By Staff
Nick Johnston, Hartselle Enquirer
Cameron Mims stepped under center like he had thousands of times before.
He looked at the clock, realizing there could be less than three minutes remaining in his high school career.
"Counter option pass" he thought as he barked out the signals. He then set in motion one of the most memorable plays in Hartselle High School football history.
"I countered to the right and stepped back," Mims said. Mims is one of the owners of Dari Delite in Hartselle. "The cornerback sucked in and Barry just ran right by him. I got it to him."
It was Barry Ward that "just ran right by him." Ward, as it is described by the November 26, 1981 edition of The Hartselle Enquirer, "caught it between the 20 and 30-yard line, walked a tight rope down the sideline before breaking into the clear on the 15."
The play was good enough for 56 yards and put the Tigers ahead 20-18 with 1:53 remaining. That score would hold until the clock expired, as Hartselle had pulled off an upset at Russellville to reach the semi-finals of the Class 3A Alabama State Playoffs.
Now, 21 years later, Hartselle is hoping for history to repeat itself. The Tigers will travel to No. 1 ranked Russellville Friday night for a shot at going to Birmingham for the Super 6.
See MIMS, B-3