DAPHNE, Alabama — Bayside Academy rallied back to outscore T.R. Miller 21-7 in the final quarter but fell short of tying the score on a failed 2-point conversion to fall 37-35 to the visiting Tigers in a 3A Region 1 battle of unbeaten contenders.

The Admirals went 92 yards in eight plays on their final drive to score on a Tripp Puckett scamper from the Miller 25 with a minute, 40 seconds left in regulation. But the try for two was no good on a good defensive play by the Tiger secondary to break up a Hunter Slater to Zachary Dyas pass and preserve the lead. The onside attempt was bobbled but recovered by Miller.

Greg Parker ran back the opening kickoff 95 yards for a Bayside touchdown to start the Admirals home stand Friday night. But the Tigers were eager to avenge their 28-27 home-loss to B.A. last year.

Miller went 68 yards on their first possession to score on a 10-yard pitch from Kevin Davis to Cam Jordan. Miller took the lead 9-7 on a safety then extended it to 16-7 just before the end of the first quarter on another Jordan TD, a 5-yard run set up by his own interception.

Neither team scored in the second period and Miller took the 16-7 lead into the half.

The Tigers made it 23-7 on their first drive of the third period after Jordan scored from 15 yards out. Bayside's Jonathan Walton returned the kickoff 56 yards to the Miller 36. But the drive stalled. A Kevin Davis to Jordan pass was good for a 12-yard score and the Admirals faced a 23-point deficit (30-7) with 5:35 to go in the third quarter.

Bayside cut it to 30-14 on a 6-yard Slater to Greg Wallace TD pass and Trey Smith's point-after. Five seconds into the fourth period it was 30 22 after a Joe Stassen TD from the Tiger 6-yard line and a succesful reverse run by Dyas on the try-for-two. But Miller recovered the onside kick at their 42. A penalty backed them to their 35, but the Tigers managed to put together their last scoring drive capped with another Davis to Jordan TD pass, this one from the B.A. 32. Trey Austin's kick made it 37-22 with nine minutes left in the game. Parker, who is also the Admirals starting safety, was hurt on the play and didn't return.

The Admirals then went 75 yards on 12 plays in four minutes and kicked for the extra point by Smith to make it 37-29. The Tigers were forced to punt with 3:18 to go and their punter nailed a coffin corner to pin the Ads back at their own eight. But Bayside made up the ground on big runs of 15 and 12 yards by Stassen, a huge 18-yard run by Puckett and a 13-yard pass from Slater to Dyas which set up Puckett's dramatic 25-yard, tackle-breaking run to the endzone to make it 37-35.

Momentum was with the Admirals, but fell one play short of a win to make the Tigers 4-0, 3-0 and Bayside 2-2, 2-1.