By Tim Rogers
Correspondent
East Ridge stood less than a yard from another likely defeat Friday night.
But Brainerd failed to take a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and the Pioneers tied the score with 44 seconds remaining. The home crowd erupted when Chase Steele scored from 10 yards out in overtime to give East Ridge a 20-14 District 6-AA win at Raymond James Field.
Brainerd appeared to be in control as the fourth quarter began. The Panthers (1-3, 0-2) had a 14-7 lead and faced a third-and-goal from inside the East Ridge 1.
But an inside handoff turned into a 10-yard loss when quarterback William Hughes was thrown behind the line of scrimmage after an ill-advised pitch. Brainerd had its 30-yard field goal deflected by Pioneers linebacker Stefan Nelson.
"We're half a yard from going down two scores, and I don't think we overcome that," said East Ridge coach Mike Martin, whose team improved to 2-2, 1-1. "[The win] made me feel good because it didn't look good that entire second half."
Brainerd again drove deep into Pioneers territory before Shannon Brown intercepted a pass at the 7-yard line with 2:36 remaining.
East Ridge quarterback Demetrius Bumpus led a hurry-up offense on an eight-play drive that ended when he connected with Brown for a 12-yard scoring pass. Johnny Rodriguez's extra point forced overtime.
"Bumpus did a good job of running our two-minute offense," Martin said.
Brainerd began the extra period with the ball at the 10-yard line with four downs to score. The Panthers lost 8 yards and turned it over to the Pioneers on an incomplete pass on fourth down.
Steele needed just one play to keep the Pioneers in the playoff discussion.
"We thought if we came out with a two-tight-end set they'd stack the middle and Chase would be able to get outside," Martin said. "He did a good job with it."
For Brainerd coach Stanley Jackson, this game was a missed opportunity.
"It's a game we should have won," he said. "We dominated from start to finish. It bothers me because I know we're the better team."
E-mail Tim Rogers at sports@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6273.