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Wednesday, 13 December 2006 |
Lions go all the way
By Griffin Pritchard
Progress staff writer
Two years ago, there was no joy in the Fountain City. The community had been sucker-punched in the ribs.
A remorseful Prattville High School Lions made their way down I-65 and then into Prattville with little fanfare.
They had been beaten, broken and physically demoralized by the nationally ranked Hoover High School Buccaneers 22-7, giving the Bucs its second straight 6A championship.
Fast-forward two years and two Hoover state championships later.
This time it was the Prattville Lions who had left their opponents beaten, broken and physically demoralized in front of a record-setting crowd of 30,000 at Birmingham's Legion Field.
The Lions held on to win their first state title in 22 years, 35-21.
"I think it was an awesome game; Prattville did a good job," said Nick Austin, a sophomore from Prattville High. "I pretty much knew that Prattville would win this year. They came close last time, and I knew they were ready this time."
"I was pretty positive that we were going to win," said Katie Peacock, an eighth grader at Prattville Junior High School. "I thought that since everything had happened with 'Coach Lo' that we were going to beat them."
"It was the most awesome game ever," screamed Denise Baylor, whose daughter, Miranda, cheers for the Lions, as she was exiting the stadium Saturday night.
Joy had found its way into the Fountain City.
"It was so much fun," said Nick Cox, a junior at Prattville High School. "The closer it got to the game I began to wonder if we were going to be able to hang on. But the crowd was into it and when we got the ball back in the fourth quarter I knew that we were going to hang on and win."
The trio of charter buses that one day earlier transported a hungry pack of Lions to Legion Field made their way down to interstate carrying a jubilant pack of champions down the interstate and into the heart of the celebration.
Williams, was one of the thousands who had turned out to support the Lions and redecorate downtown Prattville.
"I thought it was a good game, we had a strong defense at the beginning of the game," said Zach Phillips, an eighth grader at Prattville Junior High. "I was disappointed that there wasn't as many Hoover people there as Prattville people."
Phillips joined a multitude of Lion football fans in downtown Prattville on Saturday night who, with multiple rolls of toilet tissue, rolled downtown Prattville and welcomed the Lions back into town.
"The game was awesome, we had the biggest crowd up there," said Monica Marshall. "Everybody was there. Nobody was left here in Prattville. I'm proud of everybody."
Marshall found herself downtown 22 years ago welcoming the 1984 state champs back into town after knocking off J.O. Johnson in the championship game.
"This one's the best, because this one meant a little bit more," said Marshall.
Although she said that there wasn't a comparison between the two teams, the excitement about the victory was evident.
The celebration lasted for nearly three hours before the crowd began to dissipate and go their separate ways.
For one group of players and their families, the party continued at Jose's Cantina.
"I loved it," said Joe King. King's son, Brandon, is a sophomore wide receiver for the Lions. "I was surprised by the score, but it was just a fun night."
"It was exhilarating," said Brandon. "Words can't describe how exciting this win was."
Lisa Presley, whose son, Trae, is a sophomore linebacker for the Lions, has followed the Lions all season.
"We've followed these boys through everything this season," said Lisa.
The Lions lost three members of its football family this year -- Sgt. Carlos Pernell, a 2000 Prattville graduate who was killed in June in Iraq; Pfc. Stephen Bicknell, a 2005 graduate who played on the 2004 team that was defeated by Hoover; and Assistant Coach Lorenzo "Lo" Pickett, who died Thanksgiving Day in the field house before practice.
When the sun rose Sunday morning, downtown was empty. But, the remnants of Saturday's celebration still lingered.
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2006 News Archive 
