Pearl-Cohn football makes state final, celebrates with Barion Brown phone call
BROWNSVILLE — Javion Kinnard was all smiles as he bounced his way toward Pearl-Cohn football coaches Tony Brunetti and Andre Davis with his phone in his hand following the Firebirds' state semifinal game at Haywood on Friday.
Pearl-Cohn was in the mood to celebrate following a thrilling 53-47 win, but someone was missing and Kinnard had him on the other end of the line.
Last year's Class 4A Mr. Football winner and current Kentucky standout Barion Brown was watching the game in Lexington and immediately called Kinnard. Last year, Pearl-Cohn came up short of its goal of making it to Chattanooga, losing in the Class 4A quarterfinals despite Brown's excellent season.
This season with players like the sophomore Kinnard, and other young stars such as junior receiver D'Arious Reed and junior quarterback Keshawn Tarleton, Pearl-Cohn secured its spot in the Class 4A championship against Anderson County.
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"This is what we expected from a team like Haywood," Kinnard said. "We adjusted well to get this win but we still have a lot of work to do to accomplish our ultimate goal of winning a state title."
Kinnard finished with over 100 total yards of offense and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 2-yard run with 2:17 remaining. Reed caught four passes for well over 100 yards and scored the first two touchdowns for Pearl-Cohn (13-1).
Defense was at a minimum for both teams in the first half as Haywood (13-1) took a 33-25 lead into the half after scoring on each of its drives in the first half.
In similar situations last season, Pearl-Cohn would turn to Brown and let him take over the game. This year's group has the luxury of having several playmakers on offense to fill that void he left behind.
"This was a great team effort," Brunetti said. "The young guys really stepped up for us tonight."
Kinnard scored all three of his touchdowns in the second half and also converted a third-down situation on Pearl-Cohn's final scoring drive that he would punch in a few plays later.
Reed didn't score in the second half but had two receptions that ultimately led to Pearl-Cohn touchdowns and Tarleton continually set the Firebirds up for great scoring opportunities.
The final drive of the night saw Haywood drive deep into Pearl-Cohn territory and face a fourth-and-8 with just under 25 seconds remaining. It looked like the Tomcats would convert, but a dropped pass set off the celebration for Pearl-Cohn coaches, fans and players.
"That's a great team we just beat," Tarleton said. "We just went along, put our foot on the gas, made the plays we needed late and picked up the win."
Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter @joe_spears7.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football playoffs: Pearl-Cohn outlasts Haywood in 4A semifinals
