Published: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009 01:34 AM

Rock Hill 34, South Pointe 29

It was getting late in the game between the South Pointe Stallions and Rock Hill Bearcats on Friday night at District Three Stadium, and Rock Hill coach Joe Montgomery was looking for a miracle.

There were 3 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the game, and the Bearcats had seen their lead slowly disintegrate in favor of the Stallions, 29-24, late in the third quarter on a 5-yard run by Quinten Darby. Rock Hill dominated half of the final quarter, but had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Fernando Gonzalez that closed the gap to 29-27 in favor of South Pointe.

Montgomery didn't get a miracle, but he called a play that hasn't been run by the Bearcats all year. It worked and Rock Hill won the battle for the Region 4-AAAA championship, 34-29.

The Bearcats ended the regular season at 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the region. South Pointe ended up 8-3 and 4-1. Both start the playoffs Friday against an opponent to be determined this morning at the South Carolina High School League in Columbia.

With 4:40 left, Rock Hill was looking to drive back into Stallions territory and score either a touchdown or a winning field goal. But Rock Hill's Jamal Tyler fumbled after picking up a first down. South Pointe's Jeffery Williams picked up the loose ball and returned it for an apparent 40-yard touchdown. But during the run, the Stallions were flagged for an illegal block in the back, and the ball was put back at the Bearcats' 44-yard line.

As he had done all night, South Pointe quarterback Corey Rawls hooked up with Ta Hicklin on a pass play that got the Stallions down to the Bearcats' 12. The drive stalled at the 5, and Landon Ard missed a 23-yard field goal.

In high school football, a missed field goal inside the 20-yard line is moved out to the 20 on change of possession. Then, the play happened.

Montgomery called a play he said the team has worked on for 11 weeks, the “91 Bounce.” Quarterback Randall Dixon took the snap, turned and threw the ball on the ground and it skidded to his left and was picked up by Aaron Hemphill. At first it appeared the ball had slipped out of Dixon's hands and was an incomplete pass, but it was designed that way and thrown backward, which is a lateral.

Hemphill picked the ball up and looked downfield. Wide receiver Kirob Sims was wide open across the middle. Hemphill, who has never thrown a pass in a game, got the ball to Sims, but Sims had to stand and wait on the pass and was pulled down at the Stallions' 2. On second down, Jatavius Stewart ran the ball in from the 5, and the Bearcats went up 34-29 with 2:21 remaining.

“We've been practicing that play all season, but we stepped it up last week and worked on it several times each day,” Hemphill said. “The trick was for Randall to put the ball on the ground and make the other team think it had slipped out of his hands for an incomplete pass. It was designed to look like a dead ball when it hit the ground and it worked.

“I was kind of surprised when it was called because I'd never thrown a pass before in a game, but the coaches had confidence in my arm and sent us out on the field after telling us ‘Go do it now.'”

South Pointe had a chance at one more shot from its 13, but a reverse pass was intercepted by Rock Hill's Xavier McFadden.

“They pulled out their trick play and scored, so when we were desperate for a touchdown, it was time for us to pull ours out of the bag,” Montgomery said. “It worked and we were glad that we scored, but I wish it hadn't happened so quickly because the way South Pointe was playing we needed to run some clock and not give their offense the ball back.”

South Pointe exploded after falling behind 24-7. The trick play Montgomery was talking about resulted in a 75-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 24-15. On first down after a Rock Hill TD, Rawls threw a lateral pass in the air to Hicklin. Instead of running, Hicklin pulled up and fired the ball down the left sideline in front of the Stallions' bench to Montay Crockett, who made the catch and raced down the sideline for the touchdown.