A tremendous effort and performance by the Logan County Cougars came up just short at Scottsville Friday.
Not until a Patriot defender intercepted Cougar quarterback John Logan Dockins' 41st pass with 22 seconds remaining in the game did Allen County-Scottsville seal its 11th win of the season without a loss.
The Patriots won 41-33 to advance to the regional finals at Lone Oak, which crushed Franklin-Simpson 49-7 Friday.
There was no way to tell early that the outcome of this game would turn into the nail-biter it was at the conclusion. AC-S, which has allowed its other nine opponents an average of 9.7 points per game, was ahead 21-0 in this one with 41 seconds left in the first half.
A second later, however, Logan was on the board when senior Nathan Oberhausen took the ball into the end zone from the one. Freshman Diego Garcia's conversion kick made the deficit 21-7.
Eighteen seconds later, the game was on. For the third time this seasn, senior Phillip Stratton not only intercepted a pass but also took it back for a touchdown. The conversion snap was high and holder Corey Jones had to attempt a run that was short, but Allen County's lead was just 21-13 at the half.
Twice more in the second half Coach Lee Proctor's team cut the margin to a touchdown and extra point, but that was as close as they could get, primarily because they weren't able to stop the Patriots' magnificent rushing attack. Only 8 of AC-S' 470 yards total offense came in the air. Three Patriot backs-- Brandon Boards, Hunter York and quarterback Cory Cooper-- all ran for 134 yards or more.
The most significant run for the winners came on the first play of the fourth quarter. Dockins had thrown two touchdown passes that went for over 50 yards each within a minute and 20 seconds to cut the favorite's lead to 34-27. After the second one, which was to top receiver Reuben Rawlings-Watson, Stratton kicked off to the corner near the goal line, and York stepped out of bounds with the ball at his 10. After a hold and a no-gain, the Patriots faced a third and 15 at their five.
Whatever Coach Brad Hood told his offense during the brief break to change ends of the field worked. York not only got his team out of the shadow of the goal post, but he ran for 55 yards to the Cougars' 40.
Seven plays later, including a 13-year run by Cooper on a fourth and 5 at the 35, the Patriots scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on Cooper's 17-yard scamper. Boards was good on the extra point for the fifth time in six tries.
Logan's first touchdown had come on a  56-yard drive that took 13 plays and almost six minutes. Dockins completed seven passes on that marathon march, none for more than nine yards. A five-yarder to Twin Lancaster ended at the one, and Oberhausen ran it in.
Stratton, who was also causing fumbles, scored on the interception return with 22 seconds left in the half.
The third LCHS touchdown was the result of two longer passes. The first one was an 18-yarder to Oberhausen. On the next play Dockins and sophomore Lancaster connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass, and Garcia's kick cut the lead to 27-20 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter.
After AC-S went 63 yards on three plays to go up by two touchdowns again, Logan struck quickly. Logan Anderson returned a short kick to his 47, and Dockins teamed with Rawlings-Watson for the 53-yarder.
Logan's Thomas Washington, one of the top tracksters in the state, missed most of the second half when he was hurt on a block 20 yards behind a pass completion to Oberhausen with five and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter. Some Cougars thought it was unnecessary roughness, but no penalty was called.
His replacement at wide receiver, senior Scott Blackford, responded by scoring Logan's final touchdown of the season on a 39-yard Dockins pass with 49 seconds left in regulation.
The Cougars got the ball back when Justin Rone succesfully executed an onside kick. Dockins hit his 24th completion of the game to Oberhausen at the AC-S 41. But on his final pass he overthrew Stratton and it was intercepted, ending the remarkable comeback.
"Our young men played their hearts out. They couldn't get over the top, but they left it all on the field," said 10-year head coach Proctor. "I couldn't be more proud of how we played against a very good football team."
The seniors all contributed to this special night, he noted. Stratton, Rawlins-Watson, Oberhausen, Washington, Cameron Collier, Jonathan Barbee, Blackford and two-way lineman Jeremy Rager were keys to this memorable season and performance.
Among the underclassman, Dockins threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, and Lancaster caught five passes, trailing only Reuben-Watson's eight catches and Oberhausen's six.
Logan finished with a 5-7 record and the program's first playoff win since 1998.