BRUCE FIELD – Collinsville inched by region foe Cedar Bluff Friday night, 30-27, in an epic contest that resembled an Old West shootout.

Of course, the modern gridiron culture was evident – dozens of teenaged texters beside the bleachers, perky cheerleaders with modern-American names like Brooke and Deanna, and hip-hop music piped through the public address system.

Though the setting in Cedar Bluff was far from a dusty Old West town, the tension and desperate, do-or-die mentality of a gunslinger stare-down engulfed the participants. The foes faced off, ready to draw and shoot down the other's hopes of a region title.

The Panthers entered the dusty street having outscored opponents 246-45, compiling their best season-opening record since 1995. The Tigers, too, have been quick on the draw this season, winning four straight and outscoring opponents 232-30 since a season-opening loss.

When the standoff began, Cedar Bluff fired the first shot.

Zach Taylor's 48-yard punt return set up Tyric Scales's score on a 15-yard reception near the end of the first quarter. The point-after failed, and Cedar Bluff led 6-0.

As the dust settled the teams stared each other down through six unsuccessful possessions. Near the end of the half, Collinsville finally fired back, scoring on Nathan Coker's 39-yard touchdown scramble to take the lead, 7-6.

The Tigers recovered from the wound, marching down the field to the Collinsville 11 as the clock ran out. Aided by a roughing the passer penalty on the final play, Cedar Bluff got to reload, and they hit the mark when Levi Mintz found Scales for a six-yard score. The Tigers took a 12-7 lead into the dressing room.

After the break, Collinsville took aim again on their first drive of the third quarter. With the help of interference and personal foul penalties, the Panthers drove close enough for sophomore kicker David Hernandez to boot a 28-yard field goal.

After a Cedar Bluff fumble and a missed Hernandez field goal, the Tigers shot down the field with an 80-yard drive, half of which came via four Panther penalties. Zach Taylor's four-yard scamper and the point-after stretched the Tiger lead to 19-10.

Though the townsfolk might have believed the Panthers' hopes dead, Collinsville took all of 12 seconds to respond. Curtis Williams received a 56-yard halfback pass for the TD, closing the score to 19-17 .

After a failed fake punt by the Tigers on the ensuing possession, a surreal sequence of events, led by a once-fallen hero, took Collinsville to the victory. On fourth and 10 from the Cedar Bluff 30-yard line, Collinsville quarterback Nathan Coker, who missed the entire 2009 season after a car wreck, was flushed out of the pocket, then lobbed a left-handed pass to Williams in the end zone. After the successful point-after, Collinsville took its first lead at 24-19.

“Coker's a tough young man,” Collinsville coach Alan Beckett said after the game. “It's unbelievable what he went through. Most people never thought he'd play again.”

After alternating possessions, Mintz fired what some believed to be the shot that would finish off the Panthers, targeting Scales with a 31-yard strike and a subsequent two-point conversion. The Tigers led 27-24 lead with 2:35 remaining.

Collinsville took over at their own 36, and gained one yard in their first three plays. Desperately facing a fourth and nine, they rose up like Clint Eastwood's no-name gunman in “A Fistful of Dollars,” who remained standing after apparent shots to the heart, only to reveal a steel chest plate.

Collinsville's solid safeguard came via the hands of junior Lamond Sumpter, who grasped Coker's pass for the first down, sustaining the drive and Collinsville's hopes. Three plays later, Coker fired the final shot, finding junior Josh Gogus on a game-winning 32-yard strike down the visiting sideline with 1:07 remaining.

Cedar Bluff's last-minute comeback attempt failed with a Sumpter interception, and the Tigers fell lifeless, their hopes of winning the Class 1A Region 7 title whisking away like a tumbleweed rolling across the dusty plains.

Cedar Bluff (4-2, 3-1) travels to Spring Garden this week while Collinsville (6-0, 4-0) hosts Gaylesville, the only other undefeated team in the region.