Pelham edges out Berrien in thriller

PELHAM — Pelham coach Dondrial Pinkins was determined to end the Hornets’ six-year playoff drought.

And he decided his offense could do that for him.

Instead of going for the tie after a 45-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jimmie Fackler, cutting Berrien’s lead to a point, Pinkins made the decision to go for two with under three minutes left in the game.

The successful 2-point conversion was the deciding factor in Pelham’s 40-39 victory over Berrien Friday night at Hornet Stadium.

“I had a kicker I brought in this week and I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on him,” Pinkins said. “I went with the hot hand. Our offense had been playing awesome. We decided to go for two and it worked in our favor.”

On their first possession of the game, the Hornets embarked on 95-yard drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Clifford Russell. The extra point was missed.

Pelham only allowed one first down through Berrien’s first four drives of the game.

The Rebels offense finally got moving midway through the second when they got the ball at their own 41. Isaac Tillman gave Berrien a 7-6 lead with a 27-yard touchdown run.

The Rebels kicked a 35-yard field goal before the end of the first half to make the score 10-6. The Hornets put together a nice drive before the Berrien field goal, but a fumble ended the drive and led to the eventual field goal.

“It was an awesome job by my guys,” Pinkins said. “The last two weeks has been two of the most intense games I’ve been a part of.”

Berrien opened the second half scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run by Devyne Lindsey. The drive was set up by a long punt return that gave them the ball at their own 35. The touchdown made the score 17-6.

Pelham answered right back on the ensuing drive when Fackler found Cassius Allen, who made a nice jumping catch before taking it down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown. The Hornets went for two but failed to convert.

With the ball on their side of the field, the Rebels tried to swing the momentum by running a fake punt that did get them a first down, but a fumble recovery by Pelham gave the Hornets the momentum and the ball.

The crowd went crazy when Kobe Russell ran it 79 yards to the Pelham one-yard line. The Hornets eventually got in the end zone and took a 18-17 lead after a one-yard sneak by Fackler.

Berrien regained the lead at the end of the third quarter after a nine-yard touchdown run by Chris Naylor. A successful two-point conversion made the score 25-18.

The back-and-forth scoring continued on the next possession. The Hornets found themselves inside their own 20 after a long kickoff return by Russell.

Pelham once again answered back when Fackler found Allen for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The game was tied at 25 when the Hornets converted the two-point conversion.

The ensuing kickoff was touched by a Berrien player but recovered by Pelham at their own eight-yard line.

The game went to a lengthy pause after a Berrien player was injured late in the fourth quarter. The player was put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, but he did give a thumbs up while being carted off the field.

After the delay, Fackler ran it to the outside and dove just inside the pylon for an eight-yard touchdown. The score gave Pelham a 32-25 lead.

The game was once again tied, this time at 32 after a 73-yard touchdown run by Berrien’s Blake Guthrie.

With five minutes left in the game, Berrien went up 39-32 with a one-yard run by Lindsey.

The lead lasted for less than two minutes when Fackler dashed through the line for a 45-yard touchdown.

Instead of tying the game at 39, Pelham coach Dondrial Pinkins decided to go for two. The attempt was successful and gave Pelham a 40-39 lead.

The Hornets travel to Macon County for their first-round playoff game next Friday.