ANDALUSIA, Ala.—The clock ran out on Bayside Academy’s 2013 season at the Straughn School Friday. Taking advantage of it’s massive linemen, the Tigers scored two touchdowns for each one posted by the visiting Admirals for a 42-21 Class 3A quarterfinal win. The road home to Daphne was long and dark and damp with salty sailor tears.

The only team in the state forced to travel for three-straight post-season games, the gypsy Admirals got right to work and scored on their opening drive with a Hunter Slater quarterback dive and a Colin Douglas extra point kick for a 7-0 BA lead. The score was set up with a 57-yard keeper by Slater.

But the Tigers answered with four-consecutive scoring series on touchdowns by Rollin Kinsaul and Devin Scott to go up 27-7 at the half. Bayside struck back early in the third quarter when Slater found Greg Wallace for a 7-yard leap-and-latch TD pass to make it 27-14. Trip Puckett set up the score with a 42-yard pass from Slater on a fourth-and-16 play out of a quick-kick punting formation with Puckett wide after pretending to leave the field. The Admirals also tried two onside kicks but came up short.

Kinsaul and Scott tacked on one more TD each for Straughn with Kinsaul also converting on a try-for-two to make it 42-14.

The Admirals hung in there on an 80-yard, pass-intensive drive which Landon Lasseter finished with a 1-yard scoring run after a 47-yard Slater-to-Wallace pass to the Tiger one.

“I’m proud of these kids,” said Bayside head coach Phil Lazenby. “They never quit, played hard. I know they are devastated, but the fact is we were beat by a good team. Straughn not only outsized us, they outplayed us. They are not just big, but quick and are well coached. Coach (Trent) Taylor does a good job and obviously had his guys ready. But it’s tough. Our kids worked so hard and it’s their effort that got us this far. They’re not big in size or numbers but their hearts are huge. They are going to hurt awhile.”

The Tigers (11-2) advanced to meet Leeds in the semifinals next week after the LHS Green Wave defeated T.R. Miller 24-20 leaving Straughn as the only 3A Region 1 team left in the playoffs.

Taylor said his team did a good job of focusing on Bayside and not looking past them after also taking the regular-season Region 1 game 40-22.

“Can’t ever take a Phil Lazenby team for granted,” he said. “We knew they would pull out all the stops. And they still caught us asleep on the fake punt. That first game (regular season) was a lot closer than the score looks. It was touch and go, then we got a couple of late scores to put it away. Tonight we built a cushion early and maintained it. Similar score but it wasn’t as close.”

Bayside won the meeting last year in part due to some cleverly designed and well-timed plays.

“I still remember last year,” Taylor said. “They got us at their place. So this year we really worked on getting ready for everything, including the onsides and tonight we did a better job. Their kicker does a good job for them. But we’re excited about next week. That’s what we work for.”

Bayside finished the season 8-5. Three of those losses were to lager classification programs including defending 4A state champion UMS-Wright which also heads into the semifinals.