SOMERVILLE — Brewer’s postseason hopes seemed dim after West Point’s 99-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining to give the Warriors a 21-14 lead.
However, senior quarterback Caden Childers calmly drove the Patriots 65 yards to give Brewer a chance to secure a playoff sport.
Childers connected with freshman Hunter Knighten for a 30-yard touchdown to pull within one of West Point at 21-20 with 45 seconds left in the game. Knighten went up in traffic and pulled the ball down for the touchdown.
Coach Matt Plunkett had a decision about the upcoming play, whether to kick the extra point and tie the game or go for the two-point conversion to win.
“I got my seniors together during the timeout and asked them what we should do,” said Plunkett. “Without hesitation, all of the seniors responded that they wanted to go for the win.”
Plunkett called a play that they ran earlier in the game and his Patriots ran it to perfection. Childers rolled out to his right and when the Warriors' defense stepped up to play the run, he lofted a pass to the endzone that Walker Latham dove to catch. The two-point conversion gave Brewer a 22-21 lead.
Brewer picked up two sacks on the final drive to end the game and secure the win.
“I am really proud of these seniors and this team,” said Plunkett. “They have endured a lot of downs and very few ups in their careers, but they kept plugging away and leading by example. They have built a strong foundation for the future of Brewer football.”
Childers completed 16-of-31 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 21 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.
Lukas Simpson led Brewer with 58 yards receiving on three receptions and 31 yards rushing and a touchdown on four attempts. Garrett Clemons had 44 yards receiving on four catches. Knighten’s touchdown was his only catch of the game.
The Brewer defense forced two West Point turnovers while finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss.
Brewer (4-5, 3-3) finishes its regular season this week as they travel to Danville (3-6).
The Patriots with head into the 5A playoffs as the third seed from Region 8 and will travel to Region 7 No. 2 Scottsboro.
