PREP RECAP (Week 10): Lanier forfeits wins; Tallassee wins but earns third seed

COMBINED REPORTS

Sidney Lanier High School has self-reported its football team played an ineligible player in violation of the AHSAA Academic Rule.
An ineligible student participated in all seven Class 6A, Region 2 contests this season, including six games won by the school. As a result, Sidney Lanier’s football program will be fined and must forfeit all games won that the ineligible student participated in. 
Those games include victories over non-region opponent Jeff Davis and Region 2 opponents Robert E. Lee High School, Valley High School, Park Crossing High School, Russell County High School and Carver High School. Therefore, Sidney Lanier’s season is 2-8 and Class 6A, Region 2 record is 0-7.  
Therefore, the four qualifiers for the AHSAA Class 6A State Playoffs are now: Opelika (No. 1 seed); Robert E. Lee (No. 2 seed); G.W. Carver (No. 3 seed); and Eufaula (No. 4 seed).

Tallassee 41, Carroll 35

TALLASSEE – The Tigers won the battle but lost the war in the fight for the top seed in 5A Region 4.

Tallassee (7-2) won its fifth consecutive game with 425 yards of offense, but was locked in a three-way tie atop the region with Sylacauga and Central-Clay County. With the top seed going to the team that had accumulated the most wins, Central-Clay’s win over Handley gave them the top seed and Sylacauga’s head-to-head win with Tallassee earlier this season gave them the second seed.

Third-seeded Tallassee will travel to Greenville for the first round of the 5A playoffs next Friday.

In Friday’s win over Carroll, the Tigers scored twice in the fourth quarter to break a 21-21 tie, taking the lead on an 11-yard run by Tyler Ellis 15 seconds into the final period, then getting a 21-yard scoring run by Jayln Daniels on the next possession to help the Tigers hang on. 

Keyshawn Cole, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns, connected with Jordan Killings on a 67-yard touchdown pass with 1:42 left, but the Tigers were able to run out the clock.

Lakeith Person rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries for Carroll (4-6), which travels to Central-Clay next week for the first round of the playoffs. Jalen Plott added 92 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

Daniels led the Tigers with 177 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. Ellis completed 10 of 19 passes for 153 yards and rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Ziggy Holloway led the Tiger receivers with five receptions for 95 yards.

Pinson Valley 15, R.E. Lee 14

A 27-yard field goal was the difference for Pinson Valley in the season finale at Cramton Bowl on Friday.

Jakel Williams had two touchdown passes to Christopher Dillihay that gave Lee a 14-6 advantage but T.J. Metcalf scored late in the third quarter to pull the Warriors to within two points, setting up the Daniel Gonzalez field goal with just over a minute left.

Williams finished with 98 yards passing while Brian Thomas added 70 yards rushing for the Generals.

Lee (7-2) will be at home next week in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs and will face McAdory. The Generals were the beneficiary of the announcement earlier on Friday that Sidney Lanier’s forfeit of six games cost the Poets a spot in the playoffs.

Pike Road 41, Booker T. Washington 6

PIKE ROAD – Crishon Crenshaw rushed for 141 yards on eight carries and completed 3 of 5 passes for 35 yards as the reserves got plenty of playing time in the Patriots’ 41-6 win over Class 4A Booker T. Washington on Friday night.

Pike Road (9-0) closed out the regular season unbeaten for the third consecutive year, the first time that happened in the tri-county area since Edgewood Academy had five consecutive undefeated regular seasons in 2011-15. The Patriots play host to Holtville next week in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.

Tailback Quinshon Judkins rushed for 160 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries, helping the Patriots build a quick lead. His backup, Anthony Rogers, added 105 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. 

Defensively, Jaylan Jarret had five solo tackles and three assists, while Houston Markham and Daylan Henderson each recorded interceptions. Khurtiss Perry added five tackles, including two for loss, along with two quarterback hurries. 

Stanhope Elmore 31, Smiths Station 25

SMITHS – The Mustangs closed out the season on a winning note behind a big night from running back Antonio Trone.

Trone finished with 233 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lift Stanhope to its fifth victory of the year.

The win completed the season for the Mustangs who finished 5-5.

Jemison 21, Elmore County 10

The Panthers were unable to pick up their first win of the season on Friday, thus ending 2021 winless.

Peyton Stephenson had 85 yards rushing and Jackson Mann had the lone touchdown for the Panthers (0-10). Logan Pack added a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Reeltown 40, Holtville 26

HOLTVILLE - Tanner Potts had a touchdown pass and Shawn Brackett scored twice but the Bulldogs fell for the fourth straight game to end the regular season.

Dalton Yarroch caught two passes for 99 yards and a score. Conner Hackett led the defense with 10 tackles while Michael Forney added an interception for the Bulldogs. Copeland Gilliland had a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Holtville (5-5) will travel to Pike Road for the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.

AISA

Hooper Academy 42, Cornerstone Christian 6

HOPE HULL -- R.J. Coker rushed for 182 yards and four touchdowns and Ron McGinty added 98 yards and two touchdowns as the Colts celebrated homecoming with a 42-6 win over Cornerstone on Friday.

The win snapped a five-game losing skid by the Colts, which closed out the 2021 season with a 3-7 record.

Defensively, Coker led the Colts with eight tackles, followed by DJ Jones and Cameron Smith with five tackles each. Seventh grader Price McCroy had four tackles and an interception and freshman Slade Russell had four tackles and an interception.

Autauga Academy 42, Glenwood School 0

PHENIX CITY -- Robert Rose completed 13 of 20 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns as the Generals became the only school in the AISA with an unblemished regular season, finishing at 10-0 as they prepare to host Banks Academy (6-4) in the first round of the AA playoffs next week.

Rose added 10 yards and a touchdown on four carries as the Generals pulled off an impressive win on the road over the AAA Gators.

Jaylen Anderson had three receptions for 139 yards, scoring on catches of 76 and 45 yards from Rose, while Joshua Palmer had two receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown and Anden Hilyer had four receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Karl Ligon scored the Generals’ other touchdown, rushing for 106 yards on 10 carries. 

O’Ronde Henderson led the defensive effort with seven tackles, including two for six yards in losses and a 7-yard sack. Palmer had five tackles and a pass defensed, while Caden Henry had three tackles, a pass breakup and an interception. Pharrell Banks had three tackles and an interception, while Hilyer had a pair of sacks for 22 yards in losses. 

Macon East Academy 49, Abbeville Christian 13

CECIL -- Teron Wright rushed for 134 yards on just seven carries, scoring on runs of 8, 13 and 65 yards, to lead the Knights to an easy win over the Generals on Friday.

Macon East (7-4) will play host to Patrician Academy (7-2) in the first round of the AA playoff next week, while Abbeville Christian closes out the 2021 season at 2-8.

Deonte Powell completed 5 of 7 passes for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns, throwing 18 yards to Sanders Manning and 77 yards to Tyler Daniels. Powell also had 23 yards on two carries. 

Manning led the receivers with three receptions for 89 yards. Daniels’ touchdown reception was his only catch, but he added a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. 

Thaddeus McKinney also had seven carries for 51 yards and a touchdown on offense and five tackles on defense.

Zach Brown led the Macon East defense with seven tackles, followed by Jameson Byron with six tackles and Barret Spaeth with five. Wright had three tackles for the Knights. 

Wilcox Academy 34, Edgewood Academy 20

ELMORE -- Darius Clifton rushed for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 carries as Wilcox defeated Edgewood Academy 34-20 in a pair of AA playoff-bound teams on Friday night.

Edgewood generated 387 offensive yards but couldn’t find the end zone on key possessions in the second and third quarters. The Wildcats (5-5) travel to Escambia Academy for the first round of the AA playoffs next Friday.

Gabe LeMaster ran 52 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats the early lead, but Edgewood spent much of the remainder of the game trying to catch up. Austin Champion connected with Trevor Rodie on a 62-yard touchdown pass to pull within 14-13 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half, but Wilcox scored twice to grab the momentum in the game. Champion and Rodie connected again with 9:39 left to pull within 28-20 but Wilcox put the game away with a Jack Sessions’ touchdown run in the final two minutes.

Cooper Dixon completed 5 of 14 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown and rushed 14 times for 98 yards to lead Wilcox (4-5), which travels to Chambers Academy next week for the AA playoffs.

Champion completed 22 of 32 passes for 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rodie caught eight of the passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while JT Brazell had six receptions for 69 yards.

Defensively, Brazell had nine tackles to lead the Wildcats, followed by Bryson Boone with eight, LeMaster with seven and Colton Jones and Sam Williams with six tackles each.

Lowndes Academy 40, Fort Dale Academy 14

HAYNEVILLE -- Tyler Tyus ran for three touchdowns and threw another to Parker Lee Harris as the Rebels won their sixth consecutive game in convincing fashion with a 40-14 win over Fort Dale.

Lowndes (8-3) will play host to Pickens (5-5) in the first round of the Class A playoffs next week.

Fort Dale finished the 2021 season with a 2-8 record. 

Tyus had just 18 rushing yards, but scored the game’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run, added another quarterback sneak for a touchdown and a 33-7 halftime lead and closed out the scoring with a 13-yard run in the third quarter. He also completed 11 of 19 passes for 145 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown pass to Parker Lee Harris for a 12-0 lead.

After Sam Bloodworth scored on a 3-yard run to pull the Eagles within 12-7, the Rebels countered with three second-quarter touchdowns, getting a 64-yard touchdown run by Harris and a 7-yard touchdown run by Jackson Self for a big lead at the half.

Harris finished with 101 yards on six carries, while Self had 50 yards on nine carries. 

Harris also led the Lowndes’ defense with seven tackles. 

Bloodworth scored Fort Dale’s other touchdown in the third quarter on a 4-yard run.

Patrician Academy 42, Pickens Academy 13

CARROLLTON -- Tyler Lewis made the most of his six pass attempts on Friday, completing three of them for touchdowns to lead the Saints to a 42-13 win at Pickens. 

Patrician (7-2) will travel to Macon East next week for the first round of the AA playoffs, while Pickens (5-5) will travel to Lowndes for the first round of the A playoffs.

Lewis completed just 3 of 6 passes for 85 yards, but those completions included a 13-yard pass to Landon Smith and a 49-yard pass to Tate Boykin to help Patrician to a 21-0 lead. He added a 13-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Lewis in the second half.

Boykin also had an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Carson Coody ran 38 yards for a touchdown to give Patrician a 28-7 halftime lead.

Aidan Johnson completed 7 of 12 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, throwing 13 yards to Drake Lowery for Pickens’ only points in the first half.

Deveren Wilkins led the Pirates with 128 yards on 14 carries. 

AISA SCOREBOARD

Lowndes Academy 40, Fort Dale Academy 14

Pike Liberal Arts 62, Monroe Academy 6

Lee-Scott Academy 31, Morgan Academy 17

Escambia Academy 64, Bessemer Academy 0

Hooper Academy 42, Cornerstone Christian 6

Autauga Academy 42, Glenwood School 0

Wilcox Academy 34, Edgewood Academy 20

Lakeside School 48, Springwood School 14

Chambers Academy 44, Crenshaw Christian 0

Macon East Academy 49, Abbeville Christian 13

Patrician Academy 42, Pickens Academy 13

Sparta Academy 6, Coosa Valley Academy 0

AISA PLAYOFFS

First Round on Nov. 5

CLASS AAA

Clarke Prep (2-7) at Pike Liberal Arts (9-1)

Glenwood School (5-4) at Morgan Academy (5-5)

Valiant Cross (3-4) at Tuscaloosa Academy (5-4)

Bessemer Academy (3-6) at Lee-Scott Academy (7-2)

CLASS AA

Wilcox Academy (4-5) at Chambers Academy (9-1)

Edgewood Academy (5-5) at Escambia Academy (8-1)

Banks Academy (6-4) at Autauga Academy (10-0)

Patrician Academy (7-2) at Macon East Academy (7-4) 

CLASS A

Pickens Academy (5-5) at Lowndes Academy (8-3) 

Coosa Valley Academy (3-7) at Sparta Academy (8-1)

Lakeside School (4-5) at Jackson Academy (8-1)

South Choctaw Academy (4-6) at Crenshaw Christian (6-3)