Concord, NC - December 3, 2004 - The shock, disappointment, and hurt are beginning to settle in . . . Asheville was leading Concord 20-0 with 5:43 left in the game when the Spiders exploded through the air for 21 points to defeat the Cougars 21-20 in the Western Regional Finals.  The Cougars (12-2) dominated the game through three-and-a-half quarters.  Johnny White led the ground attack, rushing 33-275 (unofficially) with three touchdowns, and surpassing the 2,000 yard rushing mark for the season.  Coach E.Z. Smith of Concord (14-1) was quoted as saying "We just beat the best 3A team in the state."  We have to agree. 

Cougars, we are so proud of you for yet another outstanding season!  Coach Wilkins, you and your staff have done an outstanding job.  If the expectations weren't so high, this would not hurt as much.  Good luck to the seniors and thank you for your many contributions.  For the rest of you guys, we look forward to next year with great anticipation!

Click "Read more" below for more details about the game.
There have been any number of great comebacks in the annals of high school football in this state. What was witnessed o­n this chilly December night will rank with the rest, especially in terms of sheer unlikeliness.

For after 42 minutes of play...in fact, with 5:43 left to play in the game, the Asheville Cougars were looking good and feeling even better. At that point, as Johnny White scored his third touchdown o­n a o­ne yard run, the contest appeared to be all but over. Fans o­n both sides of the crowd of 6,000 began filling the aisles, and some Asheville fans began the chant of "o-ver-ra-ted" (Concord was the number o­ne seed in the western 3A playoffs, while Asheville, ranked high in the top 10 all season, was third).
Then, as if o­n cue o­n a starry but chilly night, something happened.

But perhaps a few words o­n the first 42 minutes (now seemingly eons ago), would be in order first.

The first quarter between the Spiders (14-1) and the Cougars had the feel of two teams searching for a combination. Concord drove to the Cougars 17 before failing to convert. After a few aborted possessions, Asheville began to find momentum late in the period, and behind excellent line play and powerful running from White, along with some surprisingly good passes from the supposedly run-only Cougars, they began to move the ball and use the clock. Early in the second White finally broke free o­n a 57-yard touchdown (he would finish the night with 275 yards rushing), giving the Cougars a 7-0 lead.

The Spiders moved the ball o­n o­ne possession in the second quarter, and appeared poised to tie things up after Beecher hit wideout Darius Cauthen at the goal line, but the ball was dropped and the Cougar defense held. Later in the period, after bottling up Beecher and the explosive Concord offense - including an interception - a long time-consuming Cougar drive was capped by a 5-yard run by White, but the PAT kick failed and Asheville led 13-0 at the break.

The third quarter saw more of the same, with Asheville using up clock (10:53) and moving the ball effectively off tackle, running the same trap play off the right side o­n many occasions. The little time they had the ball in the third stanza, Concord's offense could not get o­n track, as Beecher was unable to find or hit his target o­n a number of passes, and was picked off o­n o­ne key pass play. But the Concord defense stiffened as well, and the score remained 13-0 as the 4th quarter began.

The momentous fourth quarter started inauspiciously, with Asheville continuing to move the ball well and Concord failing to dial up consistent yardage through the air or ground. The Cougars, who finished the season 12-2, capped a long drive with White's aforementioned score at the 5:43 mark.

But then, things started getting interesting. After taking possession at their own 25, the Spider offense cam quickly to life. Three pass completions led to a 34-yard strike from Beecher to Mike Mulligan, and with 5:05 left it was 20-7. Concord's o­nside kick attempt failed, and the Cougars breathed a sigh of relief, poised to continue their dominance in the run game and run out the clock for their second trip to the state championship game in 5 years.

But it was not to be. Three plays and two yards later, the Cougars were punting again. The Spiders started at the own 25 with 3:15 left. The big play in the series came o­n a 54-yard pass from Beecher to Mulligan, leaving the crowd wondering how Beecher could have possibly seen his wideout get open. When flushed out of the pocket by a now-alerted Asheville defense, Beecher responded with a long scramble down to the Cougar 10. Two plays later, Richard Williams scooted in from o­ne yard out with 2:11 left to make it 20-14, and there were no chants to be heard from the visiting sideline. Concord fans, the o­nes that remained, began thinking about another miracle, while Asheville’s contingent held their breath.

After another failed o­nside attempt, the vaunted Cougar offense could not move the ball. A single first down would have likely allowed the clock to run out, but Asheville could not move the ball and the Spiders used timeouts at key times to secure a three-and-out.

The winning drive started deep in Concord territory at the 17, with 50 seconds remaining and no timeouts left. Beecher marched the Spiders down the field in Elway-like fashion. With time running down, the Spiders responded with another big pass, o­n a 55-yard pass completion to Chris Aldridge at the Cougar 7 yard line. After spiking the ball to stop the clock with 19 seconds left, Asheville burned its final timeout to regroup. o­ne the next play, Beecher found junior Lance Lewis over the middle at the Asheville 4. Lewis was knocked off balance but retained his feet long enough to lunge into the endzone, and amazingly, this game was tied 20-20, with 13 seconds remaining. Chad Myers PAT kick gave Concord its first lead of the game at 21-20.

Asheville had o­ne last chance, but a time-consuming kickoff return attempt left o­nly 4 seconds o­n the clock. Quarterback Crezdon Butler connected with a Cougar receiver o­n the final play, and after a determined attempt to move downfield, the Asheville player was tackled bringing the game to an end (an apparent lateral held out a few more seconds of hope before the Cougar player was upended near the Concord 35, but the play had been already ruled down prior to the lateral).

Beecher finished the game with 320 yards passing and two touchdowns, giving him 42 TD passes o­n the season. Meanwhile, a stunned crowd stormed the field – or stared in disbelief at an improbable finish – even more remarkable than a last-play victory the week before.

It was the best of times and the worst of times for the Cougars . . .