WOODLAWN - Going into this season, the Woodlawn Bears had two games in particular that they truly wanted to win: Brinkley and Mountain Pine.
Both opponents have had the Bears’ number since the teams began competing against one another in eight-man football, and the nine seniors on this year’s Woodlawn team were ready to turn the table.
They managed to do just that against Brinkley when the Bears rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit to pull out a 20-12 lead by halftime before the game was called for weather.
And they were looking to do it against against Mountain Pine when the top-ranked Red Devils visited the Carl Jones Sports Complex last Friday night for a crucial South Conference match-up.
However, Woodlawn would need to play a near perfect game to pull off the win, and that did not happen. Some first half mistakes put the Bears in a twoscore deficit by halftime, and despite cutting that lead to two in the third quarter, the Red Devils managed to withstand the rally to eventually escape pull out a 38-28 win.
While it was as somber moment as the players gathered near the west end zone after the loss, Coach Zach Meyer told his team that he was glad to see that hurt because it meant they cared.
Among those with the most anguish was senior running back /linebacker Fisher Hale.
Hale ignited Woodlawn’s third-quarter rally by breaking a 34-yard run on the first play of the second half that led to a score. And then on the Red Devil’s next possession, he made an interception that set up another Woodlawn would eventually lead to another score that would cut the Mountain Pine lead to two.
Hale led Woodlawn in rushing with 112 yards on 13 carries while also being in on a teamhigh 10 tackles, two of which were third-down stops.
“We’ve been working for this all summer, all year, practices after practices,” a dejected Hale said after the game. “I knew we had it in...
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