Defense drives Demopolis to second round playoff win

PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. – Demopolis repeatedly turned to its defense in the second half Friday night and the senior-led unit consistently answered the call in a 21-14 playoff win over Pleasant Grove. During a second half in which the Tigers’ offense sputtered, the climactic moments of the contest came with Pleasant Grove threatening and Demopolis’s defense backed up against its own red zone.

“I thought they did a phenomenal job playing situational defense especially at the end of the game right there,” Demopolis Head Coach Brian Seymore said of his defense. “We got some big stops. It wasn’t scheme as much as it was just effort. I’m proud of the way they finished the game.”

With Demopolis up 21-14 and under a minute left, Pleasant Grover quarterback Zyquez Perryman looked to keep the game alive when he hit Jessie Hall on a third down pass and watched the receiver pick up 16 yards to the Tiger 14. Senior safety Aaron Collier stuck his helmet right out on the football while making the tackle, popping it into the air and allowing it to settle into the waiting arms of Alexander Besteder to seal the victory.

“Aaron got a big hit right there. AB scooped it up and we had an opportunity to do Victory. That is the best formation in football,” Seymore said.

The sequence came a little more than a minute after the Tiger defense found itself on its own 24 following a Pleasant Grove fumble recovery. A Tavian Brown tackle for loss started the Spartan drive before three consecutive incomplete passes squelched the threat.

Demopolis saw its offense largely frustrated in the second half, managing just one first down in the game’s final 24 minutes of play. The lone second half touchdown followed a fumble recovery on the Pleasant Grove 32. Peyton Stevenson hit Tyquan Alston on a receiver screen before the senior set his feet and threw it deep to Keyjun Gracie in the end zone for the 21-7 lead.

“I thought (Offensive Coordinator Clint) Humphrey made some big, clutch calls in certain situations to get play-action and we got the big turnover right there and we hit the double pass,” Seymore said.

The Tigers built a 14-0 advantage in the first half after failing to move the ball on its opening possessions. Seymore’s group turned the tide with a momentum-swinging fumble return from Fred Heywood who took the ball to the Spartan 26. Two plays later, Stevenson went play-action before connecting over the top with Alston for a 23-yard touchdown. The Tigers then recovered a surprise onside kick and failed to score, but effectively took the air out of the stadium by out-snapping Pleasant Grove 22-3 during a stretch of nearly a full quarter of play.

Demopolis stretched the lead to 14-0 after a 14-play, 61-yard drive that ended with an Antonio Besteder touchdown run of eight yards. He finished the night with 132 yards on 25 carries.

Pleasant Grove got back in it at the 8:34 mark of the third quarter when JV Willis caught a Perryman pass for a 32-yard score. The Spartans cut it to 21-14 on a JaMaryon Furlow touchdown run of five yards with 2:32 to play in the third quarter.

The victory sends Demopolis to the Class 5A quarterfinal round next Friday night when it will host Vigor.

“We know what kind of football team they are. We’ve got to go out there and match their intensity. We’ve got to go out there and match their physicality. We’ve got nothing but respect for Vigor and (Head Coach Deric) Scott and what they do down there. We’ve got the same kind of goals they’ve got. It ought to be two great football teams getting after it next Friday night. I’m just blessed to be in the third round,” Seymore said.