THURSDAY AISA: Macon East runs past Hooper; Edgewood earns first win in '22
Gabe Spencer finds a big hole to run through in Macon East’s win over Hooper Academy on Thursday. (Dylan Hurst)
By DYLAN HURST
HOPE HULL -- The Macon East Academy Knights outdueled region rival Hooper Academy, 35-18. on a rainy Thursday night at Davis Henry Field.
Turnovers were the theme of the night, and Macon East head coach Glynn Lott was happy with his team’s victory, but disappointed in the mistakes made by the Knights.
“We turned the ball over more than we usually do, and while I think the game wasn’t in doubt, it was just a matter of executing plays,” said Lott. “We threw a snap over the quarterback’s head, and before the first interception, we made a decision before the snap and just threw it to the wrong player. We’ve got to get better every week and I don’t know if we got better this week but we played well enough to win.”
Senior quarterback Deonte Powell completed 10 of his 17 passing attempts for 149 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 72 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
Running back Gabe Spencer carried the ball 20 times for 258 yards and three touchdowns while wide receiver Sanders Manning had four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The Colts (0-3 and 0-2 in region play) are still searching for their first victory this season but head coach Marty Baker observed a solid effort on Thursday.
“The first two weeks, we just haven’t played real football and tonight’s game had a bit to do with who it was,” Baker said. “Macon East is kind of a rivalry game so they showed up and played real football tonight. I’m proud of (our team) for the effort, but we can’t be satisfied with a loss. We’ve got to be able to finish on the top end, but this is a great game to build on.”
Junior quarterback Ron McGinty threw for 140 yards, while rushing for 13 yards and a touchdown. Senior running back RJ Coker ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Edgewood Academy 40, Abbeville Christian 0
ELMORE -- Gabe LeMaster rushed for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries as the Edgewood offense broke out of its slump with three touchdowns in a four-minute span in the second half on the way to a 40-0 region victory over the Generals on Thursday night.
LeMaster scored on a 16-yard run midway through the first quarter for the game’s first points, then the Wildcats erupted for 19 points in three minutes and 18 seconds to take control of the game. Bradley Boone scored on a 5-yard run, Austin Champion hit Boone with a 79-yard pass and Champion added a quarterback sneak for a 26-0 lead.
LeMaster capped the second-quarter explosion with a 71-yard touchdown run with 91 seconds left in the first half for a 33-point lead at the half.
Chance McDaniel added a 58-yard touchdown run with 10:51 left in the game. McDaniel finished with 76 yards on five carries.
Champion completed 9 of 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. Boone had 133 yards on three receptions, while Brody Whitt added 60 receiving yards on three catches.
Defensively, Parker Shaw led the Edgewood defense with seven tackles, followed by Bryson Boone with six and Bradley Boone with five. Cooper Freeman, Wes Reeves and Zayne Talley all had four tackles.
Edgewood (1-2) evened its Class AA Region 1 record at 1-1 heading into next week’s game in Haynesville against defending A state champion Lowndes. Abbeville (2-2) is also 1-1 in region play and has next week off before playing host to Lowndes on Sept. 23.
Lee-Scott Academy 48, Morgan Academy 6
SELMA -- Lee-Scott jumped on the Senators for three quick touchdowns in the first quarter and pulled away to a 41-0 halftime lead before both teams scored a touchdown in the final quarter.
Morgan scored its touchdown on a 6-yard pass from T.B. Clements to Allen Lightfoot. It was the first touchdown allowed this season by Lee-Scott’s defense. Clements completed 8 of 16 passes for 42 yards while John Allen Ingram led the rushing attack with 77 yards on 11 carries.
Lee-Scott, 3-0 overall and 2-0 in AAA play, returns home to play Glenwood in a region game next Friday. Morgan, 1-2 overall and 1-1 in AAA play, will travel to Greenville next Friday to play Fort Dale in a region contest.
AISA SCOREBOARD
Glenwood School 34, Bessemer Academy 7
Lee-Scott Academy 48, Morgan Academy 6
Clarke Prep School 74, Snook Christian 30
Patrician Academy 38, Pickens Academy 21
Edgewood Academy 40, Abbeville Christian 0
Chambers Academy 38, Crenshaw Christian 7
Macon East Academy 35, Hooper Academy 18
Jackson Academy 44, South Choctaw Academy 0