COLUMBUS -- Pick an adjective, any adjective, and it still wouldn't do justice to Flowery Branch's stunning 35-33 come-from-behind win over Carver, Columbus Friday night in the third round of the Class AAA state football playoffs.
The Falcons (10-3) were huge underdogs - again - on the road despite having won six straight road playoff games going back to last season's run to the state title game. Add in the fact they trailed 26-14 midway through the third quarter and it looked like their magical run for a second straight year was nearing an end.
Enter Connor Shaw and Rodney Boudreau.
For Flowery Branch fans, Shaw and Boudreau will forever be linked to what is sure to be called the Falcons version of "The Drive." But the stage wasn't completely set until the Falcons recovered an onside kick with 6:50 left in the game following Shaw's third touchdown run of the game.
"We had a lot of trouble stopping them in the second half and we felt if we gave the ball back to (Carver) that would be the ballgame," Flowery Branch coach Lee Shaw said.
Now trailing 33-28, Shaw and Boudreau would connect on a pair of critical fourth down plays to keep the 14-play, 50-yard drive alive.
The first miracle saw Shaw carry a defender for five yards before releasing the ball that would bounce off Boudreau, then two Carver defenders, and then Boudreau's foot before he craddled it for a 5-yard gain on fourth-and-4. The second came with 1:20 left in the game on a scrambling 25-yard connection down to the Carver 1 on fourth-and-8.
Three plays later Shaw scored the last of his four rushing touchdowns with just 30 seconds left to give the Falcons' their first lead since 14-7 in the second quarter.
It wasn't over, however.
The Tigers' Isaiah Crowell, who piled up 215 of his 252 yards rushing in the second half, reeled off runs of 30 and 20 yards to put them deep in Flowery Branch territory with four seconds left. But Flowery Branch was able to seal the improbable win with an interception in the end zone on the final play.
The high-flying Carver offense was held to just seven points in the first half but switched to a wishbone attack in the second half and nearly ran the Falcons back up I-85 and home. The Tigers racked up 470 yards rushing, including two runs of 90 or more yards and another for 48 yards in the second half.
Flowery Branch coach Lee Shaw was nearly speechless after the win.
"Just unbelievable," he said. "They never quit. It was a total team effort. They just kept battling and believing that they could win the game. Somehow we found a way to get it done."
Connor Shaw's number's weren't gaudy by his own standards but it was the manner in which he compiled his five touchdowns on 235 yards passing and 72 yards rushing. Every time the Falcons needed a play, Shaw was the catalyst.
"We made plays when we had too and they guys just kept finding different ways to make them," Lee Shaw said. "Boudreau and (Rodney) Young made some great catches and Imani (Cross) ran hard all night. As for Connor, it was the best game I've ever seen him play."
Cross finished with 110 yards rushing and Boudreau had four catches for 53 yards.
The Falcons had climbed to within 27-21 early in the third quarter on a 44-yard touchdown catch by Young only to see the Tigers' Devin Lewis rip off a 90-yard scoring run on their next play to push it back to a 12-point lead and seemingly put the game away with just over nine minutes left in the game.
Flowery Branch led 14-7 at halftime on the strength of two Shaw touchdown runs. Carver (11-2) came out smoking in the third quarter scoring all three times it had the ball to take a 27-14 lead.
Friday
November 29th, 2024
7:43AM
