Late Tharptown rally falls short against Silent Warriors
Tharptown’s Jacob Parker (4) weaves his way through the Alabama School for the Deaf defense Friday night to pick up some extra yards after making a catch. | Scot Beard/FCT
THARPTOWN — Through the first two possessions of the game, Tharptown looked as though it might dominate the Alabama School of the Deaf.
The Wildcats took the opening drive 42 yards for a touchdown and forced the Silent Warriors to punt on their first possession.
Then the momentum shifted and ASD was able to use its speed to cruise to a 58-34 victory.
“We played terrible defense,” Tharptown coach Bill Smith said. “Their speed killed us and we didn’t tackle well.”
Tharptown (2-8) struck early with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Cothrum to Jacob Parker. The point after attempt failed, leaving the Wildcats with a 6-0 lead.
After forcing ASD to punt the Wildcats were unable to pick up a first down. A miscue on the Tharptown punt allowed the Silent Warriors to return the kick to the Wildcat 7-yard line.
Three plays later ASD took the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion.
The Silent Warriors added touchdowns on a 59-yard run, 44-yard run and a 62-yard pass during the second quarter.
Tharptown scored on a 12-yard run by Nathan Gray with 2:44 remaining in the second quarter, but the 2-point conversion failed. ASD led 30-12 at halftime.
ASD added two more touchdowns in the third quarter on runs of 40 yards and 6 yards.
Gray helped Tharptown cut into that lead with a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Kelby Hallmark found Cothrum in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to 44-20.
The Silent Warriors struck quickly to add a pair of touchdowns. One score came on a 72-yard run with 10:14 remaining in the game and the other was a 73-yard interception return about a minute later.
The Wildcats scored on a 1-yard run by Gray and Hallmark found Cothrum for another 2-point conversion with 5:27 remaining.
Hallmark hit Parker for a 8-yard touchdown pass moments later, but the 2-point conversion failed. Tharptown attempted an onside kick, but could not recover the ball and ASD ran out the clock.
Smith said he was a little disappointed with how the season turned out, but was proud of his players for fighting hard all season.
“I felt there were two games we lost that we should have won, but that’s on me not the boys,” Smith said. “They haven’t given up all year.”
