Columbia Academy overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Purvis 42-39 Friday in front of an excited home crowd.
The Cougars forced five turnovers -- and didn't allow any themselves -- and quarterback Ras Pace dove over the goal line with 5:30 remaining on a fourth-and-six to give them their first lead since early in the second quarter.
CA coach Randy Butler praised his team's efforts, saying he told them at halftime they were going to win.
"Someday that will sink in. That's a 4A public school. That shows you how much you can do if you believe," he said.
For more details, see Thursday's C-P.
Caption: Columbia Academy head coach Randy Butler and his team hold up four fingers to signal the beginning of the fourth quarter Friday night against Purvis. And what a fourth quarter it turned out to be for the Cougars. Trailing 24-20 going into it, they outscored the Tornadoes 22-15 to win the shootout.
