Tiger Sharks advance

MAYO - Fourth down was the difference Friday night in a rerun of the initial step toward a championship season for Port St. Joe.

The Tiger Sharks (9-2) made the plays on fourth down that were critical as for the second time in three years Port St. Joe traveled to Mayo Lafayette and beat the top-ranked and unbeaten Class 1A team.

This time the score was 18-13 on a chilly night similar to three years ago when the Tiger Sharks downed a then-No.1 and undefeated Lafayette en route to the state title.

Port St. Joe plays at West Gadsden next Friday in the Region 1-1A final.

The Tiger Sharks twice scored touchdowns on fourth down while twice shutting down the Hornets (10-1) on fourth down inside the 10.

"We were hoping to make them play a four-quarter game because they hadn't had one all year," Port St. Joe coach Vern Barth said of Lafayette. "Tonight was just an all-around effort. Defense made big plays when we needed it and the offense made big plays when we needed it."

The first momentum swing came in the opening quarter when Port St. Joe's Greg Farmer went over from the 1 on fourth-and-goal at 4:15. On the ensuing drive, Lafayette marched to set up a first-and-goal from the 1, but could not dent the goal line in four tries.

The Tiger Sharks went into halftime ahead 6-0.

The Hornets came out of intermission and sprinted to a touchdown, aided by a key facemask penalty on Port. St. Joe, but Blake Herring's extra point was wide and it was tied 6-6.

The Tiger Sharks answered immediately, a 42-yard run by Calvin Pryor setting up a 1-yard touchdown by quarterback Tyrone Dawson that put Port St. Joe back on top in the third quarter, 12-6.

Jamal Reed, the Miami signee from Lafayette, returned a fumble 41 yards and Herring nailed the extra point and Lafayette was on top for the first time at 13-12 later in the quarter.

But Pryor went over from the 7 on fourth-and-goal, the pass conversion failing and it was 18-13 with 8:53 remaining in the game.

Lafayette reached the red zone one more time, gaining first-and-goal from the 5 with less than a minute left. But the Hornets were stopped on yet another fourth down.

The region final is a rematch of an early season game easily won by West Gadsden.

"They're definitely looking forward to that," Barth said of the Tiger Sharks. "They want to go back and play the kind of football they know they can play."