The Brookhaven Academy Cougars needed overtime to surpass theColumbia Academy Cougars 20-14 in junior high football action.

As the game got under way, it looked like the Columbia offensewould be too powerful for the Brookhaven defense. After a 7-yardtouchdown run by Larry Stogner, Cole Price punched in the two-pointconversion and Columbia led 8-0.

On the ensuing drive, the Cougars were powered by a 54-yardburst by starting fullback Jonathan Watts. This set up a two-yardtouchdown plunge by tailback John Wayne Havard. Collins Case’s passto Cole Hodges for the two-point conversion fell short andBrookhaven found itself down 8-6 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, Brookhaven managed to put 8 points on theboard when Case hooked up with Hodges for a 15-yard touchdown pass.On the kickoff, BA kept the momentum when Brandt Hinton knocked theball loose and Brookhaven recovered.

BA failed to score but on Columbia’s next possession, Brookhavenmade a great defensive stand inside their own 10-yard line and wentinto the half leading 14-8.

The start of the second half looked like it would belong toColumbia as they took the opening kickoff and drove the length ofthe field.

Brookhaven made another goal line stand. Unable to move the balloffensively, Brookhaven was forced to punt.

The Columbia offense moved the ball once again down to thefour-yard line. On fourth down, quarterback Larry Stogner stuck inhis second touchdown of the night. After the failed two-pointconversion, the game was tied at 14-14.

After a scoreless fourth quarter, the game moved to overtime.The clock doesn’t run in overtime and each team gets four downs toscore from the 10-yard line. Columbia got the ball first and on acrucial fourth down from the two-yard line, Brian Speights was hithard and stopped in the hole by Brookhaven defensive end EricTerry.

The BA Cougars then got a chance to end it and on third down,Case hooked up with Hodges on a three-yard touchdown pass for thewin.

BA assistant coach Todd Perkins said after the game, “Ourdefense didn’t play as well as we would have liked, but they reallystepped it up when we needed it.” Perkins added, “We have a bigconference game in two weeks against Wilkinson that could decidedthe district.”

Offensively, Watts led the Brookhaven rushing game with 12carries for 92 yards. Havard ran 10 times for 36 yards. In the air,Case went 2 of 4 for 18 yards. Hodges caught both touchdowns andhad 18 yards receiving.

The Columbia Cougars were led by the rushing of Speights whocarried 18 times for 104 yards and Cole Price who carried 5 timesfor 58 yards. Stogner ran it 9 times for 60 yards with 2 touchdownsand also completed 1 of 5 passes for 2 yards.

Havard led the Brookhaven defense with 7 tackles. John MarkFrancis had 5 tackles while Nathan Jones, Eric Terry and DustyBratton contributed with 4 tackles each.

For the Columbia squad, Ron Huntly led the team with 6tackles.

The Brookhaven Academy junior high will host Wilkinson CountyChristian Academy from Woodville in two weeks following an opendate this Thursday.