Fyffe Stamps Championship Ticket
The Fyffe Red Devils stamped their ticket to the AHSAA State Championship with a strong defensive performance as they defeated the defending Class 3-A State Champion Piedmont 14-6.
In a game reminiscent of the past, both defenses controlled the game with some help from mother nature as the rain came pouring down. Piedmont received the opening kickoff and drove down the field but could not capitalize as they turned it over on downs on the 9-yard line. Fyffe could not get things going and punted back to the Bulldogs. Again, the Fyffe defense shut down Piedmont, and they punted back to Fyffe. With just under seven minutes to play in the first quarter, the Red Devils got things going, and they drove down the field. Ike Rowell punched it in from 2-yards out to give Fyffe a 7-0 lead over the Piedmont Bulldogs after the PAT. Piedmont answered with a drive that was capped off with a 3-yard Aaron Hayes touchdown. Rowell blocked the extra point to give the Red Devils a 7-6 lead. Piedmont drove down inside the 20-yard line, but Fyffe’s defense put pressure on Hayes as he threw it out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage to move it back 10 yards. On the next play, the defense pressured Hayes again and forced a fumble. With just a few seconds left in the half, Fyffe took a knee and ran the clock out with a 7-6 lead.
In the second half, with sloppy field conditions, the Fyffe defense took control of the game. After Fyffe punted to Piedmont, the Bulldogs tried to get things going in the air. Hayes dropped back to pass with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter, but Rowell intercepted the pass to give the Red Devil offense the ball at the Piedmont 38-yard line. The Piedmont defense shut down the Fyffe offense, and they had to punt it away. Again, Piedmont’s Hayes tried to throw the ball downfield, but this time Kyle Dukes intercepted the pass and returned it 30-yards for a Fyffe touchdown giving the Red Devils a 14-6 lead after the PAT with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Both teams swapped punts until late in the third quarter. Piedmont moved the ball to midfield, but Fyffe’s Justin Stiefel intercepted the Hayes pass at the Fyffe 48-yard line for the third time in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Piedmont had three more opportunities driving the ball into Fyffe territory but could not score as the Fyffe defense took care of business to secure the 14-6 win for the Red Devils.
Piedmont, the defending 3A State Champs, finish the season with a 12-2 record. The Bulldog offense finished with 242 total yards on the night and held Fyffe to 89 total yards, but the Fyffe Red Devil defense forced five turnovers in the game. Three of those turnovers coming in the third quarter, with the game-winning 30-yard interception from Kyle Dukes for a touchdown. The Fyffe Red Devils will now face Montgomery Catholic for the Class 3A State Championship on Thursday, December 3, 2020, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kickoff will be a 10:00 AM.
Fyffe Stamps Championship Ticket