Appalachian High coach Brandon Johnson has been trying to win a state title since he was a student at Southside High in Gadsden.

Twenty-five years later, he’s holding a blue map following his team’s improbable comeback in Game 2 of the Class 1A championship series Tuesday morning at Jacksonville State.

The Eagles, ranked No. 1 throughout the season, scored eight runs in the bottom of the seventh to rally for an 11-10 victory over Brantley and sweep the 1A title series. Appalachian won 18-3 on Monday night.

“I’ve been trying to do this for a long time,” Johnson said. “What a way to do it.”

Appalachian finished 31-4, winning the school’s first AHSAA team championship.

“This is life changing,” MVP Talan Shirley said. “It will be a completely different school when we go back. We did this for our players, for our school.”

Appalachian trailed 10-3 entering the bottom of the seventh and looked to be heading to a certain decisive Game 3. Instead, the Eagles scored eight runs on four hits and four hit batters.

“I was honestly mentally trying to prepare for Game 3,” senior Caden Jones said.

The biggest blows of the inning came on Garrett Helms’ two-run single and Jones’ two-run triple that sailed to the left-field wall to tie the game and leave him on third with the winning run and only one out.

“The count was 2-1,” Jones said. “The pitcher (Jordan Parks) had been throwing his breaking ball and hadn’t been able to throw it for strikes. I knew a fastball was coming. I was sitting dead red and killed it.”

Parks, the fourth Brantley pitcher of the game, struck out Logan Harvey for the second out with Jones at third and looked to be out of the inning when Chris Heekin hit an infield grounder. However, shortstop Jayden Parks didn’t field it cleanly, and the winning run scored, setting off an Eagle celebration along the first base line.

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