St. Paul’s led Theodore 3-0 with less than four minutes left in the game. So, how in the world did the Bobcats end up winning 20-10?

Well, over the last 3:39 there was a 52-yard touchdown pass by Theodore, followed 21 seconds later by a St. Paul’s 66-yard touchdown pass, followed 18 seconds later by a 94-yard Theodore kickoff return for a touchdown, followed by an interception and short touchdown run by Theodore to cap the scoring with 1:30 left in the game.

Whew.

“Who would have thought that was how it was going to turn out with three minutes left in the game,” said Theodore coach Steve Mask. “It was frustrating from the time we walked in the gate. But I was proud that our guys kept fighting and playing touch.”

St. Paul’s jumped on top with its opening driving, moving into position for a 31-yard field goal from Drew Ginsburg. For the next two hours, it appeared that’s all the points the Saints would need.

At halftime, neither team had mustered any offense. St. Paul’s ran 23 plays in the first half and gained only 70 total yards. Theodore had only 96 yards on 26 plays.

The first 20 minutes of the second half was much of the same. Theodore appeared to have a chance to capitalize on a St. Paul’s mistake midway through the third quarter when a low shotgun snap resulted in a fumble that Theodore recovered at the Saints’ 13. The play would have resulted in a defensive touchdown if not for an inadvertent whistle by an official. The St. Paul’s defense stiffened after being helped by two Theodore penalties, and the drive stalled with a missed 28-yard field-goal attempt.

With less than 5 minutes to play, St. Paul’s was in position to put the game away. Still leading 3-0, the Saints moved the ball to the Theodore 31. But star sophomore Tank Jones was stopped by South Alabama commit Kevin Norwood Jr. on fourth-and-inches.

Two plays later the madness began. Quarterback Crishon Overton heaved a pass to the goal line, which was tipped by the defense then caught by Deon Morris as he tumbled backwards into the end zone. The PAT was no good, leaving the lead at 6-3.

St. Paul’s answered right back on its next offensive play when quarterback Braxton Byrd hit Tate Johnston on a post pattern for a 66-yard touchdown and a 10-6 St. Paul’s lead.

Theodore’s JJ Bush made sure that lead wouldn’t stand. He returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and a 13-10 Theodore lead with three minutes remaining.

The Theodore defense still had to make two big plays to salt the game away. First, Anthony Pugh returned an interception 38 yards to the Saints’ 12. On the next play, Braxton Clark scored on a 12-yard run.

Then, Brian Ward Jr. made the final interception with 1:30 remaining to put an end to the whirlwind turn of event.

Returning home: Mask was head coach for a decade at St. Paul’s, going 110-25 and winning state titles in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020. He resigned after 2021 season. “It was emotional before the game and it’s emotional now,” Mask said after the victory.

By The Numbers: Theodore had a balanced but inconsistent offense. The Bobcats rushed for 92 yards while passing for 93. Of their 31 rushing plays, only two went for more than six yards. Only one of the Saints’ 26 rushing plays went for more than 4 yards. The Saints finished with minus-13 yards rushing, but passed for 169.

Coachspeak: “I was really pleased with how physical our defense played,” said St. Paul’s coach Ham Barnett. “I felt like we won the game for the first 3 and three-quarters of the game. The kickoff return was a backbreaker.”

They said it: “I like how we worked all week,” Norwood said. “Our mindset as a team is that we always know we’ve got another opportunity to make a play.”

Next week: Both teams will be on the road to open the Class 6A state playoffs. Theodore (7-3), as the No. 3 seed from Region 1, will be at Hueytown. St. Paul’s (7-3), as the No. 4 seed, must face undefeated Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa.