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On Nov. 1, 1996, it seemed the Scottsboro Wildcats 17 game regular season winning streak was in jeopardy. The Fort Payne Wildcats built a 28-0 first half lead and had Scottsboro on the ropes. Scottsboro entered the game with a 7-0 record and ranked No. 6 in the latest ASWA polls.             Fort Payne had a 4-4 record and had upset on their minds. A Scottsboro win would give them the Area 14 championship but it did not seem to be in the cards this rainy evening. Scottsboro had turned the ball over four times to assist in the Fort Payne 28-0 first half lead.            Fort Payne scored first on a 3-yard run by Randall Beagles halfway through the first quarter and added another touchdown on a Damien Underwood 28-yard pass to Randall Beagles to take a 13-0 lead early.            Damien Underwood scored again on a 2-yard run as the second quarter opened and he accounted for a third touchdown in less than five minutes when Daniel Thompson caught a 49-yard pass for a touchdown with 10:06 left in the first half. Fort Payne led 28-0 and seemed to have the game in hand.            Midway through the second quarter Scottsboro finally got a break when they recovered a Fort Payne fumble. On the first play from scrimmage, Keith Trimew hit Zach Holt for a 51-yard touchdown play to cut the lead to 28-7.            Scottsboro cut into the lead again following a 54-yard drive that took only three plays to complete. Keith Trimew scored on a 1-yard run after a 24-yard pass to Holt and a 30-yard run by Gary Griffin put the ball at the one. A two point conversion failed and Fort Payne still led 28-13 at the half.           Following the second half kickoff, Fort Payne fumbled and the ball was recovered by Griffin. He scored from the 8-yard line but the Wildcats failed on a two point conversion attempt and trailed 28-19 with 4:38 left in the third.            Keith Trimew scored on a 21-yard run early in the last stanza but the extra point was blocked. Fort Payne's lead had been cut to 28-25 and Scottsboro was within a field goal of tying the game. Scottsboro had one final chance but found themselves 80 yards from the end zone.            The Wildcats moved the football down the field and reached the Fort Payne one-yard line with time running out. Keith Trimew scored the winning touchdown on a one-yard run with just 31 seconds remaining in the game. Steven Johnson booted the extra point and Scottsboro had their first lead of the evening.            Ryan Bohler intercepted a Fort Payne pass to wrap up the victory as the Wildcats began to celebrate a win over one of their oldest rivals. It has been labeled the greatest comeback in Scottsboro football history and rightfully so. It is rare at any level for a team to overcome a four touchdown deficit.            Scottsboro set several team records on the night including 618 yards of total offense on 79 plays. They gained 528 yard rushing on 72 attempts. The most important stat appeared on the scoreboard as the last few seconds ticked away. The steady rain could not dampen the spirits of the players and fans following the most improbable comeback in school history.
Fort Payne ....................................... 13 15   0   0 -28 Scottsboro .......................................   0 13   6 13 -32   Fort Payne - Randall Beagles 3-yard run (Hank Cobble kick) 5:58 Fort Payne - Damien Underwood 28-yard pass to Randall Beagles (kick missed) 3:00 Fort Payne - Damien Underwood 2-yard run (Damien Underwood run) 11:56 Fort Payne - Damien Underwood 49-yard pass to Daniel Thompson (Hank Cobble kick) 10:06 Scottsboro - Keith Trimew 51-yard pass to Zach Holt (kick) Scottsboro - Keith Trimew 1-yard run (run failed) Scottsboro - Gary Griffin 8-yard run (run failed) 4:38 Scottsboro - Keith Trimew 21-yard run (kick blocked) Scottsboro - Keith Trimew 1-yard run (Steven Johnson kick) 0:31
Scottsboro 1996 9/6 21 Guntersville . . . . . . 0 9/13 46 Buckhorn . . . . . . . . . . 27 9/20 21 Emma Sansom . . . . . . . 7 9/27 28 Hartselle . . . . . . . . . 25 10/4 34 Southside Gadsden . . . 14 10/11 OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/18 23 North Jackson . . . . . 26 10/25 42 Albertville . . . . . . . 21 11/1 32 Fort Payne . . . . . . . . 28 11/8 42 Arab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 11/15 34 Anniston * . . . . . . . . 7 11/22 42 Etowah * . . . . . . . . . . 35 11/29 37 Bradshaw * . . . . . . . . 38 402 11-1 243 * Playoff game	Fort Payne 1996 9/6 28 Bradshaw . . . . . . . . . . 27 9/13 33 Cherokee County . . . . 15 9/20 29 Gadsden . . . . . . . . . . . 28 9/27 7 Etowah . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 10/4 35 Huntsville . . . . . . . . 48 10/11 35 Gordon Lee GA . . . . . 21 10/18 11 North Jackson . . . . . 42 10/25 24 Albertville . . . . . . . 38 11/1 28 Scottsboro . . . . . . . . 32 11/8 17 Grissom . . . . . . . . . . . 41 247 4-6 333 * 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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