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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Verbena High School locked itself into the Class 1A Football State Playoffs and pushed the school to its best start since 2006 with a 28-12 win over Notasulga High School on Oct. 4. The Red Devils went into a hole early, but 28 unanswered points kept them unbeaten and gave them their fourth region win of the season, a win that guarantees them a spot in the playoffs.

Leading 14-12 at halftime, Verbena recovered an onside kick on the second-half kickoff. They got the ball down inside the Notasulga red zone, converted a fourth down and Jaxson Kelley punched in the score from three yards out to push the lead to 20-12 following the missed two-point conversion. Verbena’s Caleb Short shut down another Notasulga drive with his second interception of the game deep inside Red Devils’ territory the ensuing drive.

The teams traded fourth down stops as Verbena’s came at the doorstep of their end zone to prevent a would-be tying score early in the fourth quarter. They took over at their own two-yard line with nine minutes to go, and they marched down the field and ate almost all of the clock in route to the end zone. Jacob Morris finally busted a run outside for the touchdown after the lengthy drive, and Short’s two-point conversion run put the game out of reach at 28-12.

While Verbena trailed early, it was familiar territory for them as they have trailed in five of their six games this season. But each time cashing in the comeback bid.

“These games are a marathon not a sprint, and we will adjust. I have the greatest staff in 1A football,” Verbena head coach Allen Brothers said. “We make adjustments, and if the guys will buy like they have every game so far, we have enough time to do what we need to do. Tonight, we did it.”

Verbena’s 6-0 start is the best for the school since 2006 when they started the season 6-0 as well before finishing 7-4.

Notasulga surprised Verbena with an onside kick on the opening kickoff and recovered near midfield. That set up the first of two long touchdown passes for the Blue Devils in the first quarter while their defense forced punts on the first two Verbena drives. Short pulled down his first interception of the game to halt a Notasulga drive just before the end of the first quarter as Notasulga held a 12-0 lead.

The second quarter was all Red Devils as the comeback mounted, starting by converting the short punt into points behind a five-yard touchdown run by Morris. The special teams contributed to the big quarter as well with Traie Brown blocking a punt to set up the offense with a short field. Kelley took in the short one-yard touchdown to convert the turnover into points again, and Morris’ two-point run sent Verbena into halftime with the 14-12 lead.

“Our goal at the beginning of the year was playoffs and a winning record, and I have been pressing these guys all week that this one game could accomplish both,” Brothers said. “It was not pretty, but nothing we do is pretty. These guys are the grittiest bunch of kids I have ever coached and they just plug in, the coaches are gritty and we get what we get. Now, we are heading to the playoffs.”

Verbena (6-0) travels to Autauga Academy on Oct 11 for their next game in Class 1A Region 4 play, scheduled for 7 p.m.