During Friday night's second round playoff showdown with Marist, Chattahoochee only led the War Eagles for 45 seconds of the game's 48 minutes, but it was a very important 45 seconds that the Cougars led: it was the final 45 seconds.

Hooch kicker Ammon Lakip drilled a 51-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in regulation to cap a stunning second half comeback for the Cougars. Chattahoochee trailed Marist 28-14 at halftime before storming back for a thrilling 31-28 win.

Lakip's night was almost as dramatic as his team's. The senior kicker misfired on a 33-yard attempt in the third quarter and then got hit hard on a fake field goal attempt in the fourth. However, when Lakip lined up for his game-winner, he wasn't thinking about any of that, "You have to have a short memory as a kicker," Lakip said after the game. So what was going through the kicker's head before his 51-yard attempt, "I stepped up to the ball and my thought was simple: just lineup and kick the crap out of it." Lakip took his own advice because his 51-yard make went through by a good five yards.

Lakip's kick almost didn't happen. With 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 28, Hooch coach Terry Crowder was faced with a tough decision: go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Marist 34 or try the field goal. "I did think about [going for it]," Crowder says. "But Ammon is such a strong character kid, I knew he would have a shot at it and he had that look on the sideline like he was going to make it and he did."

The kick would have meant little if Chattahoochee had not been able to come back from a two touchdown second half deficit.

Trailing 28-14, the Chattahoochee offense came out of halftime on fire. On their second possession, the Cougars drove 80 yards for a score. On the 12-play drive, quarterback Timmy Byerly hit four different receivers with passes. Josh Gregory capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run that trimmed the Marist lead to 28-21.

Midway through the fourth, the Cougars were driving to tie the game, but the threat ended when Marist picked off a Byerly pass. With only six and a half minutes left, the interception looked to be a devastating blow to Chattahoochee's chances of winning. However, three plays later, Marist gave the ball back to Hooch when War Eagle running back Gray King put the ball on the ground. Cougar senior Stephen Frankiewicz pounced on the loose ball and just like that, the Chattahoochee offense was back on the field.

Five plays later, Byerly made Marist pay for their mistake when he scored from 4-yards out to tie the game at 28.

Lakip's game-winning field goal sealed a 17-0 second half for Chattahoochee, something that seemed impossible in the first half.

In the game's first two quarters, Marist racked up over 300 yards of total offense. Their triple-option attack confused the Cougar defense and War Eagle quarterback Andy Perez was having his way with the Chattahoochee secondary. Perez only threw five passes in the first half, but he completed all five and two of them went for touchdowns. One of the touchdown passes was a 33-yarder to Gray King who also had a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Crowder didn't get to down on his defense when talking about their first half effort, "[Marist] gave us some formations that we weren't used too in the first half," the coach said after the game. "We made some adjustments at halftime and the kids just executed it, the kids played great." The Cougar defense limited the War Eagles to less than 110 yards in the second half.

Chattahoochee was able to stay within striking distance in the first half thanks to Byerly. The senior quarterback scored on a 1-yard run and also provided the biggest play of the first half: an 80-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Thomas.

Byerly finished the night with one of his strongest passing performances of the season. The senior went 23-of-38 for 309 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for two touchdowns. Kane Whitehurst was one of the many beneficiary's of Byerly's night: the senior wide receiver caught nine passes for 97 yards. Thomas was right behind Whitehurst in the yards column, the senior finished the game with 94 yards on three catches.

Josh Gregory only touched the ball seven times in the game, but they were all important touches. The senior hauled in four passes and scored a touchdown on the ground, but it was a defensive play that he'll be remembered for.

After Lakip's fourth quarter field goal, Marist was driving to tie the game. However, Gregory sealed Chattahoochee's win when he picked off Perez. Perez finished the night with 82 yards through the air and 91 yards on the ground. King finished the game with 93 yards rushing for Marist, while fullback Jason Morris led the War Eagles on the ground with 106 yards.

Next up for Chattahoochee is an upstart Dutchtown squad. The third seeded Bulldogs out of region 3-AAAA have yet to surrender a point this postseason. They defeated Thomas County Central 15-0 in round one and took out Glynn Academy 3-0 last Friday in round two.

The Cougars state quarterfinal game is set to kickoff on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Chattahoochee High School. The Cougars set a new school record for wins (12) with the victory over Marist.