PREP RECAP (Week 5): Julian strips win from Carver; Holtville wins in last seconds
COMBINED REPORTS
Julian (Lee) 26, Carver 14
Christmas came early for the Phoenix of Percy Julian on Friday.
The G.W. Carver Wolverines provided plenty of scoring opportunities for the Phoenix with seven turnovers. But it would be the final two that ended up costing the Wolverines a win.
Bryson McGrew’s 6-yard pass to Jayden Hill tied the score midway through the fourth quarter. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Jabarryon Tyes ripped the ball away on the return and took it to the Carver 10 yard line (before a fumble was recovered by a teammate), setting up the go-ahead touchdown and leading to a 26-14 Phoenix victory over their city rival at Cramton Bowl.
Carver opened the game with successive turnovers inside its 10-yard line but the Wolverines defense stiffened and held Julian out of the end zone each time.
With 2:29 left in the first quarter, the Wolverines got on the scoreboard with a 71-yard strike from Terrell Russell to Tristan Norman to take the lead. They added another touchdown in the second quarter on Russell’s second touchdown pass, a 33-yard reception by Xavion Thomas to make it 14-0 with just over five minutes left in the first half.
Julian got on the board with 5:37 left in the third on McGrew’s 5-yard run. The Phoenix missed on the extra point try and trailed, 14-6.
McGrew came back in the fourth, leading the offense on a 94-yard drive that ended with his 8-yard run for a score with just over eight minutes left in the game. McGrew’s pass to Javerion Rogers converted the 2-point try to tie the game at 14-14.
On the kickoff, the Phoenix’s Tyus stripped away the ball on the return and raced down the field with the recovery to inside the Carver 10. The ball was then stripped from him as he was about to score but the loose ball was recovered by Elijah Gross at the Carver 1.
After two plays and a penalty on Julian, McGrew hit Jayden Hill with a 6-yard pass to give the Phoenix its first lead. On the touchdown, they were penalized for excessive celebration and missed the extra point try that came from the 18 yard line but the lead stood at 20-14 with seven minutes to play.
Carver took the ensuing kickoff all the way to inside the 1-yard line of Julian but on fourth down, the snap to Thomas was high and eventually fumbled. Aiden McKinley Scott picked up the loose ball for Julian and raced 83 yards to the end zone for the final margin.
McGrew finished the game with 112 yards passing and 59 rushing and was responsible for three touchdowns. Russell finished with 140 yards passing for Carver.
The Julian defense forced four turnovers in the first half, including three interceptions. Tyes had a fumble recovery and an interception in the half. Rufus Boone and Joshua Whitting also had interceptions.
In the second half, the Phoenix forced three more turnovers including a fumble recovery by Timothy Zeigler.
Roderian Wilkerson had a fumble recovery for Carver.
The Phoenix (2-3) returns to Cramton Bowl to face JAG next Thursday in a Class 7A, Region 2 game while Carver (4-2) goes out of state next week to face Cedar Grove, Ga.
Holtville 32, West Blocton 27
WEST BLOCTON - Keiland Baker’s touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining lifted the Bulldogs to a non-region win over the Tigers on Friday.
Baker passed for 162 yards to lead Holtville. He was responsible for all four scores. Josh Jimeinez had a touchdown reception.
Luke Strength led the defense with 12 tackles and a sack.
The Bulldogs (4-1) return to Class 5A, Region 3 action next week at Jemison.
Elmore County 50, St. Clair County 14
ECLECTIC -- C.J. Wilkes rushed for a pair of touchdowns and caught a pass for another as the Panthers cruised past St. Clair County 50-14 at Burt-Haynie Field on Friday.
Wilkes rushed for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries to lead the Elmore County offense and had a 9-yard reception from Ryles McNeely for another score as the Panthers opened up a 28-7 halftime lead over the Saints.
McNeely completed 5 of 8 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, while his backup, Gage Davis, completed 4 of 5 for 95 yards.
Jabari Murphy had 66 yards rushing and a touchdown on two carries, followed by Cade Everson with 33 yards and a touchdown on three carries and Davis with 26 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Luke Reinert added a 34-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Tra’vell Jones scored on a pair of pass receptions for St. Clair County (1-4).
Elmore County (4-1) returns to region play next week with a game against Tallassee at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium on Friday night.
Trinity 41, Marbury 14
The undefeated Wildcats broke open a tight game with three third-quarter touchdowns to help Trinity to a 41-14 win over the 5A Bulldogs at Ragsdale-Boykin Field on Friday night.
Ross Sanders rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries as Trinity led just 7-6 at the end of the first quarter and 14-6 at the half before breaking open the game in the third quarter.
Xavier Boswell had 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns on six receptions as the Wildcats scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the third quarter.
Webber McClinton, who had 97 yards on six carries, added the third touchdown in the quarter with 2:06 remaining to give Trinity a 34-6 lead.
Winston Phillips, who had 57 yards on three receptions, added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter for a 41-6 lead before the Bulldogs answered late with their second touchdown.
Walker McClinton completed 7 of 8 passes for 105 yards, while his backup, Thompson McNees, completed 10 of 11 for 221 yards.
Defensively, Coleman Till had 10 tackles, including one for loss, Dalton Gaston had seven tackles, including one for loss, Boswell had six tackles and McClain Brown had six tackles and a sack.
Trinity (6-0) returns to 3A Region 3 play next week with a home game against Sumter Central before visiting St. James the following week.
Catholic 42, Demopolis 0
DEMOPOLIS -- Caleb McCreary and Josh Griffin rushed for touchdowns and Jo Pierce returned a blocked punt for a touchdown as the 4A Knights overwhelmed 5A Demopolis 42-0 at Tiger Stadium on Friday night.
It was the worst home loss for a Demopolis team since losing 55-0 to Holt in 1971.
McCreary, a Troy commitment, completed 10 of 16 passes for 105 yards and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Griffin added 125 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries as the Knights won their 30th consecutive regular season game.
JJ Williams completed 2 of 5 passes for 34 yards and a touchdown in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Pierce had 10 tackles along with the touchdown on special teams, while Kam Miller added nine tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss. Jay McClaney had eight tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.
For Demopolis (3-2), Friday’s loss was the first time the Tigers have been shut out since the regular season finale at Class 7A Auburn (20-0) in 2017 and the first time the Tigers have been shut out at home since losing to UMS-Wright in the 2002 playoffs. It was the first regular-season shutout at home since losing to Holt 2-0 in 1995. The Tigers return to region play next week at Shelby County.
Catholic (6-0) returns to region play as well, visiting McLemore Field to play Montgomery Academy next Friday.
Charles Henderson 36, St. James 13
Zach Coleman’s four touchdowns helped Charles Henderson to run past St. James 36-13 on Friday night at Carlisle Field.
Coleman rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries, including touchdown runs of 3, 5, 1 and 19 yards.
The Trojans got their first points K.J. Jackson’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Tabor Offord. He finished 9 of-23 for 116 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ziggy Holloway to cut the deficit in half.He added 35 yards rushing on eight carries
Cole Anderson led St. James in rushing with 53 yards on 14 carries.
Charles Henderson (3-2) returns to 5A Region 2 play next week with a game at Rehobeth. St. James (4-2) travels to Faulkner’s John Mark Stallings Field next week for a crucial region game against Alabama Christian.
AISA
Fort Dale Academy 35, Monroe Academy 0
MONROEVILLE -- Alan Alvarez caught a pair of touchdown passes, returned an interception 80 yards for another score and kicked five extra points to lead the Eagles to a 35-0 win over Monroe Academy on Friday night.
Ethan Alford completed 6 of 9 passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns, including a 48-yard pass to Alvarez in the first quarter, a 20-yard pass to Owen McNeal and an 8-yard pass to Alvarez for a 21-0 lead.
Joseph Ealum, who had 65 yards on two carries, added a 60-yard touchdown run and Alvarez stepped in front of a Cooper Kilgore pass and returned it 80 yards to the end zone, then added the fifth of his five extra points for the final margin.
Defensively, Jackson Black had seven tackles for the Eagles, followed by Dain Winters with six. Friday’s win marked the first shutout by the Fort Dale defense since 2015.
Fort Dale (5-1) improved to 3-1 in AAA play, tied with Lee-Scott for second place. The Eagles return home to play Valiant Cross next week.
Ty Tuberville led Monroe with 58 yards on 17 carries, followed by Kilgore with 52 yards on 15 carries. The Volunteers (2-5) dropped to 1-3 in AAA play and will remain home to play Glenwood next week.
Escambia Academy 32, Hooper Academy 12
HOPE HULL -- Escambia snapped a three-game losing streak by holding the Hooper offense in check and defeating the Colts 32-12 at Davis-Henry Field on Friday night.
Ron McGinty rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Judah Petty added another 39 yards rushing for the Colts. Lucas Spellman had 57 receiving yards and a touchdown and also recorded an interception on defense.
Ellis Fleming led the Hooper defense with seven tackles, followed by Tyler Jones with five.
Hooper (3-3) travels to Evergreen next week to play Sparta Academy. Escambia Academy (2-4) returns home to play host to Pickens Academy next week.
Banks Academy 28, Edgewood Academy 6
BIRMINGHAM -- Brock Whitt completed 6 of 11 passes for 81 yards with an interception and helped the Wildcats score their only touchdown with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gabe LeMaster in the Wildcats’ 28-6 loss on Friday night.
LeMaster finished with five receptions for 74 yards. Parker Shaw led Edgewood’s ground game with 68 yards on 13 carries.
Defensively, Cooper Freeman led the Wildcats with nine tackles. White had six tackles, blocked a punt and blocked an extra-point attempt. Shaw also had six tackles, while LeMaster and Reed Owen each had five tackles and an interception.
Edgewood (1-5) returns home to face Macon East Academy in a crucial AA Region 1 matchup on Thursday. Banks (5-1) travels to Grove Hill to play Clarke Prep in a AA Region 2 game on Friday.
Lowndes Academy 45, Clarke Prep School 7
GROVE HILL -- It took 23 quarters, but someone finally figured out a way to score on Lowndes Academy.
The defense continues its mastery of opponents, but Clarke Prep used a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to become the first team to score on the Rebels this season.
Lowndes (6-0) had a 42-0 lead before the kickoff return as Clayton Hussey threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in the win.
Hussey ran 29 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead before he connected with Cooper Dansby on a 69-yard pass for a 21-point lead. After another touchdown pass, Dansby ran 84 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 halftime lead.
Kasen Dismukes added an 11-yard scoring run and Watters Box closed out the scoring with a 33-yard field goal.
Hussey rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries while completing 8 of 12 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Dismukes had 55 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Defensively, Dansby had 13 tackles and Dismukes had 12 to lead the Rebels.
Lowndes travels west for a Thursday night game at Patrician Academy, while Clarke Prep (5-2) remains home to play Banks Academy on Friday in a AA Region 2 matchup.