By Chris Megginson / For the Reporter

TOXEY – Cornerstone fell just short of its first round upset in the AISA Class A playoffs Thursday, falling at South Choctaw Academy, 20-13.

Though the Chargers’ defense held the Rebels to a turnover on downs inside the 10 yard line multiple times during the game, South Choctaw managed to punch in the go-ahead touchdown from the half-yard line with 1:34 to play. The quarterback draw was followed by a successful 2-point pass, making it a 20-13 game.

Cornerstone was held four-and-out, despite getting the ball on its own 48 after the kickoff.

“It was hard to lose. The kids played so hard. I couldn’t ask them to do any more than they did tonight,” CCS head coach Tim Smith said. “I knew we’d gotten better the last four weeks. I thought we could play with them, but I wasn’t sure how much. Once we got in the game, our confidence got going. I still thought we’d find a way to win in the end.”

Cornerstone scored first, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a touchdown pass from Quad Brown to Jeffrey Odgers. SCA pulled within a point, 7-6, on an 8-yard run, and then took the lead, 12-7, on a 5-yard run with 24 seconds to play in the first half.

The Chargers responded though, stopping the Rebels on fourth and goal in the third quarter, and then Brown hit Odgers with a pass to the CCS 47. Three plays later, on third-and-12, Brown found Noah Davis for a 55-yard touchdown and to regain the lead, 13-12. The point after kick was no good.

“Our kids just wouldn’t give up. I thought our defense played great. Our biggest problem was we couldn’t move the ball consistently. We couldn’t run it tonight,” Smith said.

That lead remained until SCA’s late fourth quarter drive. Even still, CCS was not folding inside the 10, as Dontrell Calhoun and Tucker Johnson combined for a sack on first and goal, and then Calhoun made a touchdown-saving tackle on the half-yard line on third down.

Cornerstone, which started the season on a seven-game losing streak, finished the year with a 2-8 record.

“I know these kids deserve a better record than what they’ve got. I know people look at the record and question, ‘how did they make the playoffs,” Smith said. “I hate we’re through playing now when we’re playing the best we’ve played all year. I wish we had another Friday night. You always want to be playing your best at the end of the year, and we were.”