Up until midway through the fourth quarter it appeared that Presbyterian Christian (PCS) would complete a comeback against West Marion and hand the defending district champions their first district loss of the season.
After falling behind 13-0, the Bobcats stormed back to take a 21–20 lead midway through the third quarter behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Smith Stringer.
But a late injury to Stringer changed everything.
With just over seven minutes to play, Stringer was sacked on a third and long and went down on the field. In an apparent left ankle injury, Stringer would not return to the game, drastically changing the dynamic of the PCS offense.
Like good teams do, the Trojans took advantage of the PCS offense stalling without Stringer and capaltizes with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to escape with a 33-21 road victory at PCS.
West Marion (6–2, 3–0 in district play) remained unbeaten in Region 8-3A and took a big step toward repeating as district champions. PCS (5–3, 1–1) dropped its first district contest since joining the MHSAA this season.
West Marion controlled the first half in every facet. The Trojans opened the game with a nine-play scoring drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown run from running back Jerqalin Boyd, though the extra point failed to make it 6–0.
PCS’s first offensive possession ended quickly when Stringer was intercepted on third down, and the Trojans pounced again. This time, quarterback Braxton Albritton capped a 15-play march with a 6-yard keeper for a 13–0 lead.
The Bobcats finally answered late in the first quarter when Stringer hit Reed Bridges down the sideline for a 55-yard lightning-strike touchdown, cutting the deficit to 13–7. But West Marion needed just four plays to respond — Albritton connected on a 60-yard scoring pass to push the margin back to 20–7.
PCS had a chance to add points before halftime, driving into field-goal range with under 10 seconds left, but controversy struck when a receiver appeared to go out of bounds and the officials let the clock continue to run. Time expired before the Bobcats could attempt a kick, leading to an animated exchange between head coach Richard Chambliss and the officiating crew.
“The refs, they just kind of said they got it right,” Chambliss said. “But we felt like we should’ve had another play there.”
Despite this controversy, PCS emerged from the locker room after halftime and exploded on offense. Stringer orchestrated a pair of quick-strike drives in the third quarter, first finding Jet Henderson for a 16-yard touchdown, then connecting again with Bridges for a 45-yard score on the next possession to grab the Bobcats’ first lead at 21–20.
“We went up 21–20 and had all the momentum,” Chambliss said. “The kids fought their tails off to get back in it.”
But the celebration was short-lived.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Stringer rolled out to his right and went down with an apparent left ankle injury. Trainers helped Stringer off the field, and he did not return.
The Pine Belt News did see Stringer having his left ankle heavily taped up on the sideline and did try to put pressure on it, to no avail. He left the game on crutches, with ice wrapped around his left ankle.
“No, no update yet,” he said. “I’ll talk to the doctor when we get in there.”
Without its starting quarterback, PCS’s offense lost its rhythm, and West Marion seized the moment. The Trojans put together two touchdown drives in the final six minutes to put the game away — the dagger coming on a 59-yard rush by Boyd, who finished with 17 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Before leaving the game, Stringer turned in one of his best performances of the season, completing 10 of 23 passes for 251 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Bridges was his top target, hauling in five receptions for 168 yards and a score, including the 55- and 45-yard strikes that ignited PCS’s comeback.
“Our defense still fought, got us another stop, but we just couldn’t get it going on offense after that,” Chambliss said. “We put ourselves in a bad position, but the kids never quit. That’s what you want — to be in every game and keep fighting.”
Despite the loss, Chambliss said he was proud of his team’s resilience and reminded his players that the season’s far from over.
“Football’s like life — sometimes you get knocked down, and you’ve got to respond,” he said. “The season’s not far from over. It doesn’t really matter what seed you go into the playoffs as long as you can get hot and make a run. We’ve got to regroup and beat St. Stanislaus next week.”
PCS will look to bounce back on the road next Friday at St. Stanislaus, while West Marion moves into the driver’s seat for another district crown.
