UPDATE: AISA ROUNDUP - Macon East wallops Springwood; Edgewood falls; Valiant Cross tops Hooper
Macon East’ Josh Browder avoids a tackler in the Knights’ win over Springwood. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
CECIL -- Macon East Academy hadn’t won a football game on the field in a month after starting the season 5-0, so Knights head coach Glynn Lott challenged his players before Friday’s game with Springwood School.
Macon had lost at Monroe 40-26 on Sept. 25; lost at Jackson 41-14; picked up a forfeit win over Banks Academy; and lost at Chambers 47-6. The Knights had gone from being one of the frontrunners in Class AA to trying to earn homefield advantage in the playoffs with a win over Springwood on Friday night.
“Our seniors knew to get to play here again, they had to win tonight,” Lott said. “We played well against Monroe but with three minutes left we had a chance to tie the game and snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head and they scooped and scored. Now, the other two games, we just didn’t show up to play. Jackson and Chambers, we just didn’t want to be there. It was great to come back tonight and play with some energy.”
Macon East (7-3) scored in just about every way imaginable, scoring on its first four possessions of the first half and first three of the second half on the way to a 56-12 rout against the overmatched Wildcats on Friday night.
“Our linemen were asking for certain plays,” Lott said. “The last two weeks, our linemen were wanting off the field, I felt like. So it was a different mentality.”
Macon East got on the scoreboard with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown by Carlos Carter; on a 9-yard run by receiver Eric Lawson following a fumble; on a 1-yard run by Gabe Spencer following a grind-it-out possession on the ground; a 14-yard pass from Kirkland Pugh to Lawson on a drive that moved the ball down the field with short passes; and an 84-yard bomb from Pugh to Lane Goree just to show some big-play ability just before the half for a 35-0 lead.
The Knights scored on the first play from scrimmage in the second half on a 56-yard run by Carter, forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and marched methodically to the end zone in an eight-play drive that made it 49-0 on backup quarterback Joshwa Browder’s 3-yard run, then capped the scoring with a 44-yard touchdown run by Teron Wright for a 56-0 lead.
Springwood (3-6) scored late on an 89-yard kickoff return by Kanoon Key and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Will Craft.
After regressing against two of the better teams in the state, Jackson and Chambers, the Knights had the luck of playing the 16-man squad of the Wildcats just when Macon East needed a boost of morale.
“We tell our players all the time, the greatest compliment a player can have is for their coach to talk about how hard your kids played, no matter what the score is,” Lott said. “Nobody was telling us how hard we played the last two weeks. I was just excited our kids played hard.”
In a season where COVID forfeits are almost routine, the Knights found themselves in a potential three-way tie with Edgewood and Chambers for the AA Region 1 championship. Because three-way ties are resolved by the scores of the matchups between the involved teams and Macon East had defeated Edgewood 42-14 on Sept. 11, the Knights could have won the region title simply by forfeiting the game to Chambers.
“That wouldn’t be the right thing to do,” Lott said. “(Chambers coach) Jason (Allen) was worried to death we were about to do it.”
Instead, they traveled to LaFayette and were whipped 47-6, not only costing themselves a region championship but taking a step backward at the worst possible time.
On Friday, they moved forward, whipping Springwood to finish tied with Edgewood and Chambers (they will be seeded second behind Chambers). The Knights will face Wilcox Academy in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 6. First, they have to travel to Abbeville Christian on Friday, going on the road to face the 7-2 Generals, another quality opponent with state championship aspirations.
“We need to get some momentum back,” Lott said. “We got a little back tonight. Hopefully, we can get some more next week. Abbeville’s got a good team. They’re going to be in the playoffs and have a chance (to win it all) in A so the main thing is for our kids to play hard.”
Springwood will play host to Lakeside on Thursday before traveling to Escambia for the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 6.
Crenshaw Christian 35 Edgewood Academy 17
ELMORE – The Cougars exploded for three touchdowns in the second quarter to wipe out an Edgewood Academy lead and defeat the Wildcats 35-17 on Friday night.
The game, pitting one of the best teams in Class A against one of the best in AA, went to the smaller school who erased a 7-0 deficit with three touchdowns to take a 19-10 lead at the half.
Mitchell Boyd, who rushed for 104 yards on 13 carries, ran 34 yards for a touchdown midway through the first quarter and Sam Williams added the extra point for a 7-0 lead. But the Wildcats struggled offensively as Austin Champion threw three interceptions and Crenshaw surged out to a 27-10 lead.
Alex Johnson’s quarterback sneak pulled Edgewood within 27-17 three minutes into the second half, but the Wildcats would go scoreless the remainder of the game.
Bradley Boone led the Edgewood defense with six tackles, followed by Boyd and Joseph Benton with five tackles each.
Edgewood (6-3) remains home against another playoff-bound team, facing Wilcox next Friday before going on the road for the first round of the AA state playoffs at Patrician Academy on Nov. 6.
Morgan Academy 45, Fort Dale Academy 14
SELMA – Holt Utsey rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Senators to an easy win over Fort Dale in the regular-season finale on Friday night.
Utsey set the tone with a 57-yard sprint to the end zone on the first play from scrimmage. Wade Mason added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Utsey ran 11 yards for another touchdown, Matthew Free scored on a 1-yard run and Kenny Nichols added a 5-yard touchdown run as the Senators built a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Fort Dale got on the scoreboard with a 26-yard run by Bogdan Little but Utsey came back with his third touchdown of the night on an 8-yard run for a 35-7 lead at the half.
Mason added a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter and Perrin Utsey scored on a 1-yard run for a 45-7 lead before Fort Dale’s Lane Cater scored on a 4-yard run.
Morgan (7-2) will take next week off before playing host to either Hooper Academy or Valiant Cross (who play Saturday) in the first round of the AAA state playoffs on Nov. 7.
Fort Dale (1-8) closes out the season next week at home against Lowndes Academy.
Chambers Academy 50, Banks Academy 6
LAFAYETTE – Payton Allen completed 12 of 17 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns as the Rebels overwhelmed first-year program Banks Academy 50-6 to clinch first place in AA Region 1.
Chambers (8-1) will travel to Luverne to play Crenshaw Christian next week, then return home to face defending AA state champion Autauga Academy in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 6.
Jordan Benbrook led the Chambers’ rushing attack with 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns on nine carries as Chambers led 31-6 at the half.
Braxton Yerta added 45 yards and a touchdown on three carries. John White added an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and caught four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Conway and John Holliday also had touchdown receptions for Chambers.
Defensively, Jacob Oliver led the Rebels with 11 tackles, followed by Hunter Burdette with eight, Hunter Harmon with seven, Gavin Kight with six and Cade Tarver, Zack Bylsma, Hunter Knox and Jake Higgins with four tackles each.
Banks (2-7) will play host to Southern next week in a game rescheduled from Sept. 25.
Wilcox Academy 16, Autauga Academy 15
PRATTVILLE – Autauga Academy was flagged for holding in the end zone, resulting in a penalty that would ultimately cost the Generals a victory in Friday’s game at Autauga.
Autauga and Wilcox were battling for seeding in the upcoming playoffs. The Wilcox victory will send them to play Macon East Academy in the first round of the playoffs, while Autauga will travel to LaFayette to play Chambers on Nov. 6.
Next week, Autauga will play host to Glenwood.
Lowndes Academy 41, Cornerstone Christian 0
HAYNEVILLE – The Rebels put together their best defensive effort of the season, picking off four Cornerstone passes and pitching a shutout to give Lowndes a 41-0 win and the third seed in the upcoming state playoffs.
Jake Hooper had three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown in the win.
Parker Lee Harris had a punt return for a touchdown, Jackson Self added a touchdown and Colby Briggs scored on offense and led the defense in tackles.
Garrett Lanier also had a rushing touchdown and set up the game’s first score by returning the opening kickoff to the Cornerstone 3-yard line.
Lowndes (4-6) won for the third straight game and will put their winning streak on the line next week in Greenville against Fort Dale before traveling to Evergreen to play Sparta Academy in the first round of the A state playoffs on Nov. 6.
Valiant Cross 14, Hooper Academy 7 (Saturday)
Valiant Cross won the battle on Saturday at Cramton Bowl, but couldn’t win the war.
The Warriors defeated Hooper Academy 14-7, but needed a winning margin of 10 points to win the tiebreaker for third place in AAA Region 1 and earn a bid in the state playoffs in two weeks.
A victory, its first since a season-opening win at Lakeside on Aug. 21, touched off a postgame celebration but it wasn’t enough to give the first-year program a trip to the postseason.
“It was fun for us,” Valiant Cross coach Willie Spears said. “We’re very young, starting three eighth graders, so the big difference tonight was Jamerion Lamar. He played in our game against Lakeside and hasn’t played since (because of an injury). I know Lakeside and Hooper aren’t the best teams on our schedule but he was the difference. It showed tonight how they rallied behind him and in a tremendous way it showed that with him on the field we’re a much better team.”
Hooper meanwhile, finished first among the three teams (the Colts, Warriors and Lee-Scott all finished Region 1 play with a 1-3 record) in the tiebreaker and earned the third seed and a trip to Morgan Academy for the first round of the state playoffs in two weeks, but first-year coach Marty Baker wasn’t happy with what he witnessed on Saturday afternoon.
“We wanted to win this one just to be third outright,” Baker said. “When we realized it was going to come down to this, be prepared to win this game and leave no doubt as to who was third. We just didn’t come ready to play. We were still asleep on Saturday morning.”
Valiant Cross (2-8), playing its first year of varsity football, was much improved in its 2020 finale but still showed signs of being a first-year program with no seniors, no practice facility and no weight room for offseason conditioning.
“You could make the argument that maybe we should’ve waited until next year to play varsity football,” Spears said, “because we were just outmatched night in, night out. We’re very small, we’re very weak. We didn’t work out any during (the shutdown for) COVID, we’re not in school, we don’t have a locker room, we don’t have a football field. There are just a lot of issues, but it was fun. I’m very proud of them and I’m very excited for the future.”
For Hooper (5-4), the future is now. The senior-laden Colts will be favored in next week’s game at Cornerstone but will be decided underdogs in the playoff matchup against the high-scoring Senators. Wins against Valiant Cross and Cornerstone would have given the Colts their first seven-win season since 2002 but now they’ll have to shoot for a win next week to guarantee only their third winning season in that 18-year span.
Hooper came into Saturday’s contest having won four of its last five games before fumbling away a fifth win in a turnover-plagued contest on Saturday.
“Paul (Menefee, the Colts’ leading rusher this season) had lost one fumble all year before today, so I want to say it’s the weather,” Baker said. “It was wet, but it was wet for them, too. We should have taken care of the football and we just didn’t do it. We didn’t block very well. That’s our bread and butter, to run the football, and we couldn’t do that.”
Six lost fumbles kept the Colts from finding any offensive rhythm. A 22-yard run by Antavious Jackson and a 30-yard pass from Savion German to Corey Brown set up German’s quarterback sneak for a 6-0 Valiant Cross lead midway through the first quarter, but in a contest that featured 10 turnovers and 21 plays of negative yardage, sustained offensive drives were virtually impossible.
A 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Isaac Harris on the first play of the second quarter, followed by German’s conversion run made it 14-0 but the Colts answered with their only score of the day.
Hooper’s next drive ended with another fumble recovery by Harris, but the Warriors returned the favor with a fumble by Jackson which Chase Emerson recovered at the Valiant Cross 12.
Emerson’s six-yard return put the Colts on the Valiant Cross 6-yard line and four plays later Menefee scored on a 3-yard run to cut the lead in half. But the Colts would never find the end zone again despite starting each of their six second-half possessions on the Valiant Cross side of midfield.
In the fourth quarter, Hooper reached the 2-yard line before Porter Henry fumbled the snap and Valiant’s Alonza Arrington recovered in the end zone; made it to the 4-yard line before a pair of incomplete passes by Henry turned the ball over on downs; and ended with a Zavier Dunn interception in the end zone with 25 seconds left to seal the victory for the Warriors.
Menefee led the Colts with 80 yards on 17 carries and Tamarcus Hardaway added 61 yards on 15 carries, but turnovers and negative plays hampered Hooper’s offense
“It hurts when we can’t hit them with the inside game, then beat them with the sweep because that’s what the wing-T is made to do,” Baker said. “We just didn’t execute today. Our execution was terrible. Rain and a Saturday morning game. That’s no excuse, either, but I think that kind of threw us off.”
Spears, meanwhile, was happy to end the season on a winning note. Known for his coaching efforts at larger public schools, building a varsity program from scratch at a small private school was definitely a learning experience.
“I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t great, it wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Spears said. “But it was really cool to be … their first coach was an honor for me and to be around these boys was an honor for me. I’ve been in some big schools. These guys don’t really know football yet. They’re not aggressive. It wasn’t what I was used to. It took a lot of adjusting for me. But look at how happy they are. That right there makes it all worth it.”
AISA PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
First-Round Games on Nov. 6
CLASS AAA
Clarke Prep at Glenwood School
Hooper Academy at Morgan Academy
Lee-Scott Academy at Bessemer Academy
Monroe Academy at Pike Liberal Arts
CLASS AA
Autauga Academy at Chambers Academy
Edgewood Academy at Patrician Academy
Springwood School at Escambia Academy
Wilcox Academy at Macon East Academy
CLASS A
Pickens Academy at Crenshaw Christian
Lowndes Academy at Sparta Academy
Lakeside School at Jackson Academy
South Choctaw Academy at Abbeville Christian
AISA scores
Glenwood School 26, Pike Liberal Arts 7
Monroe Academy 40, Tuscaloosa Academy 33
Morgan Academy 45, Fort Dale Academy 14
Bessemer Academy 48, Clarke Prep School 7
Crenshaw Christian 35, Edgewood Academy 17
Chambers Academy 50, Banks Academy 6
Macon East Academy 56, Springwood School 12
Escambia Academy 36, Southern Academy 6
Wilcox Academy 16, Autauga Academy 15
Abbeville Christian 48, Lakeside School 26
Lowndes Academy 41, Cornerstone Christian 0
Pickens Academy 33, Meadowview Christian 14
Jackson Academy 35, Sparta Academy 20
South Choctaw Academy 1, Snook Academy 0, forfeit
Valiant Cross Academy 14, Hooper Academy 7