Devonta Alcorn was not exactly sure what to do when the game ended and jubilant Danville fans ran on the field at Boyle County to celebrate a 28-21 win over the Rebels.
It was one of the most dramatic wins in the series’ illustrious history because Boyle had overcome a 21-6 deficit in the final 2 minutes Friday night, only to have Danville win the game on a 74-yard touchdown run by Jawan Grey with 64 seconds left that stunned both Danville and Boyle fans.
“It was amazing when all the fans came out,” Alcorn said. “I have never been part of something like that before. I loved it even though I didn’t know exactly what to do other than everyone was just so happy.”
Well, at least those on the Danville sideline were, because the Admirals had won a game they had dominated the second half, only to almost let slip away. Boyle had come from the brink of defeat to position itself to win the game in overtime, only to see Grey’s play change that.
“The game was not over when they tied it, so we had to keep playing. We were not going to quit just because they tied the game. We knew coming in we could win. We felt coming in we were the better team and we just had to play that way until the end,” Alcorn said.
Sounds simple. Problem is Danville has not been doing that in recent years, especially in big games against teams like Boyle and Somerset. Alcorn, the Admirals’ senior quarterback, has had his share of heartache — and turnovers — in those games. He actually fumbled the opening snap at the Danville 1-yard line Friday but kept the ball. He also threw a first-quarter interception in his own territory.
But this time Alcorn did not let the mistakes ruin his game. Neither did his teammates, including Ace Ray, who forced a late first-half fumble by Boyle that kept the Rebels’ halftime lead at 6-0 instead of 13-0 or more.
Danville coach Sam Harp felt the Admirals could win at halftime, but he knew he need more from Alcorn. Perhaps a scramble and 30-yard pass that Grey barely caught out of the back of the end zone just before halftime helped Alcorn. Or maybe it was Harp’s halftime speech.
“I talked to him at halftime when he was stretching and told him that he had to let the game slow down. He was rushing. His throwing was off target because he was pressing. He played tight early. He was gassed because of the adrenaline rush,” Harp said.
Whatever happened, Alcorn led a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive to open the second half that featured physical play by the Ads’ offensive line, a 20-yard run by Grey and a scrambling, 26-yard touchdown strike from Alcorn to Grey that gave Danville a 7-6 lead.
“He threw that pass for a touchdown and got his confidence back. He started to make his reads better. He came over and told me to stay in the (wish)bone because they could not stop us,” Harp said. “He’s kind of came out of his shell this year. He’s been a good leader and player both on offense and defense. I knew he could get us the win.”
It looked like Danville had that win when Ray Bradshaw ran over a Boyle tackler to score on an 11-yard run and then Alcorn scored on a 2-yard run after Jadarius Brown recovered a Boyle fumble. That made it 21-7 with 8:34 left, and when Brown got an interception at 8:24, it seemed the game was over.
But the host Rebels came to life in the final minutes, drove 47 yards to score, recovered the onside kick and went another 45 yards to score a second touchdown just 61 seconds later. The two-point conversion not only tied the game, but seemed to give Boyle all the momentum heading toward overtime.
“We still knew we could win. That was the play I would have called. That play is all about being physical and making the right read. Once I did, Jawan did the rest,” Alcorn said.
The senior knows that is not the type of resiliency Danville has shown in recent years, which is one reason the Ads have had trouble getting back to a state title game since their last trip to the finals in 2006.
“We’re just different this year. We stay calm. We don’t worry if we are down. We just keep playing,” Alcorn said. “The offensive line was amazing. I knew they could play that physical. It was just a matter of wanting it more, and tonight we did. It means so much to beat them with this being my senior year. I’ve never beat them, so this is just a great win. It’s one we will all remember for a long time.”
However, it’s not the memory he most wants to have from his senior season.
“We just have to build on this for the next game. Nobody’s perfect. We kept fighting, but we have things to fix. We can be a really good team, but we are not there yet,” Alcorn said. “This win was great, but it’s not the end of the season. Hopefully, it’s just the beginning of good things for us.
“I’ve been believing all year that we can make noise in Class AA this year. This proves that, and winning state, not beating Boyle, is what means more than anything.”
It was one of the most dramatic wins in the series’ illustrious history because Boyle had overcome a 21-6 deficit in the final 2 minutes Friday night, only to have Danville win the game on a 74-yard touchdown run by Jawan Grey with 64 seconds left that stunned both Danville and Boyle fans.
“It was amazing when all the fans came out,” Alcorn said. “I have never been part of something like that before. I loved it even though I didn’t know exactly what to do other than everyone was just so happy.”
Well, at least those on the Danville sideline were, because the Admirals had won a game they had dominated the second half, only to almost let slip away. Boyle had come from the brink of defeat to position itself to win the game in overtime, only to see Grey’s play change that.
“The game was not over when they tied it, so we had to keep playing. We were not going to quit just because they tied the game. We knew coming in we could win. We felt coming in we were the better team and we just had to play that way until the end,” Alcorn said.
Sounds simple. Problem is Danville has not been doing that in recent years, especially in big games against teams like Boyle and Somerset. Alcorn, the Admirals’ senior quarterback, has had his share of heartache — and turnovers — in those games. He actually fumbled the opening snap at the Danville 1-yard line Friday but kept the ball. He also threw a first-quarter interception in his own territory.
But this time Alcorn did not let the mistakes ruin his game. Neither did his teammates, including Ace Ray, who forced a late first-half fumble by Boyle that kept the Rebels’ halftime lead at 6-0 instead of 13-0 or more.
Danville coach Sam Harp felt the Admirals could win at halftime, but he knew he need more from Alcorn. Perhaps a scramble and 30-yard pass that Grey barely caught out of the back of the end zone just before halftime helped Alcorn. Or maybe it was Harp’s halftime speech.
“I talked to him at halftime when he was stretching and told him that he had to let the game slow down. He was rushing. His throwing was off target because he was pressing. He played tight early. He was gassed because of the adrenaline rush,” Harp said.
Whatever happened, Alcorn led a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive to open the second half that featured physical play by the Ads’ offensive line, a 20-yard run by Grey and a scrambling, 26-yard touchdown strike from Alcorn to Grey that gave Danville a 7-6 lead.
“He threw that pass for a touchdown and got his confidence back. He started to make his reads better. He came over and told me to stay in the (wish)bone because they could not stop us,” Harp said. “He’s kind of came out of his shell this year. He’s been a good leader and player both on offense and defense. I knew he could get us the win.”
It looked like Danville had that win when Ray Bradshaw ran over a Boyle tackler to score on an 11-yard run and then Alcorn scored on a 2-yard run after Jadarius Brown recovered a Boyle fumble. That made it 21-7 with 8:34 left, and when Brown got an interception at 8:24, it seemed the game was over.
But the host Rebels came to life in the final minutes, drove 47 yards to score, recovered the onside kick and went another 45 yards to score a second touchdown just 61 seconds later. The two-point conversion not only tied the game, but seemed to give Boyle all the momentum heading toward overtime.
“We still knew we could win. That was the play I would have called. That play is all about being physical and making the right read. Once I did, Jawan did the rest,” Alcorn said.
The senior knows that is not the type of resiliency Danville has shown in recent years, which is one reason the Ads have had trouble getting back to a state title game since their last trip to the finals in 2006.
“We’re just different this year. We stay calm. We don’t worry if we are down. We just keep playing,” Alcorn said. “The offensive line was amazing. I knew they could play that physical. It was just a matter of wanting it more, and tonight we did. It means so much to beat them with this being my senior year. I’ve never beat them, so this is just a great win. It’s one we will all remember for a long time.”
However, it’s not the memory he most wants to have from his senior season.
“We just have to build on this for the next game. Nobody’s perfect. We kept fighting, but we have things to fix. We can be a really good team, but we are not there yet,” Alcorn said. “This win was great, but it’s not the end of the season. Hopefully, it’s just the beginning of good things for us.
“I’ve been believing all year that we can make noise in Class AA this year. This proves that, and winning state, not beating Boyle, is what means more than anything.”
