.
Walters, a senior quarterback, was the star of the show, hitting 5-of-10 passes for 171 yards and running 17 times for 88 yards. Head coach Steven Kilcrease credited the senior class of seven players for keeping the team together as they battled the effects of the swine flu early this season.
“Last year a lot of people said the only reason we won was because we had Jerel, but we came out this summer and worked hard,” senior fullback/defensive end Justin McLaughlin said. “It’s something special. A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to play for one and we got to win two.”
The Patriots finished the year 11-1. Bessemer finished 10-4.
Bessemer Academy running back Marcus McAfee is brought down by Pike Liberal Arts' Dylan Richards at the AISA championships. (Photo by Drew Champlin)
“It was a great win,” Kilcrease said. “We talk about one heartbeat and that’s what it was about.”
The big play came on the touchdown, as Bessemer keyed on the tight end and bit on a play fake. Walters found a wide-open Thomas for the score.
“It was a counter pass,” Kilcrease said. “Our primary receiver was running underneath and they bit on that. Trey did a great job as he has all year long and found Blake down the middle.”
PLAS scored first on Taylor Stephens’ 23-yard run in the first quarter, but the point-after failed. The Patriots went up 14-0 when Nick McLaughlin scored from a yard out after Daniel Powell took a swing pass 30 yards to the 1-yard line. Walters hit Thomas for the 2-point play.
Bessemer cut the lead to 14-7 on a 40-yard pass play from Austin Gray to Marcus McAfee and tied it at 14 with 6:15 left in the third on Bias’ touchdown run, but the 74-yard touchdown pass to Thomas broke it wide open for the Patriots.
With 9:59 left in the game, Powell scored from 4 yards out. PLAS forced a Bessemer punt, but the snap was high and the punter kicked it out of the end zone for a safety, making it 30-14 with 7:33 left.
The Patriots took over at the 27 after a short kick and personal foul against Bessemer and went up 36-14 on Stephens’ 1-yard run. Bessemer scored with 2:24 left on a 6-yard run by McAfee.
Thomas, who Kilcrease said stepped up as a big-play threat, had 128 yards receiving on two catches. McLaughlin, a sophomore, ran for 62 yards on 11 plays and had seven tackles, 1.5 for loss.
Bessemer’s Gray threw for 112 yards on 9-of-21 passes. McAfee led the rushers with 74 yards on eight carries. Matt Tarwater had eight tackles.
The Patriots outgained Bessemer 419-215.
“We put everybody we could in the box and manned up outside,” said Walters, also a defensive back. “Everybody played their job on defense.”
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