Trailing by 12 at the half, Springfield (TN) needed a massive comeback to keep its postseason hopes alive on the road at Haywood Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets got a fourth down stop to start the third and scored on their ensuing possession. Then their special teams unit took over.
Springfield would go on to outscore Haywood 27-0 in the second half and converted on three of the five onside kick attempts sophomore kicker Jovanni Colmenares would try over the final 24 minutes of the game.
They opened the second half with an unsuccessful attempt but converted on their first with 5:02 remaining in the third quarter. Four plays later, Amiron Leavell punched it in to give Springfield the lead back.
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While the ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, Springfield's defense got a fourth-down stop, and the drive ended with another Leavell touchdown. That led to onside kick attempt number three in the half.
That attempt was successful, and with 8:25 remaining in the game, the Yellow Jackets took over with a chance to put the game away. They added onto their lead with yet another Leavell touchdown to go up by 15.
Not satisfied with that lead, the Yellow Jackets seemingly shocked everyone in the stadium when they attempted another onside kick with 6:45 remaining again. Once again, they came away with the ball.
While that drive did not end with any points, they ran off several minutes off the clock, and the defense got one more stop to secure the second-round win and guarantee another playoff win at home.
Springfield (11-1) will host Lexington (12-0) next Friday, Nov. 20, in the TSSAA Class 4A state quarterfinals.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 onside kicks, 3 recoveries: Tennessee high school football team's wild playoff win
