Sitting at its own 45-yard line with time for one last play, Tallulah Academy’s best chance of winning without going to overtime seemed like a long shot.

For a team that trailed by three touchdowns moments earlier, that won one game last season, and who spent most of this one defying the odds, it only seemed fitting that it came through.

Mason Todd threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Zach Boney on the final play of the game Friday night, giving Tallulah a wild 72-66 victory over Briarfield and a spot in the MAIS eight-man championship game.

The miracle heave capped a 36-point fourth quarter for Tallulah (9-1), as well as a comeback from 22 points down with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

Tallulah, in its first season of eight-man football, will face defending state champion Sharkey-Issaquena for the title next Saturday at 10 a.m. at Mississippi College.

“You couldn’t have scripted it better,” Tallulah coach Justin Bigham said. “I have to give credit to these kids. They never dropped their heads.”

Todd finished the game 15-of-28 passing for 382 yards and five touchdowns, and also ran for a score. Boney had 324 total yards — 112 rushing and 212 receiving — and scored four touchdowns.

Briarfield running back Cash Bilberry carried the ball 34 times for 273 yards and four touchdowns, and Jacob Brister ran for 127 yards and three scores.

Brister scored on a 70-yard run in the third quarter and a 3-yarder with 8:27 to go in the fourth to put Briarfield (11-1) ahead 58-36.

Todd, however, threw a 25-yard TD pass to Ryan Hodge, then Hodge scored on a 1-yard run with 4:49 remaining. Boney ripped off a 68-yard TD run with 2:34 to go to tie it at 58, but that only set the stage for a truly wild finish.

Bilberry scored on a 26-yard run with 1:37 to go to put Briarfield back in front. Hodge answered three plays later with a 60-yard run to tie it again, at 66, with 42 seconds to go.

Briarfield turned it over on downs at the Tallulah 45 with 11 seconds left. After an incompletion, a running play and a timeout, Todd threw the game-winner to Boney.

Boney lined up in the slot and ran a wheel route along the left sideline. Todd hit him with a deep pass, and Boney made it to the end zone just after the final horn sounded.

“You couldn’t have scripted a game like that,” Bigham said.

Sharkey-Issaquena 72, Kemper Academy 60

Jack Martin threw three touchdown passes and ran for 113 yards and two more scores, as Sharkey-Issaquena (13-0) pulled away in the second half to beat Kemper Academy (9-2) and advance to its second consecutive MAIS eight-man championship game.

SIA, the reigning state champion, gave up a season-high 60 points and didn’t gain control of the game until Martin scored on a 2-yard run and a 28-yard run on consecutive possessions for a 58-42 lead with 9:26 left in the game. Kemper Academy never got closer than 10 points again.

Austin Steed and Cole Delaney each ran for touchdowns down the stretch to keep Kemper at arm’s length.

Steed finished the game with 216 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and also caught five passes for 159 yards and two scores. Delaney had 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns to give the Confederates three 100-yard rushers in the game.

Kemper’s only losses this season were to SIA. It lost 54-30 in the season opener on Aug. 22.

MAIS eight-man championship

Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m.

Tallulah Academy vs. Sharkey-Issaquena Academy

at Mississippi College