By Staff
Roy Jones, Enquirer Correspondent
FLORETTE – A homecoming game, which was delayed by the threat of hurricane Ivan, turned out to be the night when the streak finally ended. The streak, 21 games and 21 losses, came to an end when Brewer held on for a 21-12 win over Curry.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots scored first after recovering a fumbled punt.
Quarterback Travis Boyd tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to Brian Stevens with 11:12 left till the half.
With Justin Knight's point-after kick, Brewer led 7-0.
Curry answered when Kyle Miller scored from three yards out. The point-after was wide and Brewer led by one point at the half.
In the third period the Pats pushed the lead to eight when Markus Greenleaf scored on a weaving 47-yard run. Knight' point-after gave Brewer a 14-6 lead with 4:30 left in the third.
Curry then marched for a score with just under 10 minutes left in the game.
Nick Meyers scored on a 16-yard run to cut the lead to two. The run for the two-point conversion failed.
The Patriots put the game away with 2:11 left when Joseph Burton scored on a 16-yard run and Knight added the point-after.
The celebration was on as Brewer won for only the second time in 42 games.
Victory set off long celebration
Charles Prince, Hartselle Enquirer
The crowd left the stands and stood in the back of both end zones, with over two minutes to play.
When the clock went under 30 seconds remaining, the crowd counted down the seconds. After the final buzzer, it took the team more than 10 minutes to get to their locker room.
Mothers and fathers hugged their sons who played. Parents cried, players cried also. It was a night packed full of emotion.
Such are the scenes when a 21-game losing streak ends. The Brewer Patriots whipped Curry 21-12 on Oct. 29 to end a losing streak stretching back two years.
"I'm so thrilled for these guys," Brewer head coach Billy Coleman said. "They had never won on their home field. It was a very emotional time for everybody players, coaches and parents."
"It was just a explosion when the game ended," junior running back Joseph Burton said. "It was very emotional, everybody had tears in their eyes."
"I couldn't believe what I saw," senior Markus Greenleaf said. "People flooded the end zones. They were in the end zone before the game ended. The whole field was surrounded. It was terrific."
"When we came out of the locker room after showering, everyone was still there," senior Travis Boyd said. "No one had gone home. Everybody started screaming and yelling again, just like when the game ended. I think it meant a lot to the players that everybody stayed so long."
Ending the streak means more than a joyful celebration to the Pats' coach.
"I'm glad for these young men," Coleman said. "They went through so many bad things, but I think they learned about persistence. It's something they can use later in their lives.
"This proves that good things can happen for a bunch of really good guys."
Some players could not express the joy they felt when the streak finally came to an end.
"I can't describe how I felt," Greenleaf said. "I really can't put it into words, but I think it's a feeling I will remember for years to come."
The streak was so long, some players weren't sure it was really over.
"I don't think I wanted to sleep," Boyd said. "I was afraid I would wake up in the morning all this would just have been a dream. I wanted to stay awake and make sure it wasn't a dream."