Pillow Academy erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter last week, rallying back in thrilling fashion for a first-round playoff victory over Central Hinds.
The Mustangs’ reward? A trip to Madden, where they’ll face top-seeded Leake Academy (9-1) with their season on the line again Friday night.
“It’ll take a great effort from us,” first-year Pillow head coach Jim Crowder said. “But this time of year when there’s eight teams left fighting for the same thing — a state championship — it’s going to take a great effort from everybody.
“So you don’t shy away from those situations,” he added. “You embrace them head on. We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
The Rebels’ only loss this season came to Jackson Academy back in August. They beat District 1 powerhouse Heritage Academy, 35-28, three weeks ago.
Versatile senior Nelson Hodges will need to have another big game in order for Pillow (6-5) to pull off the upset. Hodges led the Mustangs’ ground game with 122 yards and two touchdowns, completed 5 of 9 passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns through the air, returned two kickoffs for 63 total yards and sealed the 34-30 win with a late interception. Hayes Bennett, Pillow’s most electric playmaker this season, fittingly hauled in the game-winning grab from fellow junior Drew Lamb with less than a minute left.
“Our kids just made plays,” Crowder said. “It seemed like every crucial point of the game where we absolutely had to have a play to be successful, we did. The kids answered the challenge time after time and it was just a complete team effort.”
Crowder credited his defense for limiting the Cougars’ offense early in the second half and holding them scoreless for the final 10 minutes down the stretch.
“We got big stops when we needed to get big stops,” he said. “They certainly held them at the end when they had to. It took us a couple drives to get our offense clicking in the second half, and our defense stood tall right there at the beginning. That gave us time to get settled in offensively.”
The deciding 35-yard connection between Lamb and Bennett marked the Mustangs’ second game-winning touchdown pass of the season after they similarly beat Kirk in their season opener.
“That’s kind of the measure of character and will and all those things,” Crowder said of Pillow’s late-game resolve. “There’s no better time to perform than when you have to. We were certainly in that position Friday night with not only the game on the line, but the season on the line, and our kids came through.”
The winner of Pillow vs. Leake advances to face the winner of No. 5 Bayou Academy vs. No. 4 Copiah Academy in next week’s semifinals.
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
