As he spoke minutes after his team's regular season home finale, Phil Campbell varsity football coach Kevin Barnwell's voice cracked as he filled with emotion.
And it wasn't because his team defeated Colbert Heights 36-0 to move within one win of clinching a playoff berth.
Instead, Barnwell struggled to verbalize the bond he's formed with his senior players. Friday was Senior Night in Phil Campbell, and Barnwell was asked to describe what his 16 senior athletes mean to him.
“It's hard for me to talk about our seniors. They have really put a lot of time and effort into making us a respectable opponent,” Barnwell said. “I told them today I know I'm hard to deal with sometimes because I try to get them to see themselves the way I see them. It will be really difficult at the end of this season to let go of these guys.
“These kids were eighth graders when I got here. These are the ones who bought in from day one and I kicked them in the tail, griped and complained, made them run, but they stayed with it and they have so much to be proud of,” he added.
If the Bobcats defeat Clements this Friday, those 16 seniors will have at least one more game in their football careers, as Phil Campbell will lock in the fourth playoff spot for Class 3A, Region 8.
After two losses to Lauderdale County and Mars Hill Bible School, the Bobcats faced a must-win scenario in their final two Region 8 games. They are halfway there, and Barnwell liked what he saw Friday night.
“If we beat Clements, we're in. We'll be the fourth seed. If we lose, it would go to a tiebreaker and be decided by the amount of wins our non-region opponents have,” Barnwell said. “We just need to win next week and everything will take care of itself.”
This year's senior class includes: Kyle Pace, Bryant Hyde, Sage Raper, Cole Pace, Jeitt Traywick, Robbie Robinson, Brenen Misner, JJ Quillen, Grant Rollins, Mason Mims, Kyle Perez, Nick Williams, Kanen Seay, Tyler Osborn, Cooper Riddle and Landon Herron.
Pace, who suffered an AC sprain against Mars Hill, showed some senior leadership by gutting it out in a game Barnwell wasn't sure he'd be able to play. Add junior Braxton Goodson and sophomore Noah Raper to the list of Bobcat 'walking wounded' who showed up big against Colbert Heights.
Phil Campbell ran an unorthodox Notre Dame box offense Friday, to protect Pace and to feature Bryant Hyde, its healthiest offensive weapon.
The offense is a variation of the single-wing formation in which the halfback becomes the featured passer, and Hyde finished 4-6 for 43 yards through the air. He also rushed for 120 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown.
Even with his shoulder injury, Pace threw for 68 yards on 4-8 passing and connected with Goodson for a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Barnwell said the implementation of the Notre Dame box formation was the idea of assistant coach Bill Smith.
“Last Saturday I was out on the field doing my weekly mowing and I looked up on the hill and there was Coach Smith,” Barnwell said. “We talked about some ways to get Bryant the ball. And he literally came up with the Notre Dame box. That's the benefit of having a veteran coach like Coach Smith to give opinions I can rely on in critical moments.”
Phil Campbell led 8-0 in the first quarter after a Pace one-yard TD and a two-point conversion by Hyde. The Bobcats took a 14-0 lead into halftime after Pace's second TD, this one from two yards out.
Second half scores came from a 14-yard Sage Raper run, a 57-yard TD from Hyde and Pace's 12-yard TD pass to Goodson.
Goodson was another player who again proved his toughness, as he and (Noah) Raper both played with a brace after incurring knee injuries two weeks ago.
“I lack the vocabulary to express the amount of heart shown by some of our kids who came back and played with injuries,” Barnwell said. Our players showed up tonight in a big way. They all played hard and worked hard all week when our backs were against the wall.”
That big time performance came on defense as well, as Phil Campbell held a talented Colbert Heights offense to 178 total yards and forced three turnovers.
“We held a really good offensive team scoreless. Coach (Lucas) Gilbert, Coach (David) Palmer and all our defensive coaches did a heck of a good job this week,” Barnwell said.
Eli Cartee had an interception for the Bobcats. Ethan Kimbrough led the way with seven solo tackles to lead the defense.
Although students will be on Fall Break Monday and Tuesday this week, Barnwell's team voted to practice at 8 a.m., each day, as they prepare for Clements, the final hurdle to reach the post-season.
Phil Campbell and Clements have split their four games since Barnwell was hired. The Colts are 2-7 and 1-4 in Region 8, with their lone region win coming against Elkmont.
Clements was on the short end of an offensive shootout Friday night, as Colbert County outscored them 75-38.
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