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The stadium in Brundidge was packed to capacity as more than 5,000 enthusiastic fans watched Pike County meet the Tarrant Wildcats for the 1988 Class 4A state championship.            Pike County won its first state title as Fred Holland threw a 14-yard touchdown pass and kicked a 25-yard field goal in the 17-8 win over Tarrant. Holland capped an eight play 49-yard drive with a touchdown pass to future NFL tight end Fred Baxter with 2:04 remaining in the first half. He later scored what proved to be the game winning points with his field goal with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.           Pike County built a 17-0 lead on Clint Foster's 4 yard run, which was plenty of points for a defense that didn't allow Tarrant to cross midfield until late in the game. The Wildcats got on the scoreboard with 43 seconds remaining in the game on a Carlos Mayer 3-yard pass to Thedderick Cook for a touchdown.           Tarrant recovered the ensuing onside kick but an interception derailed any plans of a miraculous comeback. The Pike defense collected four interceptions on the evening.           The Tarrant defense stopped Steven Coleman most of the game. The future Mr. Football (1989) winner was kept in track and out of the end zone for the only time during his high school career. He was limited to only three yards rushing in the second half.           Pike County finished the 1988 season with a 13-2 record while Tarrant ended with a 12-3 record. The Bulldogs repeated as champions in 1989 behind the sensational play of Coleman. Pike County .......................................   0   7   3   7 -17 Tarrant ...............................................   0   0   0   8 - 8   Pike County: Fred Baxter 14 yard pass from Fred Holland (Fred Holland PAT) 2:04 Pike County: Fred Holland 25 yard field goal 0:26 Pike County: Clint Foster 4 yard run (Fred Holland PAT) Tarrant: Thedderick Cook 3 yard pass from Carlos Mayer (John Ford run) 0:43
Pike County 1988 8/26 36 Charles Henderson . . . 7 9/2 43 Shelby County . . . . . 13 9/9 26 Tallassee . . . . . . . . . 15 9/16 6 Wetumpka . . . . . . . . . . 16 9/23 14 Elba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9/30 28 Elmore County . . . . . 7 10/7 24 Abbeville . . . . . . . . . 13 10/14 6 Dothan . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 10/21 14 Headland . . . . . . . . . . 7 10/28 40 Dale County . . . . . . . 8 11/4 35 Daleville * . . . . . . . 7 11/11 26 UMS-Wright * . . . . . . 17 11/18 39 T.R. Miller * . . . . . 21 11/25 26 Lanett * . . . . . . . . . . 6 12/2 17 Tarrant # . . . . . . . . . 8 380 13-2 183 * Playoff game # State championship game	Tarrant 1988 8/26 6 Hewitt-Trussville . . . 0 9/2 19 Fairfield . . . . . . . . . 24 9/9 35 Pinson Valley . . . . . 0 9/16 18 Mortimer Jordan . . . . 0 9/23 21 Fultondale . . . . . . . . 6 9/30 15 Pelham . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 10/7 21 Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 10/14 33 Shelby County . . . . . 7 10/21 38 Moody . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 10/28 40 Hayden . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 11/4 12 Winfield * . . . . . . . . 0 11/11 35 Cherokee County * . . . 28 11/18 13 Litchfield * . . . . . . 6 11/25 20 Colbert County * . . . 12 12/2 8 Pike County # . . . . . 17 334 12-3 128 * Playoff game # State championship 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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