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The Etowah Blue Devils simply found ways to win throughout the 1991 season. They won six games by seven points or less but none compared to the win over Oxford in the first round of the playoffs. It took them six overtimes but they came out on top to advance in the playoffs.           Etowah quarterback Freddy Kitchens scored on a 3-yard run along the left sidelines to cap off an amazing 69-63 victory over the Oxford Yellow Jackets. Kitchen's touchdown came after the Yellow Jackets had fumbled on the 1-yard line on their sixth possession and failed to score.           The two teams fought to a 28-28 tie at the end of regulation and each team scored on every possession during the first five overtimes.           Oxford quarterback Galen Sprayberry threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Charles Wright on the Yellow Jackets' first possession of the game to jump out front 7-0. The Blue Devils answered on a fake field goal when Kitchens, who lined up as a receiver, took a reverse handoff and threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Toderick Malone in the end zone to tie the score 7-7.           Chris Cunningham scored on a 5-yard run just before halftime to give Oxford a 14-7 lead at intermission. Kitchens again found Malone for a 40-yard touchdown only three plays into the third quarter to pull the Blue Devils within one 14-13. A fake extra point try failed and Oxford still held the lead.           Oxford extended their lead to 21-13 midway through the third period when Sprayberry again found Wright on a 33-yard scoring pass play. A few minutes later a Kitchens pass was intercepted by Brad Young who returned the football 20 yards for a touchdown and Oxford lead 28-13.           Malone caught his third touchdown of the evening just 21 seconds into the fourth quarter and when Kitchens ran for the two-point conversion, Oxford led 28-21. Malone intercepted a Sprayberry pass in the end zone to give Etowah new life and the Blue Devils took over at their 20-yard line. They covered the 80-yards in just eight plays, scoring on a Deverell Howard 27-yard run to tie the game at 28-28.           In the first overtime, Dominick Pinson gave Etowah the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run. The Yellow Jackets answered on Chris Cunningham's 8-yard run to knot the score at 35-35. Oxford scored on Sprayberry's 7-yard pass to Keith Bargerhuff and Malone scored on a 5-yard run on fourth down for Etowah to tie the game at 42-42 after the second overtime period.           Kitchens led the Blue Devils back with a 6-yard scoring run to begin the third overtime period. The defense held Oxford on three downs before Sprayberry found Wright on a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 49-49. Both teams scored again in the fifth overtime bringing the score to 56-56.           The Yellow Jacket defense came up big in the next overtime when they sacked Kitchens forcing a third and eighteen play. He came through finding Malone for the touchdown and a 63-56 lead. Oxford assured the fans of a sixth overtime when Sprayberry scored on a 2-yard run. The game ended on Kitchens short run after Oxford failed on their possession.         Not since a 1924, 71-0 loss to Alexander City had Oxford allowed as many points in a game. The Yellow Jackets ended their season and Etowah lost to number one ranked and eventual state champions Homewood the following Friday to close out a remarkable 1990 campaign. Etowah ..................   7   0   6   15   7   7   7   7   7   6 - 69 Oxford ..................   7   7   0   14   7   7   7   7   7   0 - 63   O- Sprayberry to Wright 17-yard pass (Abernathy kick) E- Kitchens to Toderick Malone 25-yard pass (Malone kick) O- Cunningham 5-yard run (Abernathy kick) E- Kitchens to Malone 40-yard pass (conversion failed) O- Sprayberry to Wright 33-yard pass (Abernathy kick) O- Young 20-yard interception return (Abernathy kick) E- Kitchens to Malone pass (conversion good) E- Howard 27-yard run (Malone kick) E- Pinson 10-yard run  (Malone kick) O- Cunningham 8-yard run (Abernathy kick) O- Sprayberry to Bargerhuff 7-yard pass (Abernathy kick) E- Toderick Malone 5-yard run (Malone kick) E- Kitchens 6-yard run (Malone kick) O- Sprayberry to Wright 10-yard pass (Abernathy kick) O- E-  E- Kitchens 18-yard pass (Malone kick) O- Sprayberry 2-yard run  (Abernathy kick) E- Kitchens 3-yard run (no conversion try)
Etowah 1991 9/6 7 Tuscaloosa County . . . 0 9/13 14 Walter Wellborn . . . . 7 9/20 13 Decatur . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9/27 21 Ensley . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 10/4 16 Gardendale . . . . . . . . 0 10/11 7 Gadsden . . . . . . . . . . . 17 10/18 17 Litchfield . . . . . . . . 13 10/25 19 Emma Sansom . . . . . . . 8 11/1 OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/8 35 Fort Payne . . . . . . . . 21 11/15 69 Oxford * . . . . . . . . . . 63 11/22 26 Homewood * . . . . . . . . 33 244 9-2 183 * Playoff game	Oxford 1991 9/6 21 Pell City . . . . . . . . . 41 9/13 7 Anniston . . . . . . . . . . 34 9/20 26 Talladega . . . . . . . . . 15 9/27 14 Gardendale . . . . . . . . 9 10/4 24 Childersburg . . . . . . 21 10/11 14 Courtland . . . . . . . . . 12 10/18 7 Homewood . . . . . . . . . . 25 10/25 34 Saks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 11/1 46 Jacksonville . . . . . . 8 11/1 23 Walter Wellborn . . . . 14 11/15 63 Etowah * . . . . . . . . . . 69 279 7-4 248 * Playoff game

  The Memorable Games, a series on the important and memorable games in high school football history

David Parker
  AHSFHS.org
  dparker@ahsfhs.org

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