By Ross  Johnson

Sports Writer

With the season on the line, the Callaway football team chose to go for the win.

The Cavaliers were trailing Westminster 31-28 at Callaway Stadium Friday night in the second round of the Class AA playoffs with less than 20 seconds remaining, and they faced a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Instead of sending kicker Josh Ham out for a game-tying field goal, Callaway quarterback Quan Bray dove in for the lead and the 35-31 win.

It’s the first time in school history Callaway has reached the third round of the playoffs.

“We didn’t hesitate,” said head coach Pete Wiggins. “We knew we were going to go for it. We believe in what we’re doing and we believed our offensive line was going to come off and give us that one yard we needed, and that’s what they did.”

It was a roller-coaster of a match-up, with plenty of late-game heroics from the Cavaliers.

Callaway led the game 28-13 in the second quarter before the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points, with a 14-yard run by running back Ralph David Abernathy Jr. giving Westminster the lead with 3:10 remaining.

That’s when Bray led the Cavaliers on a seven-play, 69-yard drive, highlighted by a 37-yard pass to wide receiver Quantavius Leslie to the Wildcats’ 1-yard line on a third-and-8.

The Cavs didn’t gain any yards on their first three plays, prompting Wiggins to make the crucial decision.

“In knew I was going to take it in,” Bray said. “I was just trying to punch it in.”

Callaway’s offense was held in check for most of second half. Westminister outgained the Cavaliers 279-61 after halftime prior to the game-winning drive, and Abernathy scored on runs of 20 and 14 yards.

Abernathy gashed the Callaway defense for 283 yards on 22 carries, and quarterback Jonathan York threw for more than 180 yards.

“When (Westminster) went into halftime they adjusted to our defense,” said senior free safety D.J. Rutledge. “We came back and had to finish strong. They got a little momentum on their side, but our defense did what they had to do.”

The Wildcats had plenty of opportunities to score in the second half, but only managed two touchdowns.

Westminster missed a 33-yard field goal when trailing by five points in the fourth quarter, and Abernathy fumbled into Callaway’s end zone in the third after a long run that otherwise would’ve been a touchdown.

Mario Puller recovered that fumble for Callaway.

“I told the guys, ‘Just play ball.’ That’s all we could do,” said linebacker Jeffrey Cameron. “They came out and fought hard and fought well. We just pulled the victory out.”

The first half looked to be all Callaway.

Marquis Terrell capped a 58-yard drive on the Cavaliers’ opening possession with a 36-yard run off an option pitch from Bray.

Westminster quarterback John Egan responded with a 6-yard touchdown plunge following Abernathy’s 78-yard run on the Wildcats’ first offensive play.

Both teams fumbled their point-after attempts, and the score was tied at 6-6 with 9:24 to go in the first quarter.

After trading punts, Callaway went on a 10-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard run from Terrell.

Bray completed a two-point conversion to Leslie, and Callaway led 14-6.

Westminster responded again with a nine-play drive that Egan ended with a 4-yard run.

That’s when Callaway seemingly took over, with the Cavaliers scoring on a 48-yard run from Terrell and a 75-yard pass to Leslie from Bray.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Bray threw an interception to Egan, who returned it to the Callaway 20-yard line.

That allowed the Wildcats to kick a 31-yard field goal to go into halftime trailing 28-16.

Terrell finished with 142 yards on 21 carries. Bray had 96 yards rushing with 135 yards passing, which were all to Leslie.

The final quarter was full of drama, with Leslie’s catch to the 1-yard line and Bray’s fourth-down plunge creating intense moments - and lasting memories - for the Cavaliers.

“I couldn’t even watch,” Rutledge said. “I was over there with my head between my legs. I didn’t even want to watch. I was scared.”

Callaway will face Fitzgerald next week in the third round, which defeated Swainsboro 64-36 Friday night.

Home field advantage for the game will be determined with a coin flip this morning.

“It’s just another step in building that tradition that we’ve been talking about for several years no