Baylor may have earned a statewide distinction Friday that no team wants. The Red Raiders may be the best TSSAA football team with a losing record.

Moreover, the manner in which that played out couldn’t have been much more painful. A conversion run in the second overtime lifted Knoxville Catholic past the host team 21-20 . That was the only lead for the Fighting Irish.

“We’re going to get it together from now on,” said Baylor senior wide receiver and defensive back Brett Murray, while somehow managing to keep his chin up. “We’ve been practicing hard every week and we’re going to continue doing that. Us seniors are going to have to show these young guys that we’re going to have to keep stepping up and keep believing.”

Regulation play ended 10-10, and each team managed a field goal in the first overtime. Baylor’s Charlie Wilson scored on a 1-yard sneak in the second overtime, and Tanner Taylor’s ensuing extra point made it 20-13.

After Jordon Howanitz scored from the 3 on a sweep around left end, the Irish lined up in their offensive set for the conversion. Each team used a timeout before Howanitz took another handoff to the left, this time cutting it off tackle and scoring the winning points standing up.

“We were going to try to get them to jump offsides and maybe get a little shorter place to run from the 1-and-a-half, but they didn’t jump,” Catholic coach Mark Pemberton explained of his team’s timeout. “We just lost a ballgame in the playoffs last year when we went for the tie. We’re not going to go for the tie anymore.”

Pemberton was referring to a missed extra point with 1:09 to play in a 26-25 loss to Austin-East in last year’s Class 3A second round that ended the top-ranked Catholic’s undefeated season.

Division II-AA Baylor (2-3) flexed its muscle early against the No. 2-ranked Irish (6-0) by taking the opening possession and driving it 80 yards in 17 plays — 12 of them runs by tailback Sam Williams. Williams finally tired, but reserve Brandon Pickett blasted in from the 1, and 8:38 into the game the Red Raiders had a 7-0 lead. Williams wound up carrying 37 times for 161 yards.

“They’ve got seniors up front on both sides of the ball and a heck of a tailback,” Pemberton said. “We kept telling our kids just hang in there and good things will happen, and eventually it turned out that it did.”

By the time Taylor made a 19-yard field goal with 3:30 remaining in the second quarter, Catholic had run a total of five plays. The Irish were held to 2 rushing yards in the first half but managed to get the deficit down to 10-7 by halftime when quarterback Tyler Williamson and wideout Nick Branum hooked up on a 38-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the half.

Williamson threw for 90 of his 142 yards in the first half. Howanitz had 73 of his 75 rushing yards after halftime.

“We’ll throw it when it’s available,” Pemberton said. “We’re just looking to take advantage of what they give us.”

The Red Raiders will try to get their record back to even next week when they play archrival McCallie at Finley Stadium.

“It’s a big game for us because it’s a league game,” Murray said. “All three teams we’ve lost to are great teams. Tonight they just made one more extra play.”

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