CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood Cobras traveled to Henry County High School for the Region 7-5A championship against the Patriots on Friday. A back-and-forth shootout saw the Patriots take a big lead early, but a strong second half put the Cobras in position for the comeback. A game-sealing interception for the Patriots with 12 seconds left ended an instant classic, and Henry County took home the Region 7-5A crown.
Henry County started the night with a bang, with quarterback Ayden Spellings going 75 yards to the house on the first play from scrimmage. After a quick stop, Spellings broke loose again for a 22-yard run to give the Patriots a 15-0 lead. Kirkwood responded on their next drive, with Miles Reding finding Jadon Portis for a 64 yard strike, and the shootout was on.
Spellings found paydirt again for his third score of the night on the next Patriot drive, this time on a 50-yard scamper. Reding then threw a strike to Talon Dillman from 20 yards out to bring it back within one score. Someone other than Spellings found the endzone for Henry County, with Emmit Jones scoring from 1 yard out. After six total touchdowns, the first quarter was over.
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To stop the trend of quick scores, Kirkwood went on a methodical, 15-play drive capped off by a Reding scramble into the endzone. Henry responded on the next drive with another Spellings touchdown, his fourth of the half, but that was the last touchdown of the night for Henry County. The Patriots added a field goal at the halftime buzzer, and the score sat at 39-21 at halftime.
The second half was a furious comeback attempt by Kirkwood, with the defense providing a few stops, and the offense cutting into the Patriot’s lead. Portis threw a strike to Reding on a trick play, and after a quick stop, Reding connected with Torens Malone for a 61-yard score, and the Cobras were within three.
Hudson Marsh nailed a field goal with six minutes to go to tie the ball game up, but the Patriots responded with a field goal of their own to take back a three-point lead. The Cobras put together a nice drive to try to retake the lead, but a last-second interception from Henry County’s Brook Archie sealed the deal, and the Patriots walked away from an instant classic with a win and a region crown.
Kirkwood finishes the regular season with an 8-2 record, and now looks to their home playoff game next week against the Brighton Cardinals. They’ll look to win their first playoff game in program history.
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