Deshler falls inches short of playoffs
For only the third time since 1984, the Deshler Tigers football team has fallen short of the postseason.
Deshler fell by inches to undefeated West Morgan 35-34 in double overtime last week in one of the closest, most hard-fought games of the season.
Thanks to a Week 1 loss to the Hatton Hornets and being in a nine-team region, the Tigers are out of the postseason despite a 5-3 region record.
Deshler made the playoffs with five or less region wins 25 times since 1984, highlighting just how much each win matters with nine teams in the region.
Only four regions across the 52 in Alabama high school football have nine teams: 3A-R6, 4A-R7, 4A-R8 and 6A-R1.
The Tigers (6-4) entered what would turn out to be the final game of the 2024 season knowing they had to beat the Rebels to guarantee a playoff spot.
The score remained 0-0 until late in the third quarter when Garrett Reid connected with Brycen Williams on a fake punt pass that Williams took 65 yards for a score.
The point after by Tripp Brooks was good, giving Deshler a 7-0 lead.
Later on in the second quarter the Tigers’ defense seemed to have made a big stop and forced a turnover on downs on their own side of the field after a 12-yard loss on fourth and 3.
However, Deshler was flagged when a player lost his helmet and continued as part of the play.
By rule, if a player loses their headgear, they must immediately stop participating until the play is blown dead.
As the Deshler radio broadcast team mentioned, stopping play is hard to do in the heat of the moment.
The penalty gave West Morgan a first down, and the Rebels turned that second chance into a touchdown pass to tie the game with 4:34 left before halftime.
The Rebels would score again before the end of the quarter to take a 14-7 lead into intermission.
Deshler seemed poised to even the score again after Price Thornton connected with Reid on a 27-yard touchdown pass, but a blocked point after attempt left West Morgan up 14-13.
Reid came up big again by intercepting the Rebels’ quarterback to give Deshler possession near midfield.
The Tigers capped the drive with a 20-plus yard touchdown pass from Thornton to Brady McKinney.
A penalty against the Rebels gave Deshler the ball at the yard-and-a-half line for the point after, so head coach Patrick Malone elected to go for two.
Ayden Noyola punched in the conversion, and the Tigers regained the lead 21-14.
Deshler attempted a surprise onsides kick, something they have done several times this season, but this one was not recovered.
However, the Tigers’ defense forced a three and out just before the end of the third quarter.
Deshler was unable to move the ball, and a short punt gave West Morgan excellent field position in Tiger territory.
The Rebels ended a short drive with a 9-yard touchdown run, but the PAT was missed to leave Deshler up 21-20.
The Tigers moved the ball to near midfield but stalled on its next drive. This time the punt left the Rebels with the ball at their own 28.
A few plays later, the West Morgan running back broke multiple tackles in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage before galloping 70 yards for a touchdown. A 2-point conversion run put the Rebels back on top 28-21 with just over four minutes remaining in regulation.
The Tigers would have one last chance to even up the score before the fourth quarter ended.
Thornton connected with Reid on a 32-yard pass to move the ball to the Rebels’ 48-yard line.
Thornton hit McKinney for a first down on fourth and 6 to get the ball to the 33.
Another pass, Thornton to Cam Fuller, set Deshler up at the 14-yard line.
Thornton connected with McKinney again for a 14-yard touchdown with 2:05 left to go.
Malone elected to go for two and try to win the game in regulation. The conversion seemed good, but a false start by Deshler negated the try and forced an 18-yard point after attempt instead.
Despite the distance, Brooks sailed the kick through the uprights, and the game was knotted at 28-28.
The Tigers’ defense would need to stop the Rebels’ high-powered offense one more time to force overtime.
The Rebels drove down to the Tigers’ 21-yard line and had a fourth and 2 with 40 seconds remaining.
Despite being in range for a field goal attempt, West Morgan elected to go for it.
The Deshler defense held, made the stop and forced a turnover on downs with 34 ticks remaining.
The Tigers took a knee to run out the remainder of the clock, and fans in attendance were treated to bonus football.
“How dramatic is this,” said the Deshler radio crew. “Deshler is fighting to stay alive, and West Morgan, already the region champ, is just trying to stay undefeated.”
Things looked grim for the Tigers in the first overtime period.
West Morgan won the coin toss and elected to play defense.
The Tigers faced a fourth and goal from the 3-yard line, and the pass attempt fell to the ground.
That meant any points by the Rebels ended the game.
On the first play of the period by West Morgan, the Rebel ball carrier ran the ball down to the 1-yard line, almost scoring a touchdown, but Reid physically ripped the ball from his hands for a recovered fumble that ended the overtime period and kept Deshler alive.
In the second overtime frame the Rebels started on offense. The Deshler defense backed them up two yards and forced a third and goal from the 12-yard line, but the Rebels scored on a touchdown pass.
The PAT made it 35-28, and the Tigers came back out on offense.
Reid scored on a 10-yard run on the first play, and Malone wasted no time telling his team they were going for a 2-point conversion.
The game would be won or lost on the next play.
Thornton took the snap and ran right. He was running for the edge, trying to make it just inside the pylon, when a handful of Rebels tackled him just inches short of the goal line.
Not only was the game over, so was Deshler’s season. West Morgan had escaped Howard Chappell Stadium with a 35-34 victory in a game many thought the Rebels would win with ease.
“We are always proud of our kids,” Malone told the radio team after the game. “They know what it means to represent our town and wear that ‘D’ on their jersey. They left it all on the field. I just hate we couldn’t get it done.”
