Golden Tigers defeat Boaz in overtime; advance to second round of playoffs
The Russellville Golden Tigers and Boaz Pirates opened the AHSAA Class 5A football playoffs with a thrilling game that was decided in overtime.
Russellville got the 29-28 home win after Boaz got the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown that was followed by a successful extra-point kick. It took only one play for the Golden Tigers to answer when Whit Goodwin raced 10 yards to the end zone on a quarterback keeper. Then, RHS head coach Dustin Goodwin was faced with the decision of whether to try for the extra-point kick and hope to keep the game going or go for two points and the win.
Goodwin was set to send out the kicking unit until a timeout called by Boaz helped change the plan. Russellville went for two and it paid off when Connor Devaney caught a pass in the end zone from Whit Goodwin to convert the two-point play for the win.
“We were truly going to kick the extra-point, and they called timeout and it gave us a chance to talk to our seniors,” Coach Goodwin said. “There’s nine of them and they’re a special group. We love them and we trust them and they wanted to go for it and we did.”
The first RHS touchdown of the night came on a 36-yard pass from Whit Goodwin to Devaney with 10 seconds remaining in the third period. The David Tomas PAT kick made the score 14-7.
After an interception of a Russellville pass by the Pirates, the defense of the Golden Tigers stood strong and forced a 40-yard field goal attempt by BHS that was no good.
Russellville kept the momentum and scored on the next drive when Whit Goodwin crossed the goal line on a short run with 4:58 to go in the fourth quarter. However, the extra-point kick hit the left upright of the goalpost and the score was 14-13.
The Russellville defense created a turnover early in the next Boaz possession when Braxton Duncan intercepted a pass. It was the second interception of the night by RHS after Drake Ergle picked off a pass by the Pirates during the first quarter.
Russellville’s Devaney looked to have scored on the first play after the interception by Duncan, but a penalty on a block by the Golden Tigers cancelled the touchdown. RHS was later forced to punt and Boaz took possession with 3:13 to go in regulation.
Russellville’s defense then stopped three consecutive Boaz running plays, and the Pirates punted the ball back to the Golden Tigers. It then took three plays for RHS to take the lead when Whit Goodwin scored again, this time on a 4-yard run. Russellville went for two points and it worked as Ben Pounders added the conversion by catching a pass from Goodwin to make the score 21-14 with 1:05 left on the fourth quarter clock.
After the ensuing kickoff, Boaz had the ball with 1:01 to go in the fourth period. The Pirates evened the score as time expired in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass that was followed by an extra-point kick.
The win was number 50 in the head coaching career of Goodwin, who was previously the head coach at Plainview and Chelsea before leading the Russellville program. It was his first playoff victory as a head coach.
“It seems like a long time coming, but what a group and I wouldn’t have it with any other group,” Goodwin shared after receiving the game ball from his son, Whit.
Next up for Russellville (7-4) will be a secondround trip to Briarwood Christian School (6-5) after the Lions defeated Leeds in round one.
