PREP UPDATE: Enterprise holds off Carver for key region win; Edgewood, Lowndes win
Quarterback TJ Russell races into the end zone for a touchdown for the Carver Wolverines on Thursday at Cramton Bowl. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
The first quarter featured plenty of explosive plays from both teams.
By the fourth quarter, however, it was a run-oriented defensive battle between G.W. Carver and Enterprise, the type of game that can determine a postseason playoff berth.
A goal line stand by the Wildcats preserved a 17-14 win and the visitors were able to run out the remainder of the Cramton Bowl clock on Thursday night, giving Enterprise a crucial win in the 7A Region 2 race.
“It’s a huge win,” Enterprise coach Ben Blackmon said. “Any win in this region is huge. We’ve got four straight road games -- had to go to Central, had to go to Dothan, had to come here, have to go to Opelika next week. Four of the toughest teams in our region. We’ve got to play well.”
Auburn and Central-Phenix City are unbeaten heading into Friday night’s game with each other and both have to play Carver later this season. The Wolverines are a half-game back at 3-1 after Thursday’s loss and a half-game ahead of Opelika, another team Carver will play this month. Enterprise, meanwhile, has already lost to Auburn and Central and is 2-2, but now owns the tiebreaker with the Wolverines should the two teams tie.
All five teams are battling for the top four spots in Region 2, all of which earn a playoff berth.
“They’re a good football team, well coached,” Carver coach Bobby Carr said. “I’d like to think we are, too. We showed it in spurts. But it’s not the end of the world. I heard Lou Holtz say a long time ago, ‘Nothing’s ever as good as it seems, nothing’s ever as bad as it seems, somewhere in the middle reality falls.’ The sun’s going to come up tomorrow and we still have a lot of football in front of us.”
Both teams were explosive early as a 64-yard run by Enterprise tailback Dylan Smith, who finished with a game-high 111 yards on 14 carries, set up a short touchdown run by quarterback Mason Burkhardt for a 7-0 lead.
The Wolverines had a touchdown wiped out by a penalty, but a 37-yard pass from T.J. Russell to Anthony Rogers started a drive late in the first quarter, capped by Russell’s 3-yard scoring run that tied the game.
Burkhardt hit a wide-open Davis Shiver for a 44-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the second quarter to put the Wildcats back on top 14-7 and the Enterprise defense did the rest, holding the Wolverines to just 42 yards over their next three possessions.
A turnover put Carver back in business at the Enterprise 47 midway through the third quarter, however, and Russell’s 25-yard pass to Channing Cargill set up Trevon Berry’s touchdown run three plays later that tied the game at 14-14.
Andrew Purcell returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield and Burkhardt hit Shiver on a crossing pattern for a 36-yard gain to set up Jose Segura’s 24-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter.
Carver would come right back, using a 16-play drive that consumed 5:53 and drove to a first and goal at the Wildcat 3-yard line. Berry lined up in Wildcat formation on three consecutive plays and earned two yards, but Eric Winters bumped Berry out of bounds at the 1-yard line on second down and Walker Turner and Dezmon Thomas combined to keep Berry out of the end zone on third down.
On fourth down, Russell took the snap and ran at left tackle, but the Wildcats stopped him two feet from the goal.
“We stopped them on the 1-yard line,” Blackmon said, “then we took that ball 60 yards and ran out the clock. They never got it back. That’s championship football. That’s going to be something we can build on.”
Taking over with 8:33 remaining, the Wildcats put together a 14-play drive that moved the ball 72 yards, featuring nine carries by Burkhardt.
“He’s tough as nails,” Blackmon said. “He’s a winner and he gets after it. I’m proud of him.”
It was the first loss for Carr as a Wolverine head coach after opening the season with five consecutive wins.
“Fourth and a half a yard and they stop us,” he said. “What was more impressive was they drove the ball out from the 1-yard line. They executed a little better then we did, their coaching was a little better than ours was.
“You don’t like to lose, but you learn a lot more from a loss than you do a win. Sometimes you get to thinking you’re invincible and these guys have to understand we have to get up and go to work every day.”
Carver (5-1) travels to Phenix City to play Central next week, while Enterprise (4-2) travels to Opelika next Friday.
“They’re a good football team,” Blackmon said of the Wolverines. “They’re very explosive and our guys just came in with the mindset we’re going to compete our butt off for 48 minutes and see what happens.”
Burkhardt rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries, while completing 7 of 11 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Russell completed 14 of 19 passes for 141 yards. Berry led Carver with 88 yards on 17 carries.
Edgewood Academy 27, Crenshaw Christian 21 (OT)
ELMORE -- Edgewood Academy scored a touchdown in overtime to snap a three-game losing skid and defeat Crenshaw Christian 27-21 on Thursday night.
Edgewood quarterback Brock Whitt accounted for all four of the Wildcat touchdowns, completing 6 of 10 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Whitt’s favorite target was Landon Smith, who caught four passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
Avery Haskew had one reception for 44 yards and four carries for 104 yards.
Defensively, the Wildcats were led by Cooper Freeman, who had 10 tackles, Parker Shaw added eight tackles.
Edgewood (2-4) returns to AAA Region 1 action next week in Birmingham against Banks Academy. Crenshaw Christian (4-2) had a four-game winning streak snapped in the loss and will face Sparta Academy next Friday in a AA Region 1 game in Evergreen.
Lowndes Academy 47, Clarke Prep School 0
HAYNEVILLE -- Bradyn Stokes threw a pair of touchdown passes and Crawford Dansby rushed for two touchdowns as the Rebels pitched their third shutout of the season in a 47-0 victory over the Gators at Mac Champion Stadium on Thursday night.
Stokes threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Watters Box in the first quarter and a 23-yard touchdown to Jeremy Hardy in the second quarter as the Rebels built a 31-0 halftime lead. Stokes finished the nightby completing all four attempts for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
Box, who kicked the extra points following the first five touchdowns, added a pair of 41-yard field goals to score 17 points in the win.
Jeremy Hardy added a 14-yard touchdown run and Huston Hampton had a 25-yard scoring run in the first quarter before Dansby scored on runs of 55 and 28 yards in the third quarter. Hardy rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, Dansby added 56 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries and Hampton had 46 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
Dansby also led the defensive effort with 12 tackles as the Rebels held the Gators to one first down and minus 6 total yards.
Lowndes (5-0) will travel to Abbeville Christian for a AA Region 1 game next week, while Clarke Prep (0-7) is idle next week before playing Morgan Academy on Oct. 18.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Prattville 20, Oak Mountain 0
MARBURY -- Kaytie Chandler threw three touchdowns passes to help the Lions defeat Oak Mountain 20-0 in a 6A-7A Region 2 game at Marbury High.
Prattville (7-2) improved to 3-0 in region play, the only undefeated team in the seven-team region. Last year’s runner-up Vestavia Hills, is 3-1 in region play after losing to Prattville, while Spain Park and Hoover are 2-1, Helena is 1-1 and Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain are winless.
Chandler’s touchdown passes went to Cadence Forrester, Avery Patterson and Lanieya Page.
Defensively, London Williams led Prattville with a pair of interceptions and Emma Moore had a sack.
The Lions continue region play next Tuesday with a game at Helena.
VOLLEYBALL
Prattville Christian 3, Booker T. Washington 0
PRATTVILLE -- The Panthers swept the Golden Eagles on Wednesday, winning 25-3, 25-6 and 25-8 to finish the area 6-0.
The game was rescheduled from last week after being postponed by Hurricane Helene. PCA will host the upcoming area tournament in two weeks, with the top two teams advancing to South Super Regional play.
Emma Cate Carter had three kills and eight aces, Olivia Rossi had seven kills and two aces and Baylee Rogers had 14 assists and nine aces for the Panthers.
Natalee Wheeler had two kills, Paysley Bayer had two kills, a dig and three aces, Aiden Williams had three digs and an ace, Morgan Fowler had a kill, an assist and three aces, Anniston Robison had two kills, an assist, a pair of digs and three aces, Leah Cate Wilson had a kill and four aces, Marion Lewis had a kill, Maren Diefenderfer had a kill, Brylee Byrd had five assists and a dig and Kenadie Minor had a pair of kills.
Prattville Christian 3, Elmore County 0
ECLECTIC -- Prattville Christian swept Elmore County in three sets on Thursday, winning 25-21, 25-12 and 25-19 in the Elmore County gym.
For PCA, Baylee Rogers had 27 assists, a kill, three digs and an ace, Emma Cate Carter had 12 kills, four digs and four aces, Maren Diefenderfer had seven kills and a block and Leah Cate Wilson had seven kills, an assist, two blocks and a dig.
Olivia Rossi added two kills, an assist, two blocks and a dig, Anniston Robison had three kills and two digs, Morgan Fowler had 12 digs, a kill, an assist and an ace, Aiden Williams had an assist, six digs and a pair of aces, Brylee Byrd had five digs, Paysley Bayer had a kill and Natalee Wheeler had a dig.
PCA (30-12) will travel to Brew Tech next week for a tri-match with Auburn.