With 4.5 seconds left on the clock Friday, Sept. 2, Landrum had a fourth down from the Chesnee four-yard-line. It was decision time for head coach Russell Mahaffey and the Landrum coaching staff.  Mahaffey sent the kicking unit out onto the field and Chesnee called a timeout.
When the Cardinals ran back out onto the field, it wasn’t the kicking unit – it was Brandon Cannon and the Cardinal offense. The words of a teammate were about to come true for the senior quarterback as he ran the ball into the end zone for a 19-14 dramatic victory for the Cardinals.
Late in the third quarter, Cannon admitted that there was some frustration in the Cardinals’ huddle. Chesnee’s Nathaniel Moore had just run a 19-yard touchdown up the middle of the field to put the Eagles up 14-13.
Cannon, who admits he was frustrated, said that Clark Edmonds looked at him and said, “You’re gonna win this football game.”
Those words turned out to be prophetic.
With 2:22 left in the game, the Cardinals took over possession after the defense held the Eagles on a three and out. The Cardinals began on their own 35 yard line and Cannon marched the ball down the field on 13 plays. The Cardinals faced two third-down conversions and both times, Cannon found Jacob Lindsay for the first down.
“I was just trying to concentrate and get a first down for my team,” Lindsay said.
As Cannon marched the ball down the field, breathing life into Edmonds’ prediction, the air in the stadium was thick with intensity.
The air was never as intense as it was on the fourth down. So what made Mahaffey change his mind and send out the offense?
“I could see it in their eyes that they wanted to win it,” Mahaffey said. “That’s why we pulled the field goal unit off the field and put it in Brandon’s hands.”
It was the right call.
“Everybody in the stadium knew that the ball was going to be in Cannon’s hands,” Chesnee head coach Brent Bridges said. “He’s a gutsy kid.”
The senior quarterback took the snap, rolled to his left, faked a cut inside and took off for the left pylon. Cannon stepped over the goal line untouched and his team rushed forward for celebration with the clock reading 0.0.
“We actually used the pass protection for a running lane for me,” Cannon said. “I’ve never had that kind of feeling.”
That was one thing that Mahaffey was proud of Friday night – his offensive line. The Cardinals combined for 154 yards on the ground and Cannon threw for 228 yards.
“They were blocking hard,” Mahaffey said. “They gave all they’ve got.” He also added that offensive coordinator Tucker Hamrick called a “great game.”
The Cardinal defense did their job as well, holding the Eagles to 147 yards of total offense.
Landrum will host Polk County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9.