Coosa Valley Academy coach Vince DiLorenzo was amazed at how his players left the field following a 27-26 win Friday night over Sumter Academy.

Sophomore Cody Garrett nailed the first extra point of his career with 24 seconds remaining to lift the Rebels to victory.

They responded by lifting him off the ground.

“The players carried him off the field at the end of the game,” DiLorenzo said.

Garrett was the hero, but plenty of other players played a role in the win.

John Bullen scored the first touchdown of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Phillip Neal in the second quarter. Ricky Ellison scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining in the first half to give the Rebels a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Daniel Kennedy caught a 9-yard pass from Neal for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Sumter Academy took the lead with a touchdown at the 3:58 mark of the fourth quarter. The Rebels responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Neal with 24 seconds remaining to tie the game and Garrett sealed the win with his extra point.

Neal completed 13-of-22 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. John Bullen caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Neal and John Bullen each rushed for 37 yards in the win.

John Bullen led the defense with 17 tackles. Ellison added 16 tackles and Zaid Kayyali finished with 15 tackles. Will Bullen added 14 tackles in his first game back since suffering a broken collarbone against Cornerstone in the third week of the season.