Shawnee comeback falls short vs. Athens

Shawnee has been the master of playoff comebacks the past two seasons. Saturday night it was finally the Braves’ turn to be the victim.

The Braves lost a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and fell 36-35 to high-scoring and fast-paced Athens in the Division III Region 12 semifinals at Hamilton Township High School.

Shawnee (8-4) took a 35-22 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when J.D. Davis scored from the 1 after his 13-yard run to end the third. By the time there was 5:57 left, Athens (11-1) and its 53.7-points-a-game offense had the lead.

“I was glad we were up 13 at that point, but I wasn’t comfortable because we knew what they had,” Shawnee coach Rick Meeks said.

What the Bulldogs had was quarterback Joe Burrow, a fleet of sure-handed receivers and more than enough time for their spread offense that plays as fast as it can.

With 10:36 left, Burrow scrambled away from the blitz and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Adam Luehrman to cut Shawnee’s lead to 35-29. Following a Shawnee punt, the Bulldogs drove 82 yards and scored on Trae Williams’ 1-yard run with 5:57 left to take the lead.

Williams set up his score by breaking multiple tackles on a 42-yard run to the 1. Also on that drive the Braves had a chance at an interception and were called for pass interference.

Shawnee drove right back but was stopped when Tyler Bostick’s long throw was intercepted at the Athens 2 with 3:36 left.

“There were some things that obviously we could’ve done, making some plays here and there and didn’t, and they could probably say the same thing,” Meeks said.

The Braves made a lot of plays like Alex McCrory’s interception that set up a first-half touchdown. Burrow, who threw for 268 yards on 23-of-42 passing, but he was sacked three times and intercepted twice.

McCrory closed out his four-year career with 87 yards on 24 carries and three receptions for 46 yards, plus the interception and a sack. Despite the disappointing loss, McCrory was pleased with how the seniors pulled the team together after a 1-2 start brought on by injuries and other distractions.

“The one thing everyone’s always said about our senior class is that we were immature and we couldn’t grow up,” McCrory said. “We accomplished a lot more than football games this year. We grew up as men, and that’s what’s most important in the long run.”

Meeks agreed that the seniors’ growth made the difference.

“At the end of the year it was we better just keep our mouths shut and get to work,” Meeks said. “So they cleaned up their acts and it paid off for them. It just didn’t quite bounce our way tonight.”

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