AISA RECAP: Chambers knocks off Macon East; Autauga Academy rips Southern
Macon East quarterback Deonte Powell looks for running room during the Knights’ loss to Chambers Academy on Friday. (Dylan Hurst)
By DYLAN HURST
CECIL -- Jordan Benbrook scored a pair of touchdowns to help defending state champion Chambers Academy wrap up the AA Region 1 championship with a 35-19 win over Macon East Academy that handed the Knights their first loss at home this season.
Chambers (7-1) improved to 3-0 in region play, wrapping up the top seed and home-field advantage for the first round of the AISA playoffs on Nov. 5. Macon East (5-4), even with the loss, will finish as the second seed and will also be at home on Nov. 5.
“We hold a head-to-head advantage against Edgewood, so we’ll be at home in the first round of the playoffs no matter what happens next week,” said Macon East Academy coach Glynn Lott. “That was a goal of ours a few weeks ago that we’ve already accomplished.”
Macon East quarterback Deonte Powell completed 22 of 41 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, along with two interceptions. Senior receiver Tyler Daniels had 12 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior receiver Sanders Manning had two catches for 50 yards, along with three tackles and a 49-yard interception return from his defensive back position. Junior receiver Jacob Wilson added two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown.
The Rebels converted a fourth and one on their first drive, and sophomore Kole Baker threw a touchdown pass to senior Jo Jo Hendrix to take a 7-0 lead. The Knights got on the board a few possessions later at the start of the second quarter after a pass from Powell to Wilson for a touchdown tied the game at 7-7.
The Rebels answered with a rushing touchdown from senior receiver Jordan Benbrook for a 13-7 lead, then extended the lead on a long run by receiver T.Y. Trammell and a two-point conversion for a 21-7 lead.
The remainder of the second quarter saw multiple penalties on both teams, including offsetting unsportsmanlike penalties on a player from both teams.
The Rebels added to their lead at the start of the third quarter when Benbrook ran for a touchdown on a fourth-and-three run for a 28-7 lead.
Macon East responded with a touchdown pass from Powell to Daniels but Trammell countered with a touchdown reception on the next possession for a 35-13 lead. Another touchdown pass from Powell to Daniels accounted for the game’s final points.
Lott knows that a few mistakes in particular from his team cost them some yardage and points in Friday’s game.
“If we don’t make the right calls at the line, you’ve got to think that cost us a score on the 5-yard line,” he said. “That’s gotta not happen, that’s happened three times this year.”
As far as the rough play and penalties are concerned, Lott wasn’t too happy with the team’s demeanor in the game, but was optimistic about turning it around.
“There were a bunch of penalties tonight on different things, and we had one personal foul penalty,” he said. “We don’t want the game to get chippy, but it did at the end, so we’ll try to go and clean up our mistakes.”
Macon East travels to Lanett to play Springwood next Friday.
Autauga Academy 49, Southern Academy 0
PRATTVILLE -- Head coach Bobby Carr posted his 250th career victory on Friday night as the Generals rolled to a 49-0 win over Southern on Friday.
Autauga improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in Class AA Region 2 play, securing the top seed in the region with the win. It was Carr’s 44th win at Autauga following 44 at New Life and 206 at Edgewood.
Robert Rose completed 4 of 6 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown while his backup, Lake Barber, was 3 of 4 for 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Noah Ray had two receptions for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Brayden Collins had one catch for a 23-yard touchdown.
Karl Ligon had 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four carries. Rose added a touchdown, Bub Brantley had 30 yards and a touchdown on five carries and Landen Henry had a team-high 90 yards on six carries.
O’Ronde Henderson led the Autauga defense with eight tackles and a punt block. Nigel Rugley had four tackles, including two for loss and Deign Carrol had three tackles and a pass defended.
The Generals travel to Camden next week for a region game with Wilcox, while Southern (0-8) travels to Canoe to play Escambia Academy next week.
Edgewood Academy 44, Springwood School 14
ELMORE -- The Wildcats scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to finish off Springwood in a Class AA Region 1 game on Friday night.
Austin Champion threw five touchdown passes, completing 10 of 20 passes for 147 yards while throwing touchdown passes to four different receivers.
He was on the receiving end of the first touchdown pass, handing off to Bradley Boone and going out for a 25-yard scoring reception from Boone for the game’s first points.
After Springwood tied the game, Champion threw 9 yards to Trevor Rodie and 36 yards to JT Brazell for a 21-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Champion came back with touchdown passes to Colton Jones (7 yards), Gabe LeMaster (28 yards) and Rodie (24 yards) to give the Wildcats a 44-7 lead at the half.
Brazell also recorded a safety on a tackle in the end zone.
Rodie had 66 yards on five receptions, while Boone had a game-high 64 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Bryson Boone led the Edgewood defense with six tackles, followed by Jake Allison with four.
Edgewood (5-3) wrapped up a playoff berth with the win and will travel to Luverne to play Crenshaw Christian next week. Springwood (1-7, 0-3 in region play) returns home to play host to Macon East next week.
Lowndes Academy 47, Coosa Valley Academy 0
HAYNEVILLE -- The Rebels used a 24-point second quarter to rout Coosa Valley and wrap up the Class A Region 1 championship on Friday night.
Cooper Dansby scored on a 20-yard run and Zig Cannon added a 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown to give the Rebels a 14-0 lead before breaking it open in the second quarter.
Tyler Tyus scored on a 1-yard run, Parker Lee Harris scored on an 8-yard run and Watters Box added a touchdown run, a pair of field goals and five extra points to give Lowndes its fourth consecutive victory.
Tyus completed 8 of 13 passes for 157 yards, while Dansby rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, caught two passes for 63 yards and made six tackles on defense.
Harris added 35 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Lowndes (6-3) travels to Cornerstone Christian for a game next week before closing out the regular season at home against Fort Dale on Oct. 29.
Coosa Valley (3-6) is off next week before playing at Sparta on Oct. 29.
Lee-Scott 42, Hooper Academy 0
AUBURN -- The Colts dropped their second consecutive region game in a 42-0 loss at Lee-Scott, setting up a one-game playoff battle with region rival Valiant Cross at home next week.
For the second consecutive week, the Colts struggled to find any offense, with a 52-yard pass from Rhyn Shelton to Emmanuel Grant supplying the bulk of the yardage.
Defensively, Sean Murphy led Hooper with seven tackles, followed by RJ Coker and Ron McGinty with five tackles each.
Hooper (2-6) returns home to play Valiant Cross for fourth place in AAA Region 1 and the final playoff berth. Lee-Scott (6-2) won its fifth consecutive game by beating the Colts and improved to 3-1 in region play. The Warriors are off next week before wrapping up the regular season on Oct. 29 at Morgan.
Tuscaloosa Academy 17, Morgan Academy 7
TUSCALOOSA -- John Allen Ingram’s 3-yard run brought the Morgan Academy Senators back into the contest, but just as quickly, Jack Standeffer’s kickoff return for a touchdown gave the Knights the Class AAA Region 2 championship on Friday night.
Tuscaloosa (4-4 overall, 4-0 in region play) wrapped up the top seed for the Knights, but the win, coupled with Clark Prep’s upset of Monroe, threw the rest of the region into chaos as Monroe, Morgan, Clarke Prep and Bessemer all dropped into a four-way tie for second place at 2-2.
Tuscaloosa had taken a 10-0 lead on David McNeil’s 47-yard touchdown pass to Carson Claytor, but the Senators drove down the field and scored on Ingram’s run to make it 10-7 at the half. Standeffer then returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown to put the Knights back in control.
Morgan (4-4) can wrap up a playoff berth with a win at home next Friday against Fort Dale.
Patrician Academy 48, Wilcox Academy 12
BUTLER -- Augustus Lewis rushed for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries as Patrician defeated Wilcox 48-12 in a Class AA Region 2 game on Friday.
Patrician (6-2) won its fifth consecutive game since losing back-to-back region games to Escambia and Autauga and improved to 2-2 in region play before closing out the regular season on Oct. 29 at Pickens.
Tyler Lewis completed 4 of 8 passes for 124 yards for the Saints, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Tate Boykin. Boykin had three receptions for 100 yards.
AISA SCOREBOARD
Pike Liberal Arts 47, Valiant Cross 7
Lee-Scott Academy 42, Hooper Academy 0
Tuscaloosa Academy 17, Morgan Academy 7
Bessemer Academy 42, Fort Dale Academy 14
Clarke Prep 41, Monroe Academy 20
Edgewood Academy 44, Springwood School 14
Banks Academy 54, Lakeside School 15
Chambers Academy 35, Macon East Academy 19
Patrician Academy 48, Wilcox Academy 12
Autauga Academy 49, Southern Academy 0
Lowndes Academy 47, Coosa Valley Academy 0
Crenshaw Christian 49, Abbeville Christian 0
South Choctaw Academy 26, Pickens Academy 15
Jackson Academy 71, Meadowview Christian 14
Sparta Academy 69, Snook Academy 0