FULTONDALE — The number-one ranking in any of the six AHSAA classes can be a heavy weight to bear, especially for a football program unaccustomed to the spotlight and the notoriety.

That burden proved to be a little too much for Fultondale in the third week of the season, as visiting Woodland came from behind to score with 34 seconds left, to take a 25-24 upset win on the Wildcats’ home field Friday night.

Bobcats quarterback John Wes Adcock took matters into his own hands on the Bobcats’ final drive, running the ball three times and passing it three more, as he marched his team 55 yards in just over two minutes. He capped the drive with a 9-yard pass to John David Jacobs to tie the score.

Then place kicker Colby Spears, who had missed both of his extra-point kicks earlier in the game, was true with the one that counted for the game-winning point.

While Adcock garnered most of the attention for Woodland, his defense was able to keep Wildcat quarterback ArDarius Stewart largely in check. The Alabama commit and Mr. Football candidate had a night that was less stellar than usual, running for just 70 yards on 14 carries — one of them a 31-yard dash on a handoff from Kris Lewis three minutes into the second half — and going 8-for-21 in passing for 94 yards.

Fultondale’s passing was especially problematic down the stretch, as Stewart hit on just one of eight throws. On his final drive in the last half-minute of the game, he fumbled the snap on first down for a 2-yard loss, then threw three straight incomplete passes — a toss to Lewis that was nearly caught, another to his younger brother Jared which was dropped, and another to Khyree Robinson on fourth down and 12 that was simply too high.

The final moments left Wildcats coach Keith Register exhausted, and slumped in his office chair afterward.

“They were way better prepared than we were,” Register said of the Bobcats. “I didn’t have my guys ready. They [Woodland] played hard, they fought hard, and they deserved to win. It happens.”

Fultondale started out the game in the big-play manner to which they have become accustomed. After the teams traded three-and-outs to start, the Wildcats began their second drive with a fair catch on their own 42. Robinson made that drive a one-play proposition, swinging around to the right side and off for a 58-yard score.

On their next possession, starting on the Woodland 41 (Stewart ran back the punt for a touchdown, but it came back on a block-in-the-back penalty), Stewart needed only four plays before he threw to Sherrod Brown for a 38-yard touchdown with 4:02 left in the opening period.

Later in the quarter, the Bobcats started to get their ground game moving, thanks in large part to running back Michael Howard. He pounded through the Fultondale defense for hard-earned yards, which softened things up for Adcock to throw to Tyler Rollins for a 17-yard scoring play.

The Wildcats then mounted a long drive, but could not punch it in after stalling out at the Woodland 11. Kicker Enrique Aguilar made a 28-yard field goal to put the home team up 17-6 with 4:30 left before halftime.

But the Bobcats went on yet another long march, finishing off with Adcock finding Spears in the left corner of the end zone with 42 seconds left before intermission. After a holding penalty, the two-point conversion pass by Adcock failed, and the halftime score was 17-12.

After Stewart’s touchdown early in the third quarter, Woodland went on another long slog that stalled at the Wildcat 8, when Zach Cummings tackled Howard on fourth down. Likewise, Fultondale went the other way but turned the ball over on downs at the Bobcat 40.

Howard then made amends on a possession that went into the final period, going on a 26-yard gallop that set the Bobcats up for him to score from the Wildcat 9 with a little more than 10 minutes to play.

Fultondale had ample opportunities to put the game away in the fourth. Tommy Usher came away with a Bobcat fumble at the visitors’ 44, but the possession went nowhere. They then held Woodland to a three-and-out from their own 14 and took the following punt at midfield, but bogged down again.

“We couldn’t run the football when we needed to, and it just snowballs,” Register said. “We didn’t make we needed to make, and they did. We knew they were going to be tough. It was what we expected from them.”

Adcock finished the night with nine completions in 23 attempts for 163 yards. Howard ran for 122 yards on 21 carries to lead the Bobcat rushing stats.

And so, Fultondale’s reign as the top team in Class 2A is over, at least for the moment. And Register isn’t sure whether that’s bad, or that’s good.

“I think being number one is more of a hindrance than a help. It’s tough.”