PREP RECAPS (Week 8): Carver holds off Lanier in fight-ridden affair; ECHS, Marbury earn playoff bids; Edgewood gets key win
COMBINED REPORTS
In a game marred by unruly behavior, the Wolverines of G.W. Carver earned an important victory over Sidney Lanier in Class 6A, Region 2 action at Cramton Bowl on Friday.
The 23-20 win was fraught with penalties, fights and ejections that impacted the outcome.
Both teams lost players for the final period after an altercation erupted on a punt to end the third quarter. The number of players ejected could not be verified at press time.
The number included Carver’s starting quarterback Christian Johnson and Antonio Trone, who watched the final quarter from the sidelines.
Lanier was trailing 23-14 late in the third quarter and punted to Carver when the sparring began. Game officials needed no less than 20 minutes to deliberate what had happened, eventually penalizing Carver for multiple unsportsmanlike penalties for players leaving the bench. Lanier also had players ejected for fighting.
Once play resumed Lanier forced a turnover deep in Carver territory with 9:28 remaining in the game. The Poets would convert that into a touchdown with Jamarcus Hamilton scoring on a 7-yard run with 8:45 left.
Carver turned to Jamar Green to finish the game at quarterback. But the Wolverines were unable to extend a drive and punted to Lanier with just over four minutes left in the game.
The Poets were unable punch in the go-ahead touchdown, despite driving to the Carver 24-yard line. Rashaad Walker intercepted a pass at the goal line to end the final threat with just over two minutes remaining.
Following the turnover at the 1-yard line, Carver picked up a first down on a Green 12-yard run and ran out the remaining time on the clock.
Carver took an early 8-0 lead on a Johnson touchdown pass to Marquan Jamerson with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter. Lanier answered early in the second quarter with Hamilton’s 16-yard run and Tacaris Bozeman’s two-point conversion.
With 2:19 left in the first half, Lanier’s bad snap on a punt sailed through the end zone, giving the Wolverines a 10-8 advantage at the break.
Carver extended the lead on Johnson’s second touchdown pass to Jamerson for 16 yards with 9:47 left in the third period.
With 6:21 left in the third, Hamilton’s third touchdown of the night pulled the Poets within two-points, 16-14, after the two-point try was missed.
Johnson gave Carver a 23-14 lead with two minutes left in the third on a 5-yard run, setting up the eventful final quarter.
Carver’s defense held Bozeman to 67 yards rushing and 24 yards in receptions. He also had two touchdowns called back for penalties.
Johnson finished with 112 yards passing and 55 yards rushing. Trone added 115 yards rushing on 18 carries.
The fate of the players rejected for next week’s games are in the hands of the AHSAA, which will rule on whether the players are unavailable due to the altercation. Both teams have key region games next week with Carver (7-1, 5-0) at home against Pike Road for the region title. Lanier (5-3, 3-2) will travel to Wetumpka to decide the third and fourth seeds in the region.
Montgomery Academy 34, Slocomb 0
SLOCOMB -- Montgomery Academy got two touchdowns from Jashawn Cooper on the ground and one from Parker Cook in the air as the Eagles shut out the Red Tops 34-0 on Friday night.
The win evened Montgomery Academy’s region record at 3-3. The Eagles (4-5) can clinch their 10th consecutive Alabama High School Athletic Association state playoff berth, longest among the River Region schools, with a win at Geneva (4-5) next week.
Cooper had 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Cook passed for 152 yards and a touchdown. Thomas Woodward led the Eagles with 110 rushing yards, along with 46 receiving yards. Chance Wilson had 34 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards, along with a touchdown reception from Cook.
Tom Main added 24 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Greer Armstrong had 28 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards.
Defensively, Arch Lee led the Eagles with 12 tackles and an interception. Will Hardin had seven tackles, followed by Cooper with five tackles and Kameron Tuck with four tackles.
Slocomb dropped to 3-5 and 2-4 in region play with the loss.
Trinity 48, PCA 7
PRATTVILLE - Walker McClinton passed for 162 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a Class 3A, Region 3 victory at Panthers Field on Friday.
JaMichael Jones had 154 yards on 11 carries, scoring three times. Dm Lieux had four catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Camaree Jackson added a touchdown and two returns for 88 yards.
Bo Stewart and Harrison Johnson each tallied five tackles while Harrison Parkman had four tackles and a quarterback hurry. Dalton Gaston had four tackles for loss with a sack. Ross Sanders had an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Trinity (7-2, 4-1) returns home for Senior Night next Friday to face Greensboro while PCA (3-5, 1-4) is scheduled to face Sumter-Central.
Marbury 35, Shelby County 14
MARBURY -- Carsyn Cobb rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries as Marbury wrapped up the third seed in 5A Region 3 with a 35-14 win over Shelby County on Friday.
Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs’ playoff chances looked bleak but Marbury defeated Holtville to force a three-way tie in the region race entering Friday’s game. Marbury defeated Shelby County and Jemison lost to Selma to get the Bulldogs in the playoffs and a win by Demopolis over Holtville gave the Bulldogs the third seed.
After a game at Chilton County to close out the regular season, Marbury (4-5) will travel to Beauregard on Nov. 1 for the first round of the 5A state playoffs.
The Bulldogs scored on their first possession, using an 80-yard run by Cobb to set up his 3-yard scoring run two plays later. Baylor Cannon’s extra point gave Marbury a 7-0 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, a Jayse Price interception started a 96-yard drive by the Bulldogs, aided by Wyatt Fowler’s 39-yard pass to Ethan Edwards. Cobb ran 48 yards for his second touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Ryan Sipes threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Horton to put Shelby County on the scoreboard, but Cannon responded with a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Marbury a 17-7 halftime lead.
Cannon added another field goal from 39 yards, Jackson Bryson ran 55 yards for a touchdown and Cobb added a 12-yard scoring run to help the Bulldogs pull away.
Fowler was 7 of 11 for 81 yards, with Edwards pulling in three of those passes for 54 yards.
Elmore County 17, Valley 13
VALLEY -- Payton Stephenson threw a touchdown pass to Justin Brooks and Jackson Mann recovered a blocked punt in the end zone as the Panthers rallied to beat Valley 17-13 and clinch their first playoff berth since 2011.
Elmore County, 0-10 a year ago, improved to 5-3 with the win and clinched the fourth seed in the region with the win. The Panthers will travel to Demopolis for the first round of the 5A state playoffs on Nov. 4.
On Friday, Valley quarterback Chase Childs ran 50 yards to give the Rams the early lead, but Elmore County tied it with a blocked punt with 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Logan Pack added a 34-yard field goal late in the third quarter for a 10-7 lead and Brooks’ 11-yard touchdown reception with 7:48 remaining gave the Panthers a little breathing room.
Childs helped Valley to another touchdown on a 10-yard pass to Jamarious Martin but it came with just 59 seconds remaining.
Stephenson completed 9 of 11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 35 yards on 14 carries. CJ Wilkes led Elmore County with 82 yards on 14 carries. Jabari Murphy had six receptions for 59 yards.
Tilyn Carrell led Valley with 159 yards on 22 carries.
Elmore County returns home to play host to Holtville next week before closing out the regular season the following week at Jemison.
Tallassee 47, Sylacauga 14
TALLASSEE -- DJ Leonard rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers rolled to an easy win over winless Sylacauga at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium on Friday.
Tallassee (5-4) won its third consecutive game with a rout of the Aggies and will close out the regular season at Holtville before traveling to Selma for the first round of the 5A state playoffs on Nov. 4.
Leonard scored on runs of 16, 74 and 10 yards to help the Tigers cruise out to a 47-0 lead before Sylacauga scored twice in the final minutes of the game.
Cade Everson broke a scoreless tie with a 9-yard run, Leonard added a 16-yard run and Tyler Ellis scored on a 12-yard run for a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. James Bender scored on a 57-yard run in between a pair of Leonard touchdowns for a 41-0 lead at the half.
Everson closed out the Tallassee scoring with a 34-yard run early in the third quarter before the reserves played the rest of the game.
Caden Griffith had eight tackles to lead a Tallassee defensive effort that held Sylacauga to 103 total yards.
Demopolis 60, Holtville 14
HOLTVILLE - The Tigers took care of business with a convincing win over the homesteading Bulldogs on Friday. The win clinched the Class 5A, Region 3 title, their third-straight and eighth in the last nine years.
Holtville managed just 133 yards in total offense. Quarterback Keiland Baker was responsible for both touchdowns. Conner Hackett had seven tackles and an interception to lead the defense. Erik Atkins had 41 yards in receptions.
Holtville (3-5, 2-3) has completed region play and will be the fourth seed. They travel to Elmore County next week for a non-region game and conclude the season on Oct. 28 with a game against Tallassee.
AISA
Edgewood Academy 20, Hooper Academy 0
ELMORE -- Edgewood Academy made the most of its big plays, striking for three long touchdown passes and a 20-0 victory in a defensive battle with Hooper Academy on Friday night.
The win gave Edgewood (4-4) the second seed in AA Region 1, giving the Wildcats the home-field advantage in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 4. The loss eliminated Hooper (2-6) from playoff consideration.
Austin Champion completed 5 of 12 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns, hitting JB Collier with a 75-yard pass late in the first quarter, connecting with Gabe LeMaster on a 56-yard touchdown with three minutes left in the first half and again with LeMaster, this time for 53 yards, late in the third quarter.
Hooper actually had a 14-10 edge in first downs but was plagued by three turnovers.
LeMaster finished with 72 yards rushing on 15 carries and with 109 yards and two touchdowns on a pair of receptions.
RJ Coker led the Colts’ ground game with 38 rushing yards, while accounting for 60 receiving yards. Lucas Spellman added 53 receiving yards and Slade Russell had 28 yards in receptions.
Defensively, Bryson Boone led Edgewood with 10 tackles, followed by Parker Shaw with eight and Champion and Cooper Freeman with seven tackles each.
For Hooper, Kadyn Lumley had 10 tackles, followed by Jeremy Williams with eight and Ty Jones with seven.
Edgewood will travel to Eufaula to play Lakeside on Thursday, while Hooper will travel to LaFayette on Friday to play Chambers.
Chambers Academy 56, Macon East 20
CECIL -- Deonte Powell completed 8 of 20 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted twice as Macon East dropped a region game to Chambers 56-20 on Friday night.
The loss left Macon East (5-3) traveling to Abbeville Christian (3-5) next week to play the Generals for the third and fourth seeds in the upcoming AA playoffs. The winner of next week’s game will travel to the loser of next week’s Clarke Prep-Patrician game on Nov. 4 in the first round of the state playoffs, while the loser will travel to play the Clarke Prep-Patrician winner.
Macon East tailback Gabe Spencer managed just 79 yards on 14 carries, followed by Powell’s 31 yards on 11 carries.
Sanders Manning had four receptions for 135 yards, including touchdown catches of 76 and 59 yards. Keagan Roney had the Knights’ other touchdown reception and finished with four catches for 56 yards.
Defensively, Dalton Nickles and Zack Brown led the Knights with seven tackles each, followed by Barrett Spaeth and Thaddeus McKinney with six tackles each.
Chambers (6-2) won its sixth consecutive game on Friday and will return home to play Hooper Academy next Friday.
Ft. Dale 26, Bessemer Academy 14
GREENVILLE -- Ethan Alford rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries as the Eagles won an important AAA game by beating the Rebels 26-14 on Friday night.
Four teams will head into the final region game next week with 2-4 records, including Fort Dale, which will travel to unbeaten Lee-Scott next weekend. Lee-Scott, Glenwood and Morgan have all wrapped up playoff berths and the next four teams are vying for the final three playoff spots.
Even Bessemer (1-7) at 1-5 could figure into the playoff picture with a win at home against Valiant Cross next week.
Alford scored on a 64-yard run for the Eagles’ first touchdown, then added a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put Fort Dale ahead for good at 13-7. Alford added his team’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard run.
Garrett Simmons, who rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries, scored the third of four touchdowns by Fort Dale (3-5) on a 2-yard run.
Patrician 52, Escambia Academy 13
CANOE -- Cecil Perry and Carson Coody combined for 409 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints rolled past Escambia 52-13 on Friday.
The win set up a battle next week in Grove Hill for the AA Region 2 title as Patrician (8-0, 3-0 in region play) travels to Clarke Prep (6-2, 2-1) to play for the top seed in the upcoming state playoffs.
Perry rushed for 215 yard on nine carries, scoring on a 63-yard run in the second quarter and an 18-yard run in the third quarter. Coody rushed for 194 yards on 13 carries, scoring on a 2-yard run for a 27-0 lead in the second quarter and a 5-yard run in the third quarter that made it 46-7.
Escambia (3-4, 1-3) will travel to South Choctaw next week.
AISA SCOREBOARD
Glenwood School 49, Autauga Academy 13
Fort Dale Academy 26, Bessemer Academy 14
Lee-Scott Academy 42, Valiant Cross Academy 7
Monroe Academy 28, Morgan Academy 8
Patrician Academy 52, Escambia Academy 13
Clarke Prep School 35, Pickens Academy 12
Edgewood Academy 20, Hooper Academy 0
Chambers Academy 56, Macon East Academy 20
Patania Charter (Ga.) 46, Abbeville Christian 6
Jackson Academy 22, Banks Academy 6
Lowndes Academy 38, Lakeside School 8
Crenshaw Christian 41, Southern Academy 14