Pillow Academy coach Tripp McCarty summed up his team’s first-half play in one word — “sickening.”
The good news is that the word he used to describe the second half was “proud.”
After managing just 61 total yards and two first downs in the first 24 minutes of action, the Mustangs got rolling in the second half and beat Magnolia Heights 35-24 Friday night at Bill Davis Field.
The Mustangs (5-5) notched their second straight victory heading into the playoffs this week, snapping a four-year postseason drought.
McCarty told his players after the game that PA and its fans are starved for a playoff win, and that they must now take care of that.
“Our school, our students and our fans deserve a playoff game at home, and our guys fought their tails off to give them that,” McCarty said.
Pillow hosts East Rankin (5-6). which has now lost five straight following Friday’s 48-0 decision to Jackson Prep.
The Mustangs looked listless for the first 23 minutes of the opening half but found a spark when quarterback Cole Whitfield hit running back John Madison Brooks with a 43-yard scoring toss just before half.
That was the jolt the Mustangs needed, and they carried that momentum right into the second half as Brooks returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
“Coach (Mike) Beagle does a great job with our special teams and had said early in the week that we might have a chance like this with the right return on,” McCarty said.
“Bailey (Mangrum) had a big block on the edge, and John Madison is deadly in space. He showed that again tonight.”
Brooks’ second special teams touchdown of the season tied the game at 14.
The Chiefs, who lost their final eight games to finish at 1-9, went back up 17-14 on a 35-yard field goal by Bailey Lyon.
But Whitfield, a junior, then had touchdown runs of 2 and 28 yards to give PA a 28-17 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Lake Giachelli, a backup freshman quarterback, sniffed out the end zone on a hard-nosed run of 22 yards to push the Mustangs’ lead to 35-17 with 2:20 left.
The Chiefs added a touchdown with 12 seconds to go.
Magnolia Heights outgained Pillow 339-233 in total yardage.
With Pillow relaying almost exclusively on the run, the Chiefs packed the box. But the Mustangs found a lot of running room after the break, rushing for 169 of their 187 yards in the second half.
“We love our offensive line, but they weren’t very good in the first half,” McCarty said. “Now in the second half, they played like we know they can.”
Brooks led the PA ground attack with 19 carries for 82 yards, while Whitfield added 75 yards and a pair of TDs on 11 rushes.
Defensively, junior linebacker Walt Pillow led the charge for a second straight week, recording a team-high nine tackles, including seven solo stops.
Whitfield, who also plays safety, and defensive back Peyton Turner had eight tackles each. Defensive lineman Caleb Giachelli was next with seven tackles.
McCarty says the Mustangs will treat this week just like they have the first 10 games.
“Our kids have to understand what’s at stake now and match the intensity of their coaches. And I expect they will do that,” said the second-year PA head coach.
