Big kickoff returns. Clashing styles. Halfback passes that become buzzer-beating Hail Marys. Two-point conversions, onside kicks and turning turnovers into points.
You name it, and the folks lucky enough to watch the Ridgeland Panthers host the Northwest Whitfield Bruins likely saw it Friday night.
In a Region 6-AAAA opener that could prove to be the region-clincher six weeks from now, there was no trick left unturned and no stone left unthrown in Ridgeland's 48-42 win over visiting Northwest Whitfield.
"We always tell the kids that whenever your number gets called, you have to make a play," Ridgeland coach Wesley Tankersley said after his team won its region opener and moved to 4-0 for the season. "We knew anything could happen tonight.
"It was going to be a game decided by who made the most big plays, and we made them."
Ridgeland's biggest play of the night typified the craziness, and the riverboat stakes these teams embodied.
On the final offensive play of the first half, Ridgeland running back Jalyn Shelton rolled left and chucked a high spiral to Stephon Walker for a 43-yard touchdown with less than a second left before intermission for a 28-21 lead.
In a shootout that would make John Wayne smile, that play allowed Ridgeland to maintain a cushion throughout the second half.
"Our kids never quit," Northwest coach Josh Robinson said, "and we've lost three in a row, and that's on me because we have great kids.
"This was a game we knew anything and everything could happen, and that play before the half was a back-breaker."
Robinson refused to elaborate on the play, which on television replay looked to be a very close call.
But that one catch was far from the only memorable moment or highlight-reel-worthy replay.
In this showdown's roller-coaster style, take the ebbs and flows of Ridgeland running back/defensive back Grayson Moore. With the ball in his hands, Moore ran for five touchdowns and more than 170 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard scamper that closed the Panthers' scoring late in the fourth quarter.
On defense, though, Moore admitted to having a hard time with Bruins wideout Jay Jones, who caught seven passes for 176 yards and three scores from superb junior quarterback Luke Shiflett.
"He got me a couple of times, so I knew I had to make some big plays (on offense)," Moore said after what he gladly admitted was his best game ever. "In the end, Coach says we have to be ready to make plays, and we know that."
Moore's career night with the ball in his hands, and the two scores from Shelton, who added a 43-yard run in the second half, was just enough to topple the Bruins offense.
Shiflett-to-Jones was the primary weapon for Northwest (2-3, 0-1), but the bruising running of Dominique Sistrunk offered a nice balance. Sistrunk ran for two scores, and Shiflett's 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter brought the Bruins within six.
"We knew anything could happen, but it didn't really surprise me," Tankersley said as a wry smile crossed his face. "We knew this was going to be a four-quarter game."
Even after recovering the onside kick, the Bruins could not get any closer as the Panthers defense made the final stand.
So yes, in a game with 90 points and more than 900 yards of offense, the last big play was made by a defense.
Sounds about right.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com