WOODLAWN - In a game that produced more than 1,000 yards of offense and put 128 points on the scoreboard, defense wouldn’t seem to be much of a factor.
But somehow, the Woodlawn Bears managed to come up with a defensive stop late in the game inside their own 20 as they held on for a 66-62 win over the improved South Side-Bee Branch Hornets in a wild season opener Friday night at the Carl Jones Sports Complex.
“The thing is, we kind of came into this game thinking our defense might the team that actually steps up and does something,” Woodlawn Coach Doug Mean said in the aftermath.
“We cramped up. We weren’t quiet there yet, and we got a lot to do. But when the time came down to making the plays, we made the plays,” he said.
“And it comes to those kids’ heart, and they do (have heart), especially when you only have 15 of them,” Means added. “They found a way. That’s what you got to do to win state championships.”
The fact that the Bears were even in a position to hold on for a win seemed improbable as the Hornets turned a 10-point deficit at the start the fourth quarter into a 62-58 lead with 4:56 left in the game.
After Griffin Manes ripped off 45-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left in the third to give Woodlawn a two-score lead at 58-48, that seemed to enough of a cushion considering they way the two teams had been trading touchdowns the whole game.
South Side responded to Manes’ third TD with a seven-play, 45-yard scoring drive, capped by a 10-yard run from Allen Chapman. The two-point pass attempt was incomplete leaving the Bears clinging to a 58-54 lead.
Woodlawn, as it had the entire game, looked as though it was going to answer again. Starting at their own 20, the Bears drove to the Hornet 24 before suffering their third lost fumble of the game.
South Side capitalized. Three plays later, Chapman broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run. Jackson Crites then ran in the conversion and the Hornets were up 62-58 with 4:56 left in the game.
Woodlawn stared its ensuing …