Northside blows 24-point lead, falls to Cairo in wild finish

The Northside Patriots seemed to have the No. 2 seed in Region 1-4A wrapped up Friday night against Cairo. Then just like that, it was gone.

After leading the Syrupmakers 31-7 in the third quarter, Northside surrendered 28 unanswered points in a 35-31 loss. Cairo quarterback Robert Peters delivered the dagger with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, finding Scooter Cooper on a slant route for a 9-yard touchdown.

Northside (7-2, 4-2) should have had time to respond after Cooper’s catch. However, the Patriots mishandled the ensuing squib kick, leaving the ball up for grabs on the ground at Kinnett Stadium. Cairo (6-3, 5-1) recovered the football, sealing the undeniable truth that Northside had let the game slip away.

The Cairo comeback on the Patriots started slow, and the initial scores seemed just enough to leave the door open for a wild finish.

With 59 seconds left in the third quarter, Peters dodged several incoming Patriots and fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Goosby to cut Northside’s lead to 31-14. Peters made it a 31-21 game with 11:04 left in the fourth, finding Marquii Lovejoy on a 6-yard touchdown pass.

Cairo running back Quay Edwards delivered a sucker punch to the tiring Patriots defense with 8:51 left in the fourth, breaking a 72-yard run that left what was a 24-point Northside lead sitting at a mere three points.

As Cairo collected points in the final two quarters, Northside struggled to get out of its own way. The Patriots’ offensive drives were repeatedly hampered by an inconsistent passing game and penalties at incredibly inopportune times.

The play that summed up Northside’s final 13 minutes came with 6:59 left in the game. Still holding a 31-28 advantage, a failed Patriots drive was followed by a shanked punt that travelled eight yards.

It was such a far cry from a first half that demonstrated the Patriots’ potential.

Marcus Smith started the scoring for Northside, pushing his way through the middle on a 4-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the opening quarter. The Patriots added seven more through the air in the second quarter when Chandler Blanton found Nasier Fitzgerald on a 25-yard pitch-and-catch.

Kade Werner tacked on three points with a 24-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half, leaving the Patriots with a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Patriots made the Syrupmakers pay again on the first possession of the second half. Blanton fired a pass toward the front corner of the end zone intended for AJ Burris. Burris made a beautiful diving reception for a 26-yard score that put Northside ahead 24-7.

Smith added Northside’s final touchdown with 4:12 left in the third quarter, scoring on a 10-yard carry.

Smith’s second score should have been the exclamation point to a game that all but clinched Northside’s third home playoff game in school history. Instead, it served as the starting point to a finish that lacked execution and simply defied explanation.

This story was originally published October 28, 2017 at 12:05 AM with the headline "Northside blows 24-point lead, falls to Cairo in wild finish."