Collinsville's desperation play 1982 playoffs

         I never played a down of official football in my life but I was raised in the thick of it in Gaffney South Carolina, one of the top hundred high school football dynasties of all time according to Max Preps.

      So I thought all the stories were trumped by the time I got to small town Alabama where Momma was baptized  and I arrived in the late 80s. After some acclimation by mid 90s I was pretty much known in town and there were a couple summers of which the local legends of 82 were winding down after some glory in travel Softball, the Mudballers or Taxi or something they called themselves.

    What I remember outstanding were the groupies from the region that would show up behind the centerfield some more striking than the Glory Day legends on the field. More notable or deserving notoriety, you figure it out; all pre Me Too movement of course.

    That said mid 90s the glory boys were gathering on Fridays about four pm at the tennis courts. After about an hour of socializing--a six pack or half per person, they got down to business. The deal was everybody put a dollar in a tennis can and the doubles team that won it got to split the registration fee.

   Tourney or Friday night administrator Darryl Brown was clear about the rules. However you played in Georgia if you were in this tourney if the ball richocheted off the light poll in bounds on the court it was in play. I was fine with that cause whats a little Bama home cookin for a remunerative late afternoon.

    Well I had just come off my halcyon days in Rome Georgia where I won a couple doubles tournaments and had hit with the Pakistani Jr Davis Cup Tennis team so it was easy money for me.

    But the bonus was halftime about 830 into the evening where the Glory Day Boys got to reminiscing about the Big Play in 82 against Akron in the Turkey Town corner of the local field Where Coach Weaver Called time out and according to Darryl Brown, the two way Center and noseguard or off tackle drew it up on the sideline.

    Or maybe Munsey Box IV, the fourth, or Eye Vee as some called him was the center. He played both ways as most of the standouts did. In fact local revenant and oral history guru Mike Mack Pheerson said Munsey was so fast he "run down the cotton boys from Crossville." Seen it with his own eyes MackPheerson said.

   Brown said they were in the south end of the hometown Panther stadium down 7 to six with a few seconds left. Coach Weaver was of a mind to go for it all with a two point play the struggle it had been to that point to get points on the board.  Just scored and Coach Weaver called a time out. Said they all gathered and Weaver drew up a play that put Todd Roberts on the East of the Line, and his older Brother Scott "Rollo" Roberts on the North. Scott was reputed to have the better hands of the two so the figurin was the Deefense was thinking it would go to him.

    But Todd Said his defender held him by the britches at the line and he  never had a chance.

    Just three weeks ago at the 100th Anniversary of Collinsville HS football, the oldest in the county, I asked Coach Weaver about the infamous play. He was back in town from Marshall County where he was raised and in his day was said as a HS All American; was said he could stand on the steps of the First United Methodist Church in Guntersville and hit the Sign for the Regions Bank two blocks down the street with a football.

    At the big Homecoming Chicken and Dressing Supper Weaver said it was a "desperation Play".

   Desperation or not it meant a lot to his boys in 82. They had played it over and over and over in their minds just 12 years out in 94 and here, now just a couple years close to its 40th anniversary some still do I'm convinced.

    They had a lot of worthy players that year they got close (and even closer the next year) to a state championship. Scott Roberts the Coming spring was in the State All Star game with Bama great Cornelius Bennett in the backfield. A play was drown up this time to spotlight Scott and he scored I think the legend has it on a 70 yard catch and run play, I think first play from scrimmage.  He and John Willingham, Munsey and Darryl Brown, Todd Roberts I'm convinced coulda started for the Gaffney Indians runner ups in South Carolina had they been contemporaries to the 69 Team.

     Tomorrow, Collinsville plays Ohatchee in Ohatchee, home of Billy Ferguson who was the referee for Charles Barkley's HS all star roundball game. And Gaffney is at Sumter for the 2nd Round in South Carolina, the same team they faced in a lost cause in late November of 69.

    Lucas Black was the QB in the movie version of Friday Night Lights with Billy Bob Thornton. In that movie he goes in the Huddle at a precarious moment in his playoffs and says, Okay Boys, "This is our Time".

   So fall of 82 it was Rollo and Darryl, Eye Vee, Willingham, Action Jackson, Big Todd Graves,  Roger Smith; it was their time and this was a little part of a big memory for them.