FRIDAY PREPS: Montgomery Academy rebounds with easy win over Hale County

Jashawn Cooper races for yardage during Montgomery Academy’s win over Hale County on Friday. (Dylan Hurst)

By DYLAN HURST

The Montgomery Academy Eagles defeated the Hale County Wildcats, 45-26, Friday night at McLemore Field with an explosive offense and big playmakers. 

Senior tight end Nigel Walker recorded 58 yards on two receiving touchdowns along with a pair of two-point conversion. He also recorded 11 tackles and three sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

“Coach (Robert) Johnson called all the plays and I just had to make it happen,” said Walker. “We had a great plan and we just had to execute it.” 

Fullback Jashawn Cooper recorded 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Thomas Woodward had 178 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 9 of 14 passes. Judson Lindsey added 68 yards and a touchdown receiving. 

Friday’s region win came on the heels of last week’s heartbreaking loss to rival Trinity Presbyterian, the first regular season loss for the Eagles in two years. 

“We had to tone out Trinity and go on to the next game and not let that hold us back,” Walker said. “We had to face our mistakes and I felt like we improved on those a lot tonight.”

Johnson had a similar mindset about his team’s loss to Trinity.  

“Win or lose, you either celebrate the win or mourn the loss, but afterwards you have to get back to work,” he said. “Every week, you just have to focus on that game and put the past behind you and move forward.” 

Perhaps their loss provided an extra incentive for the Eagles this week as they scored 28 points in the first quarter alone. 

Montgomery Academy struck first on Hale County’s opening drive when Walker returned a Wildcat fumble for his first touchdown of the night. 

After a Wildcat kickoff return went for 6, the Eagles drove the ball down the field and Cooper ran in his first touchdown of the night.

The Wildcats answered once again with a long touchdown pass, but then Lindsey caught a 68-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the next Eagles’ possession.

The Eagles capitalized on an interception by junior Kam Tuck as Cooper then ran a touchdown in from over 50 yards out on the ensuing drive to close out the first quarter. 

Sophomore Rick McBride recovered a punt that was muffed by the Wildcats, then Walker scored his second touchdown on the ensuing drive to capitalize on the miscue. 

Cooper added a touchdown run in the second half to close out the scoring for the Eagles.

“Defensive touchdowns are always awesome and Coach (Ethan) McBride does a great job with our defense, and Nigel scoring that was big,” Johnson said. “Jashawn had a huge run, and Hale County has a lot of speed, but they couldn’t get to him.”  

Montgomery Academy (2-1, 1-0 Class 3A, Region 3) continues region play at home next week against Southside-Selma, while Hale County (0-2, 0-1) plays host to Prattville Christian Academy.