Matthew Malone hangs on to this 32-yard halfback-option pass from Kam Brown for Tiftarea’s first touchdown against Valwood.

CHULA — What a way to open the 2022 GIAA Region 3-AAA season. Kam Brown scored a touchdown with 51 seconds left and Tiftarea Academy’s defense made their biggest stop of the year in defeating Valwood Oct. 3, 41-40.

The win was a long time coming, in more ways than one. The Panthers were 0-5 coming into the contest and the game itself had been rescheduled twice because of Hurricane Ian.

“That was big,” said head coach Erik Soliday. “First region game. We needed that one.”

Few Tiftarea players have ever had a night like Brown did Monday.

Brown figured in five of Tiftarea’s six touchdowns, which came four different ways. He caught two — including the game-winner — ran for one, returned a kickoff for another and even passed for a touchdown. He totaled around 285 all-purpose yards, which does not include the 32 more passing.

Points were never at a premium during the Monday game, until Valwood needed a score in the final minute.

The Valiants entered the period ahead, 34-28, but fell behind 35-34 when Hershel Moore scored on a screen pass. Valwood roared back, going 53 yards in eight plays, capped by Triston White’s 10-yard run.

Valwood’s two-point try failed, however, and when Brown scored on a 16-yard touchdown with 51 seconds, they were automatically behind, even with the Panthers unable to convert two points.

Starting at their own 33, Brooks Best hit Worth Kimbro for 22 yards. A short pass later, Caden Grier sacked Best for a big loss, a play Soliday said came at the right time.

Best recovered with a 25-yard pass to Kimbro at the 22 with 8 seconds left, too far for a field goal try. The Valiants called timeout with likely one shot left.

Best rolled right out of the pocket and Tiftarea flushed him further right. Scrambling, looking for anyone open, he fired towards the end zone. With no time left, it fell incomplete, allowing Tiftarea to celebrate on the field.

“We played hard until the last minute,” Soliday said. “Every game, we’ve fought until the end.”

It was obvious from the start that at least one team would rack up points, possibly both.

Tiftarea took a 6-0 lead at 8:09 in the opening quarter with a little razzle-dazzle.

A backwards pitch to Brown in the backfield saw him slam on the brakes and look downfield. At the other end was Matthew Malone and for a 32-yard touchdown reception.

A two-point pass try was picked off by Darien Taylor, leaving the score 6-0.

The Valiants, no strangers to scoring this season, needed little time dent the scoreboard. Aided by a 44-yard pass from Best to Eli Pay, they were at the 10 in four plays.

White burst in from two yards out at 5:49. Best ran for the conversion and Valwood took an 8-6 lead. Before the quarter ended, they added six more.

Two yards behind the sticks because of a holding call, White took the handoff and ran it 49 yards for a score at 2:46. This time, a conversion pass failed.

Tiftarea ran out of downs twice in the 2nd period. In between, Valwood extended the lead to 20-6, Mills Moorman catching a six-yard Best pass on the back line of the end zone at 3:40.

The 20-6 score held to halftime. Tiftarea fans remained optimistic. Soliday’s teams had twice wiped out big 2nd half deficits this season. They just needed to slow down Valwood’s scoring before it got too much to overcome.

Then the lead almost became too big.

Valwood received the kickoff to start the half.

Kyle Beath, now quarterbacking, found Felton Foster for 12 yards. Then he found him for 28, Foster diving in the end zone to make the catch.

A two-point pass was again no good, but the lead was swelling, at its apex now at 11:39, 26-6.

This comeback would have to be huge. But first they had to get out of another hole.

The holding penalty came after a 10-yard gain, so it was essentially a do-over down, but it was something else to overcome. Cubbie Crosson moved the sticks on his 19-yard pass to John Michael White.

Two short passes to Malone were another for another first down. Crosson called his own number, moving to the 15. The Panthers inched forward.

Crosson gained a 1st down at the 2, but they couldn’t push forward enough, so Crosson went to the air, Brown catching a 3-yard touchdown pass and then the conversion as well.

At 4:14 in the 3rd, it was 26-14.

Valwood went 3-and-out. The punt flew like a dart, downed at the Tiftarea 35.

John Jackson’s first reception of the night picked up a 1st down at midfield. There, Brown got the call, going right for nearly 10 yards before running into traffic, then he spun out of it, away from Valiants defenders. Brown was in the clear and picked up speed. No one caught him.

Brown’s 50-yard scoring run came at 1:15. When Malone added the extra point kick, the scoreboard now read 26-21.

Scoring only got more frenzied from there.

Valwood began the drive at their own 41. The drive was exactly one play, a 59-yard pass from Beath to Taylor in the slot.

Thirteen seconds after they had cut the lead to five points, the Panthers were down by 13 as Wilkin Moritz ran in a two-point conversion.

Those 13 seconds were fine for Tiftarea because they, too, needed only 13 seconds to score.

Brown took the ensuing kickoff and found a crease in the middle of the field and flew 77 yards to the end zone. The long return was completed with 49 seconds left.

Malone kicked another extra point to narrow Valwood’s advantage to 34-28.

Tiftarea got its second stop of the night on the Valiants, forcing a punt that traveled 22 yards and set them up at their own 46.

Jackson picked up a 3rd down with a 16-yard catch at the 34, but the Panthers only moved four yards over their next three downs.

In no man’s land at the 30, the Panthers had to go for it on 4th and 6.

Crosson set up and spotted an open man a tad shy of the sticks: Moore.

Moore got his first down and kept chugging, turning it into more, amuch more. He scored a 30-yard touchdown at 5:43 to tie it at 34-all.

Malone came in for the kick. It sailed through the uprights for a 35-34 lead, their first since 6-0.

Tiftarea needed another stop. This time, Valwood rose to the occasion.

On 4th and long, Beath’s pass fell incomplete, but there had been contact in the secondary and the Valiants picked up the first down on pass interference.

White churned for 11 yards to the 26. Best’s 9-yard run gave them a first down at the 10. He gave to White again and White carefully made his way down the home sideline, making his way to paydirt at 2:22.

The Valiants gave to White again on a conversion attempt. This time, he did not make it, but the guests were ahead again, 40-35.

Tiftarea needed another miracle.

The drive began at the 45.

Brown immediately went 20 on a catch. Moore got 5 yards on a reception, but Crosson was incomplete at 1:26.

Crosson lofted a short pass that saw two Panthers run into each other, but somehow Moore came up with a catch and a first down at the 18.

Crosson gained two on a run and Soliday called for a timeout at 55 seconds.

Out of the timeout, Crosson dropped back to pass. It went to Brown who tumbled into the end zone with 51 seconds to go.

Up a point, Soliday wanted to make it a 3-point lead. The pass was incomplete. He’d have to settle for 41-40.

Valwood began their next drive at their own 33. Time and a crucial Panthers’ stop ensured Tiftarea would win its first of the year.

“The kids played their tail off,” said Soliday. “I’ll give them that.”

Both teams have plenty of time to rest for their next opponents. Tiftarea will host Deerfield-Windsor on Oct. 14, which will be their amended homecoming game. Valwood also plays on Oct. 14, hosting Terrell Academy.