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          The Lee Generals were riding a 15-game winning streak on Oct. 9, 1992 when they traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the Central Falcons. The Generals were ranked No. 1 in the nation coming off a state championship the previous season. Lee defeated these same Falcons 34-23 during the 1991 regular season and 14-7 in the Class 6A title game.

          Lee wingback Fred Beasley got the Generals on the scoreboard first on a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He scored again on the first play of the second quarter by diving over the top of the Falcons' defense. Randall Green added a 33-yard field goal for the Falcons with 1:18 to play in the first half. The Generals went into intermission with a 14-3 lead.

          Behind the running of Dennis Riddle, Central controlled the football for much of the second half. They took the ensuing kickoff 77 yards in 12 plays scoring on a Freddie May 31-yard run down the left sidelines to cut the lead to 14-10. The drive ate up 6 minutes of the third quarter.

         The Generals could not move the ball and after four plays punted to the Central 39-yard line. The Falcons held the ball for 5:39 but missed a 29-yard field goal with 10:58 remaining in the game.

         With 2:13 remaining things looked grim for the Falcons. The Generals had driven the football to their one-yard line and it appeared they would score at any time. Fred Beasley was considered one of the best college prospects in the nation and he was lined up in the backfield for the Generals.

          Coach McCracken called for Beasley to dive over the top in hopes of scoring and clinching the win. Quarterback Jeff Bazemore handed the ball off to Beasley and he leaped into the air toward the goal line. He was met by the Falcon's defense and the ball squirted out of his arms and into the arms of a Central defensive back Markeelus Milligan.

          Milligan caught the ball two-yards deep in the end zone and returned it 102 yards for a touchdown. Call it a gift, a lucky bounce, a big break or anything you want, it was a game-changing play.

          Bazemore led a desperation last drive for the Generals that reached the Central 30-yard line in the final seconds. Chad Blake lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt with just five seconds remaining but the kick was short and the Falcons could celebrate the state's biggest upset of 1992.

          Beasley rushed for 88 yards on 22 carries while Dennis Riddle led the Falcons with 93 yards on 30 attempts. Beasley became a star at Auburn and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. Riddle led Alabama in rushing in 1995 and 1996.

           The Generals were able to put that play behind them and went on to win the 1992 state championship and win their next seventeen games. The Falcons got revenge for the 14-7 loss in the previous season's championship game and the pleasure of knowing they were the only reason the Generals did not win a national championship in 1992.


Lee ...................................   7   7   0   0 -14
Central ..............................   0   3   7   7 -17
 
Lee - Fred Beasley 3-yard run (kick good)
Lee - Fred Beasley 1-yard run (kick good)
Central - Green 33-yard field goal
Central  May 31-yard run (conversion good)
Central - Milligan 102-yard fumble return (Green kick)

Central Tuscaloosa
1992
9/4 17 LaGrange GA . . . . . . . 24
9/11 OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9/18 22 Hazlewood . . . . . . . . . 8
9/25 24 Marietta GA . . . . . . . 24
10/2 0 Jess Lanier . . . . . . . 14
10/9 17 Lee Montgomery . . . . . 14
10/16 35 Hueytown . . . . . . . . . . 14
10/23 35 Greenwood MS . . . . . . 15
10/30 44 Parker . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
11/6 22 Tuscaloosa County . . . 10
11/13 13 Berry Birmingham * . . 10
11/20 19 Ensley * . . . . . . . . . . 6
11/27 10 Jess Lanier * . . . . . 7
12/4 13 Hewitt-Trussville * . . 15
271 9-3-1 167

* Playoff game
# State championship game
Lee Montgomery
1992
9/4 35 Carver Montgomery . . . 6
9/11 31 Pascagoula MS . . . . . 13
9/18 42 Greenville . . . . . . . . 7
9/25 69 B.T. Washington . . . . 0
10/2 38 Gadsden . . . . . . . . . . . 14
10/9 14 Central Tuscaloosa . . 17
10/16 28 Jeff Davis . . . . . . . . 0
10/23 OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10/30 31 Prattville . . . . . . . . 3
11/6 31 Sidney Lanier . . . . . 7
11/12 30 Talladega * . . . . . . . 7
11/20 25 Opelika * . . . . . . . . . 18
11/27 17 Anniston * . . . . . . . . 15
12/4 24 Vigor * . . . . . . . . . . . 7
12/12 14 Hewitt-Trussville # . . 0
429 13-1 114

* 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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