GULF SHORES — A last-second heave to the end zone fell into the arms of a Theodore receiver and the Bobcats escaped with a 16-14 win over the Gulf Shores Dolphins on the road to stay in the top four of the Class 6A Region 1 playoff race.

Theodore only got an extra chance after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball to the 35-yard line and closer to striking distance of the end zone.

Gulf Shores forced an incomplete pass on the Bobcat sideline but an errant kick of the dead ball drew a flag and placed 4.2 seconds on the clock. Theodore junior quarterback Crishon Overton dropped back and threw up a jump ball to the end zone where a Dolphin defender was the first to get his hands on it but the ball bobbled up in the air instead of being deflected to the ground and it instead fell into Jaden Bush’s hands for the game-winning score.

“These kids just left everything they had on the field,” Gulf Shores head coach Mark Hudspeth said after the game. “Hail Mary’s are hit and miss, our kids tried their hardest to make a play and it just didn’t go our way. But these kids left everything they had on the field tonight, I’m really proud of their effort.”

Bobcats score early, not again until last second

The Bobcats started hot with a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter but didn’t score again until the final play of regulation.

Overton broke off a 60-yard touchdown on Theodore’s sixth play from scrimmage to open the scoring with 9:24 left in the first. Senior Greg Cunill added a 33-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the first half before the Gulf Shores defense went on to record five three-and-outs as well as steal a fumble recovery thanks to junior Price Stephens.

“They settled down after that (first touchdown) and really played awfully well, came up with some big stops,” Hudspeth said. “And then offensively, we put together some good drives and thought we put ourselves in a position to win the game.”

The head coach said the game plan was to do their best to tackle the ballcarrier after making it past the Bobcats’ vaunted offensive line that included senior Alabama commit Micah DeBose at 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds.

“Try to tackle and not let that big offensive line push us around because they were much bigger than us,” Hudspeth said. “I thought our guys stood up to the test.”

Wildcat Wilson punches in two more scores

The Dolphins turned to senior running back and Mississippi State commit Kolin Wilson to operate the Wildcat formation once again where he received direct snaps and ran the offense.

His first score, a 9-yard rush, capped a 66-yard, 10-play drive with 5:09 left in the first half where Wilson carried the ball on all but two plays. His second, a 6-yard rush, bookended a 40-yard, 6-play drive with 4:40 left in the third where he carried the ball five times to give Gulf Shores a 14-10 lead.

“A bit of success with (the Wildcat) right before the half, we marched it all the way down the field so it gives us another dimension,” Hudspeth said. “We were trying to go back and forth a little bit to keep them off-balance.”

The touchdowns served as Nos. 10 and 11 for Wilson so far this season.

Playoff picture adjusted

While the Dolphins’ head coach said his team’s postseason dreams have not yet expired, they will need assistance from other squads to get Gulf Shores back to the playoffs.

“For us, it’s just one game at a time. Now we’ll have to get some help in the playoffs from other teams,” Hudspeth said. “There’s a chance we could still get in but now we’ll have to have help based on other teams’ wins and losses so all we can do is control what we can control and winning next week.”

Had the Dolphins beaten Theodore on Friday night, they would have held a tiebreaker for the fourth and final postseason seed over the Bobcats and McGill-Toolen. Now, Gulf Shores will not only need to beat Baldwin County and Murphy over the next two weeks, but it will also rely on help from other teams’ losses.

“I’m hurting for the kids,” the coach said.

Up next

The Dolphins fell to 2-6 overall with a 2-4 mark in Class 6A Region 1. Gulf Shores is set to travel to Bay Minette in Week 10 for a battle with the Baldwin County Tigers who fell to Blount 12-3 Friday and will enter 1-7 overall and 1-5 in region.

The Bobcats improved to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in region play. Theodore is set for a home contest next week against No. 1 Saraland who will enter 7-0 and 6-0 following a 58-7 win over Murphy.

Money quote

“Just wanted them to finish. We’ve been a great first half team this year, but we hadn’t played a great second half so just wanted them to finish,” Hudspeth said of the halftime message trailing 10-7. “We got much closer, didn’t quite do it but we got dang close.”

Other Week 9 scores

Alma-Bryant Hurricanes 40, Robertsdale Golden Bears 12

Bayside Academy Admirals 10, Excel Panthers 0

Blount Leopards 12, Baldwin County Tigers 3

Chickasaw Chieftains 42, Bayshore Christian Eagles 21

Daphne Trojans 35, Fairhope Pirates 22

Foley Lions 34, Davidson Warriors 18

Jackson Academy Eagles 30, Snook Christian Eagles 0

Mobile Christian Leopards 35, Orange Beach Makos 21

St. Michael Cardinals 38, Pensacola Tigers 37

UMS-Wright Bulldogs 30, Elberta Warriors 0