ASHEVILLE — Asheville High football’s TK Davis kept stride with Asheville School wide receiver Isiah Wallace as the Blues approached the red zone with 13 seconds left, trailing by three points.
Quarterback Gavin Marsh looked right before turning toward Wallace and lofting a jump ball into the end zone. Davis stepped in front of Wallace and soared into the air for the interception.
“Man, I just seen the ball go up in the air,” Davis said. “You got to be a ball hawk. I went to go up and get the ball and grab it and bring it down with me.”
Asheville High coach Cort Radford said, “He was a ballplayer as a freshman. He was a ballplayer as a sophomore. There’s nothing he can’t do. He can play cornerback, running back and slot receiver.”
The Cougars took
a knee from there, securing a 38-35 victory over Asheville School (2-2). It was the second time this season Asheville High (3-1) has won in the final moments.
On Aug. 28, offensive and defensive lineman Brenton Miller blocked the potential game-winning field goal in a 32-21 win over Dobyns-Bennett (Tenn.).
This time, before Davis could seal the win, quarterback Tay Williams and wide receiver Jams Skyes had to put the Cougars in position to win it.
Williams perfectly placed a pass to Skyes over Asheville School linebacker Alexandre Samson’s outstretched arms across the middle for a 23-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left.
The touchdown was a big moment for Williams, who was coming off a two-interception performance in a 17-3 loss to Crest on Sept. 4.
He threw his second interception of Friday's game a couple of drives before connecting with Skyes for the go-ahead score.
“I had to keep my head high because I knew we could still win this game like we did,” Williams said. “Last week after my interceptions, I got down. I told myself I wasn’t gonna do that again, so I had to keep my head high.”
The Cougars defense also had to overcome a difficult night against Asheville School running back Shiloh Mukendi, who finished with 262 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.
Their defensive stand in the closing seconds was impressive, considering the Blues scored touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions of the second half.
“We’ve been in ballgames,” Radford said. “This is no different. Your back is against the wall, and you got to find a way to step up and make plays, and our kids did it.”
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him atzhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How Asheville High football made clutch plays to defeat Asheville School
