PREP RECAP (Week 2): Gardner gets first win as Carver coach; Lee gets road win; Trinity, Catholic win big
STAFF REPORT
The G.W. Carver Wolverines picked up the first win for new coach Marcus Gardner but not without a little uncertainty Friday at Cramton Bowl.
The Wolverines topped Valley, 29-14, to pick up their first win of the season as well as the first win in Class 6A, Region 2 play.
Carver led by 16 points at halftime and later in the third quarter but Valley stayed within striking distance until the final minute.
Quarterback Jamar Green’s 17-yard run with 1:07 left in the game iced the win for the Wolverines and Gardner, who was named the Carver coach last May.
Green threw for two touchdowns and added another run for a score in the win. He found Marquan Jamerson for a 25-yard score and a second TD pass to KD Eagle for 28 yards, both in the first half.
Green’s 12-yard scamper gave Carver a 23-7 lead with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
But Valley stayed in the game despite having just 30 yards of total offense in the second half.
The Rams’ Kenneth Stephens blocked a punt and scooped up the loose ball to race 24 yards for a score pulling Valley to within nine with 9:30 left in the third period.
Trailing 23-7, quarterback Cam’ron Dooley hit Kalen Sherrell for 33 yards and a score with 7:44 left in the game.
Green finished with 140 yards passing on 11-of-17 attempts and added 54 yards in rushing for the Wolverines.
Desmond Hordges added 110 yards on 10 carries, all in the second half.
Carver (1-1, 1-0) returns home to face city rival Park Crossing next Friday. Valley (2-1, 0-1) is home against Russell County.
R.E. Lee 17, Eufaula 10
EUFAULA – Brian Thomas scored on a 4-yard run with 1:16 left in the third quarter to give the Generals the lead for good in a key Class 6A, Region 2 road win over the Tigers on Friday.
The teams were tied 10-10 at halftime after field goals by Eufaula’s Brando Gonzalez Morales of 31 yards and Lee’s Za’Quan Lowe’s 23-yard kick.
Lee had taken an early 7-0 lead on a 53-yard pass from Jakel Williams to Christopher Dillihay with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter.
Eufaula tied the game after a blocked punt and recovery in the end zone with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Williams finished with 152 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 9-of-20 attempts. Dillihay had four receptions for 84 yards. Austin Yelder led the Lee defense with eight solo tackles including three for a loss. Julius Owens had four tackles and an interception. The Lee defense held Eufaula to 149 yards in total offense and forced three turnovers.
Lee (2-0, 1-0) is back at Cramton Bowl to face Sidney Lanier on Thursday while Eufaula (1-2, 0-1) goes to Opelika on Friday.
Auburn 20, Prattville 14
PRATTVILLE – EJ Ousley’s heave into the end zone on the final play of the game fell short, leaving the Lions six points away from a win in the Class 7A, Region 2 opener for both teams Friday at Stanley-Jensen Stadium.
The Lions trailed 20-7 late in the fourth quarter when Ousley hit Kameran Shanks for 65 yards to pull Prattville to within six, 20-14.
After a failed onside kick, the Lions got the ball back with less than a minute remaining and drove inside the Auburn 30-yard line, setting up the last-second try.
Ousley finished with 150 yards in passing but also with two interceptions, part of three turnovers by Prattville in the game.
Mario Parks had a touchdown run for Prattville and Shans added 115 yards in receptions.
The Lions (2-1, 0-1) face Smiths Station next Friday while Auburn (3-0, 1-0) will return home to face Dothan.
Helena 20, Wetumpka 10
HELENA – The Huskies trailed at halftime, 7-6, but scored the final 14 points of the game to earn a Class 6A, Region 3 victory on Friday.
Wetumpka had a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter on Stone Minnifield’s 2-yard run and a 42-yard field goal by Alex Londell. But Jordan Washington scored on an 11-yard run in the final seconds of the third quarter and followed with a 14-yard run for a touchdown in the final minute for Helena.
Wetumpka’s Quinn Wilson made his first start at quarterback and passed for 158 yards on 11-of-16 attempts. He also rushed for 54 yards.
The Indians (1-2, 0-1) travel to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa next week while Helena (3-0, 1-0) is at Benjamin Russell.
Stanhope Elmore 42, Benjamin Russell 20
ALEX CITY – The Mustangs scored 21 first-quarter points on the way to a Class 6A, Region 3 win over the Wildcats on Friday.
Jacob Bryant passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns while Antonio Trone added 177 yards and three touchdowns rushing for the Mustangs. The SE defense forced three turnovers.
Stanhope (2-1, 1-0) is home against Pelham next weed while Benjamin Russell (0-3, 0-1) travels to Helena.
Catholic 65, Dadeville 7
DADEVILLE -- Caleb McCreary threw three touchdown passes and Jeremiah Cobb had more than 200 all-purpose yards as the Knights completely overwhelmed Dadeville in the 3A Region 4 opener for both teams.
McCreary completed 10 of 13 passes for 233 yards. Jamari Young had two of those receptions for 65 yards.
Cobb, meanwhile, rushed for 142 yards on just 10 carries while adding 83 yards on three receptions.
Defensively, Patrick Ryan had 18 tackles, including four for loss, along with a fumble recovery. TJ Dudley had seven tackles, with three of those behind the line of scrimmage.
Catholic (3-0, 1-0 in 3A Region 4 play) returns home to host Reeltown in a region game next week, while Dadeville (1-1, 0-1) plays host to Pike County in a region game.
Trinity 56, Goshen 0
GOSHEN --It was a night for the younger players as Trinity starters scored four first-quarter touchdowns before a running clock and underclassmen closed out the night in a 56-0 shutout of Goshen in a 3A Region 4 game on Friday.
Mac McClinton scored the Wildcats’ first touchdown before Coleman Stanley threw touchdown passes to Norris Pemberton (of 58 yards) and tailback Chase Letner on the next two possessions. Letner followed with a 10-yard touchdown run to give Trinity a 28-0 lead with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Sophomore tailback Ross Sanders, who had 43 yards on three carries, added the next touchdown and freshman tailback Chase Parker, who had 47 yards on seven carries, scored a touchdown midway through the second quarter for a 49-0 lead.
Cayman Wilkins scored Trinity’s final touchdown.
Stanley was 7 of 9 for 158 yards and three touchdowns, while Letner rushed for 56 yards on four carries. Joe Handey led the Wildcat defense with four tackles.
Trinity (3-0, 1-0 in 3A Area 4 play) returns home to host Beulah in an area game next week while Goshen (0-3, 0-1) plays host to Childersburg.
Park Crossing 23, Russell County 21
SEALE -- A safety late in the first quarter provided the winning margin for Park Crossing, which picked up its first win of the 2021 season with a 23-21 win over Russell County on Friday night.
Chase Ford passed 15 yards to Lee Beebe and a quick 7-0 lead by the Thunderbirds, but Russell County answered with a Adrian Black touchdown reception from Robert Calhoun and a 65-yard touchdown run by Drew Pickett for a 14-7 lead.
Isaiah Gabriel tackled Pickett in the end zone for a safety with six seconds remaining in the first quarter and the Thunderbirds responded with a pair of touchdowns and a 23-14 lead before Pickett scored the game’s final touchdown with 11 minutes remaining on a 2-yard run.
Pickett finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while Calhoun was 6 of 16 for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Beebe’s 46-yard run on the ensuing possession following the safety gave Park Crossing a 16-14 lead with 11:05 remaining in the first half and the Thunderbirds came out of the locker room at the half and responded with a touchdown drive on the first possession of the third quarter on a 22-yard run by Ford for a 23-14 lead.
Ford had 79 yards on 16 carries while completing 5 of 16 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Cedric Tell added 80 yards rushing on eight carries and Beebe had 64 rushing yards (on nine carries) and 31 receiving yards on three catches.
Defensively, Cameron Williams led Park Crossing with seven tackles, followed by Lynn Pettway with five. Pettway also had 129 yards on three kickoff returns.
Park Crossing (1-2, 1-0 in 6A Region 2) returns home to play G.W. Carver in a region game on Friday in Cramton Bowl. Russell County (2-1, 0-1) travels to Valley next week.
Holtville 36, Elmore County 14
HOLTVILLE – The Bulldogs jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in a key Class 5A, Region 4 win over their arch rivals Friday at Boykin-Chapman Field.
Holtville built the early lead on a Tanner Potts 6-yard run followed by safety on a punt attempt by Elmore County. Shawn Brackett added an interception return for a score before the Panthers got on the board with a Payton Stephenson 3-yard run with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.
Potts added a touchdown pass to Erik Adkins for 27 yards early in the second period but Stephenson followed with his second touchdown and a two-point conversion to pull the Panthers to within eight with just over 10 minutes left in the first half.
Holtville put the game away in the fourth quarter on touchdown runs by Brackett for a yard and John Williamson for 4 yards. Noah Keller added PAT kicks for the final margin.
Potts finished with 99 yards passing with a TD for the Bulldogs.
Stephenson had 105 yards rushing and 123 yards passing for the Panthers. He also had an interception on defense. Jabari Murphy had 74 yards in receiving while Adkins had 27 yards and a touchdown. Michael Forney led the defense with 12 tackles while Cooper Mann had two sacks.
Holtville (2-1, 1-0) is home against Beauregard next Friday while Elmore County (0-3, 0-1) hosts Central Clay County.
AISA
Southwest Georgia Academy 21, Macon East Academy 20
DAMASCUS, Ga. -- For the second straight week, Macon East Academy found itself on the wrong side of a one-point heartbreaker.
A week after dropping a one-point game to Valiant Cross in Montgomery, the Knights continued their road swing through Georgia, losing to Southwest Georgia Academy 21-20 at Haddock Stadium on Friday night.
Quarterbacks Dalton Nickles and Deonte Powell each passed for a touchdown and Gabe Spencer had 19 carries for 140 yards, but it wasn’t enough to pull out a win over the Warriors.
Nickles completed 9 of 17 passes for 93 yards, including a touchdown pass to Tyler Daniels, and rushed six times for 22 yards, while Powell completed 5 of 10 passes for 63 yards, including a touchdown pass to Sanders Manning, and rushed for 18 yards on seven carries.
Daniels finished with four receptions for 50 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown catch, and Manning had two catches for 34 yards, including a touchdown catch for 21 yards. Jacob Wilson had three receptions for 35 yards.
Thaddeus McKinney had the Knights’ other touchdown, scoring on a 3-yard run.
Zach Brown led the defense with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Teron Wright added eight tackles and Logan Wilds had four tackles and a fumble recovery.
Southwest Georgia Academy improved to 2-0 with the win. Macon East (1-2) remains on the road next week with a region game at unbeaten Edgewood Academy.
Edgewood Academy 26, Banks Academy 12
BIRMINGHAM -- Edgewood Academy survived an early touchdown by the upstart Jets with 20 second-quarter points to win their region opener 26-12 at Banks Academy on Friday.
Austin Champion completed 15 of 30 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns to erase an early 6-0 deficit. Trevor Rodie caught three of those touchdown passes, finishing with 165 yards on nine receptions.
Champion and Rodie connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 7:29 left in the first half to tie the game before Sam Williams’ extra point gave the Wildcats the lead for good. Edgewood added two more scores in the quarter on Champion passes, the first covering seven yards to JT Brazell and the second going to Rodie for 26 yards with 24 seconds left in the first half for a 20-6 halftime lead.
Rodie caught his third touchdown pass less than four minutes into the second half to finish off the Jets.
Bryson Boone led the Wildcats defensively with seven tackles. Brazell added six.
Edgewood (3-0, 1-0 in region play) remains home next week to play Macon East Academy, while Banks (2-1, 0-1) travels to Lanett to play Springwood in a region contest.
Morgan Academy 34, Clarke Prep School 6
SELMA -- The Senators broke open a tight game with three touchdowns in the third quarter to defeat Clarke Prep in the AAA Region 2 opener for both teams on Friday night.
Andrew Thomas completed 13 of 23 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns and John Allen Ingram rushed for 134 yards on 15 carries to help the Senators remain unbeaten at 2-0.
Thomas fired a 45-yard pass to Allen Michael Creech and a two-point conversion pass to Cink Minter for an 8-0 halftime lead.
Early in the third quarter, Clarke Prep’s Trace Phillips scored on a 15-yard run to trim the lead to 8-6 and the Senators responded with three quick touchdowns to extend the lead to 28-6. Thomas passed 12 yards to Minter, 17 yards to Rhyne Williams and 53 yards to Williams to turn a two-point lead into a 22-point cushion.
Ingram ran in the two-point conversion following Williams’ first scoring reception for a 22-6 lead.
Chase Brown added the Senators’ final touchdown on a 61-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Trey Jones led the Senators with 12 tackles, followed by C.J. Crocker with 10.
Morgan (2-0, 1-0) travels to Monroe next week, while Clarke Prep (0-3, 0-1) plays host to Fort Dale.
Escambia Academy 34, Patrician Academy 14
CANOE -- Landon Sims rushed for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Escambia to a 34-14 win over Patrician in the region opener for both teams.
Sims ran 14 yards and added the extra point for a 7-0 lead before Bubba Nettles scored on a 5-yard run to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead entering the second quarter.
Augustus Lewis scored on runs of 6 and 1 yards for the Saints, pulling Patrician within 13-7 and finally 19-14 at the half, but Nettles scored on a 17-yard run in the third quarter and Sims added a 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth to put the Saints away.
Clark Ezell led Patrician with seven tackles, followed by Coby Adkins and Cecil Perry with six each. Patrician (1-1, 0-1 in AA Region 2 play) returns home to host Autauga next week, while Escambia (3-0, 1-0) travels to Wilcox.
Tuscaloosa Academy 39, Fort Dale Academy 14
GREENVILLE -- Ethan Alford threw for a touchdown pass and ran for another in the second half for the game’s final points, but Tuscaloosa Academy had already built a comfortable lead to win the AAA Region 2 opener on Friday night.
Alford completed 15 of 22 passes for 233 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown pass to Sam Bloodworth after TA built a 39-0 lead. Bloodworth finished with 143 yards on seven receptions.
Alford added a 1-yard scoring run and Alan Alvarez booted the second of two extra points.
Fort Dale (0-2, 0-1 in region play) travels to Grove Hill to play Clarke Prep next week, while Tuscaloosa Academy (1-1, 1-0) travels to Bessemer Academy.
AISA SCOREBOARD
Pike Liberal Arts 63, Hooper Academy 0
Lee-Scott Academy 23, Glenwood School 22
Tuscaloosa Academy 39, Fort Dale Academy 14
Bessemer Academy 26, Monroe Academy 8
Morgan Academy 34, Clarke Prep School 6
Edgewood Academy 26, Banks Academy 12
Chambers Academy 49, Springwood School 0
Southwest Georgia Academy 21, Macon East Academy 20
Escambia Academy 34, Patrician Academy 14
Wilcox Academy 33, Southern Academy 13
Crenshaw Christian Academy 22, Coosa Valley Academy 7
Lakeside School 1, Cornerstone Christian 0, forfeit
Lowndes Academy 42, Abbeville Christian Academy 7
South Choctaw Academy 53, Meadowview Christian 6
Jackson Academy 67, Snook Academy 7
Sparta Academy 36, Pickens Academy 12