The Enterprise football team started the 2019 season with a rather surprising run.

Having gone 1-11 the previous season, the Bulldogs strung together seven straight wins to open their season. They then suffered their first loss by way of a 55-18 result to powerhouse Taylorsville, setting up an intriguing clash with Region 5-2A opponent Bay Springs the next week. 

Bay Springs entered the game with only one loss on the season, like Enterprise, and that one loss was Taylorsville as well. A win for Enterprise, which was hosting the matchup, clinched a first-round home playoff game, but it would also solidify the squad as a legitimate team worthy of reaching the postseason.

For most of the first half of a chilly, late October contest, the two combatants played back-and-forth football and matched each other’s early success. Kristian Milsap, who was a factor all night, scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown on the game’s opening drive, which Bay Springs answered quickly on its first drive with a 60-yard score on the ground. Its two-point conversion gave it an 8-7 advantage.

Milsap then turned the lead back over to Enterprise with his second rushing touchdown on a long drive, but Bay Springs immediately responded with another score to lead 16-14 in the second quarter.

But before halftime came, things got interesting.

After an Enterprise punt, Bay Springs moved the ball down to the opposing 28-yard and was looking to build on its lead. But a first down pass was intercepted by Ethan Baxley, who set up his squad at their own 42 with less than two minutes to play before intermission. Enterprise then proceeded to run the ball on every play and, despite a fumble near the end zone with eight seconds left and no timeouts, scored on a 1-yard rush from Milsap. 

“Our kids had enough poise to get back up really quickly, snap it, and boom, we punched it in,” head coach Kelly Jimmerson said after the game. “That set the tone for the second half. If we go into the half down, who knows, they get the ball coming back out, but we punched it in right there. That was a huge play, but the interception set it off.”  

The touchdown off the interception gave Enterprise a 22-16 advantage heading into the second half. After forcing the first Bay Springs punt all evening, Enterprise extended its lead to 30-16 with a rushing touchdown by quarterback Derryon Gray.

Bay Springs made its push, however, responding with a touchdown to get within one possession. Twice it started possessions with the chance to tie the contest, but a pair of clutch sacks by Enterprise’s John Campbell thwarted that effort. 

Milsap’s fourth touchdown of the game, capping off a 203-yard rushing performance, put the finishing touches on a monumental victory for Enterprise. 

Jimmerson said afterward he was speechless.

“It’s not just big for the kids, it’s big for the fans, especially after the year we had last year,” he said, having just sealed a home playoff game. “It’s hard to put into words what this means.”

The loss was just the second of the regular season for Bay Springs, which went on to lose in the first round of the 2A tournament to eventual semifinalist Scott Central. Enterprise finished its regular season schedule with a 9-1 record. Mirroring its performance in clutch moments against Bay Springs, the defense was dominant in two playoff wins over Lake (18-12) and Wesson (6-0). Enterprise also fell to Scott Central, getting shut out 48-0 in the 2A third round. 

“We had a great year. We can’t let one game define us,” Jimmerson said after the loss to Scott Central. “I’m very proud of where we started to where we are now. I don’t know how many people can say they went from 1-11 to 11-2. This is something we build on.”