Remember this moment? Dontae Aycock does. So do members of the Chamberlain team, coaching staff and student body.

With 3.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter of his teams’ Class 5A region final against Kissimmee Osceola, Chamberlain trailed 14-7 and was 3 yards away from reaching the end zone in hopes of tying or defeating Osceola for a trip to the state semifinals.

On third-and-goal, Aycock was jammed at the line as time expired, just inches away from the end zone. 

Aycock was in tears, bent over in pain. All were dejected. It was one of the most heart breaking losses I’ve seen as a prep writer. Tampa Prep’s boys basketball loss in overtime in the Class 2A semis was hard to watch, but not like this.

Still, I’m a firm believer in what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Billy Turner is the same way.

“I think that is our key motivation,” he said. “We saw what last year’s team did and how close we were to playing (Jacksonville) Bartram Trail, which we felt like we could have beaten. We felt like we matched up better against St. Thomas (Aquinas) than anybody that would have played them. We had decent size, we had decent speed and we were clicking at that time. Osceola held us pretty good. The kids that are on our team that were here last year, they saw how close we were and I think on paper, we’re as good as we were last year. Maybe even better.”

But when you ask Billy and son Brian Turner if a state title is attainable this year, they always say “We have to get through Lakeland.”

Well, Osceola did it and the Chiefs almost beat them.

If Chamberlain goes all the way, what an ending it’ll be for the old coach.