Spencer's magical season comes to end

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. -- There was little more for Spencer to do than grumble and hang its head on Friday night in Dawsonville.

A magical season the Greenwave never wanted to end came to a screeching halt with a 22-12 loss against Dawson County in the second round of the state playoffs. There were 14 penalties called against the visitors, two that negated long touchdown passes and elicited strong reactions from the Greenwave sidelines and stands.

The Spencer offense outgained the Tigers 395-208 but made up more than half the difference with 105 in penalty yards.

And a late comeback attempt was stuffed at the 1-yard line when running back Tyrell Smith was taken down just shy of the goal line on fourth down, a play on which Greenwave coach Pierre Coffey admitted confusion because the scoreboard had shown a first down after a pass interference call in the end zone two plays before.

But those were conversations for another day. On Friday, Coffey focused on what his team had already accom

plished in its most successful season since joining the GHSA.

"You changed the perception of Spencer High School," he told his dejected players. "Spencer is different today than it was before."

The Greenwave finished the season 8-4, its first winning record since the 1977 season.

It made the playoffs for the first time since 1993, and it won its first playoff game since joining the Georgia High School Association after desegregation. After a 1-3 start, the Greenwave reeled off seven wins in a row and changed the entire face of a downtrodden program.

"These seniors provided an example of how to lead a program," Coffey said after the game.

"They learned how to be a family, and they learned how to win. This is the beginning for Spencer, not the end."

It is the end of the season, however. Dawson County will advance to the Class 3A quarterfinals, while the Greenwave will turn their attention toward next season.

They had their chances on Friday night, moving the ball in big chunks and preventing Dawson County from having much success on offense itself. Still, the Tigers carried a 15-6 lead into the break and, after Spencer cut it to 15-12 early in the third, made it a 10-point lead going into the fourth.

Spencer had its chances in the final quarter. It punted after moving the ball to the Tigers 43 and then threw an interception from its own 21-yard line. After the defense forced a three-and-out and a missed field goal on Dawson County's ensuing possession, the Greenwave offense struggled to get into much of a rhythm and punted again.

Finally, on a drive that began with just under five minutes remaining in the game, the Greenwave moved to the Dawson County 8 quickly. On a third-and-goal from the 8, quarterback Khalil Thomas lofted a pass into the left corner of the end zone. A pass interference was called, and the ball moved to the 4-yard line. In high school, a pass interference is not an automatic first down, but the scoreboard changed to indicate a first down.

"We saw first down on the scoreboard, and I asked the ref for an explanation of what down it was," Coffey said. "He started to talk to the other official, but I never got any real indication."

The yard marker was on the visitor's sideline, not immediately visible to Spencer's coaching staff.

The Greenwave also had a 52-yard touchdown pass to Ervin Davis negated by an offensive pass interference and a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Hernandez negated by a hold.

"The penalties killed us tonight," Coffey said. "A lot haven't been called on us all year. Some I agreed with, some I didn't. It is what it is."

Spencer got its two touchdowns on a 1-yard run from Thomas in the first quarter and a 13-yard run from Smith in the third.

Coffey said he was humbled to be a part of such a great season and is focused on making this a regularity for the Greenwave in the future.

"There's always been a perception that this isn't a good program," Coffey said. "This year, I think we changed that."

Friday at Dawson County

Spencer 6 0 6 0--12

Dawson County 8 7 7 0--22

First Quarter

DC--Luke Martin 3 pass from Cory Watson (Watson run); 6:31

S--Khalil Thomas 1 run (kick failed); 4:40

Second Quarter

DC--Martin 31 pass from Watson (Alan Sanchez kick); 1:41

Third Quarter

S--Tyrell Smith 13 run (run failed); 5:37

DC--Watson 3 run (Sanchez kick); 1:06

Records: Spencer, 8-4; Dawson County, 9-3. Next, Spencer, season over; Dawson County, next week in third round of state playoffs.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:45 PM with the headline "Spencer's magical season comes to end ."