AHSAA recognizes several area football players for Week 7 performances

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama High School Athletic Association recognized several Week 7 performances from the area on Monday afternoon.

Two athletes from Spring Garden were among the statewide honorees for their defensive efforts in the Panthers’ 14-8 victory over Westbrook Christian on Friday.

Luke Welsh led the Panthers’ defense with 11 tackles. He also ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Chaz Pope picked off a pair of passes and had nine tackles in the win.

A pair of area quarterbacks was also recognized in Piedmont’s Jack Hayes and Sand Rock’s Ace Ashley.

Hayes, who played just 18 offensive snaps in a 48-0 win at Pleasant Valley on Friday, completed 8-of-15 pass attempts for 147 yards and four touchdowns – two to Jadon Calhoun and one each to Austin Estes and Brayden Morgan.

Ashley completed 13-of-21 pass attempts for 133 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown connection with Jacob Cornejo, in the Wildcats’ 20-18 Class 2A, Region 6 win over West End on Thursday.

Collinsville’s Malachi Orr was recognized for his rushing effort against Plainview on Thursday. Orr ran for 124 yards and a 3-yard touchdown on 21 carries in the Panthers’ 29-13 loss.

In other statewide performances, North Jackson High School place-kicker Paul Marteux, successfully delivered four onside kicks in the Chiefs’ 43-24 Class 4A, Region 7 win over Randolph last week to move into this week’s AHSAA Football Spotlight or Week 7 of the 2020 prep football season.

The four successful onside kicks appear to be an AHSAA state record. Brad Cunningham recovered two of the kicks with Kyle Posey and Cade Reed recovering the other two. The Chiefs (4-3) have recovered nine onside kicks this season in the first six games. That also is believed to be a state record … and counting.

North Jackson Coach Chandler Tygard has had his team kick onside kicks on every kickoff this season, said Jackson County Sentinel sports editor Jason Bowen.

“Coach Tygard is an analytics guy,” said Bowen. “His kicker can’t put it in the end zone, and he says that (data) says he’s only giving up around 10 yards of field position by doing this. The strategy has hurt the team this season.”

Nobody can much blame Tygard for thinking outside the box. He served as an assistant coach for eight different head coaches in 15 years, including stints with college coaches Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley and Phil Fulmer. He was at Madison Academy as an assistant coach in 2018 before becoming North Jackson head coach in 2019.

The Chiefs are 3-2 in Region 7 behind Madison Academy (5-0) and Madison County (4-1), before moving from Madison Academy to North Jackson last year for his first head-coaching experience. North Jackson hosts St. John Paul II Catholic Friday and a win could sew up a playoff berth for Tygard’s team. The Chiefs were 2-8 in his first season last year. North Jackson has had just four losing seasons since the school opened its doors in 1988.

The onside kick display edged out another unusual effort – by both teams.

Abbeville wins track meet over Elba: Abbeville beat Elba 48-42 last week in game that had eight touchdowns scored on plays of 55 yards or longer and three of the other five TDs scored were on plays covering 37, 28 and 23 yards. According to Dothan Eagle sports writer David Mundee, the total distance of the combined 13 touchdowns was 591 yards, including 488 on the eight that went for 55 yards or longer.

Abbeville cousins Martavious Glanton and Randy Glanton connected for three touchdown passes in the win. Martavious, the quarterback, also rushed for three touchdowns. He finished the night with 406 all-purpose yards. He was 5-of-8 passing for 224 yards and three scores and rushed for 182 yards and three TDs on 16 carries with his long a 65-yard jaunt. Randy had three catches for 184 yards – all going for touchdowns (55, 64 and 67 yards). Rico Dozier scored on a 65-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Elba quarterback Jacquez Prince was 10-of-14 passing for 189 yards and three TDs – 23 yards to Peyton McCarty, 57 yards to Chrystyile Caldwell and 13 and 60 yards to Iverson Lane; Caldwell also had a 55-yard TD run to give Elba a brief lead in the final period.


MILESTONES
McDORY QB CAM SHEPHERD SETS PASSING MARK: Was 24-of-37 passing for 472 yards and five touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets’ 45-41 setback to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in Class 6A, Region 4. His 472-yard total is a school record at McAdory, a Jefferson County record and ranks 20th in AHSAA history and is the most in a single game this season. The Jeffco record was set in 2019 by Will Crowder of Gardendale, who passed for 49 yards in a 38-35 win over Clay-Chalkville.

SPANISH FORT RECORDS 150TH WIN: The Toros, 150-44 since opening the school in 2008, beat Blount 14-10 thanks to a strong defensive effort led by Michael Crawford, who intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a score in the third quarter to give the Toros a lead for good the Class 6A, Region 1 battle. This is the Toros’ 13th season overall.

WETUMPKA STARTS FAST: Quarterback Brandon Bowman completed 2-of-2 passes for 147 yards with a 79-yard TD pass to Tavares Murphy on the Indians’ first play from scrimmage as the Indians beat Chilton County 49-14. His other TD was a 68-yard toss to Rudarious Anthony. Wetumpka’s quarterback also threw a TD pass on the Indians’ second offensive play of the game but it was nullified by an ineligible receiver downfield.

HOOVER-SPAIN PARK RIVALRY BECOMES AIR SHOW: The 20th playing of the Hoover City rivalry became an air show with Bucs quarterback Josh Lundy completing 23-for-37 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns and Jaguars quarterback Bennett Meredith finishing 32-of-41 passing for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Hoover, which holds a 17-3 lead in the series, won the game 47-34, The 81 points is the most scored in the series, which was first played in 2002. The previous high (77) was set last year in the Bucs’ 42-35 win.

Other top performances reported from last week’s action include:

PASSING
KARSON GREEN, SARALAND: Completed 13-of-16 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns as the Spartans beat Gulf Shores 47-21 in Class 6A, Region 1. He threw touchdown passes of 55 and 56 yards to Jarel Williams, 41 yards to Terrente Hinton, 36 yards to Jerone York and 35 yards to C.T Englebert. Nine different Saraland players caught passes. Green also had a 3-yard rushing touchdown.

BRANDON MUSCH, WESTMINSTR CHRISTIAN: Completed 21-of-32 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 124 yards and a TD in a 35-20 win over St. John Paul II.

BAUER SHARP, DOTHAN: The Wolves quarterback completed 18-of-19 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 99 yards on seven carries for 394 total yards in Dothan’s 39-18 win over Jeff Davis.

MICHAEL RICH, SOUTHSIDE-GADSDEN: Completed 20-of-32 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers’ 28-27 loss to Fort Payne.

CHIRISTOPHER BLOUNT, CARVER-BIRMINGHAM: Finished the Rams’ 24-14 Class 5A, Region 5 win over Cordova 15-of-20 passing for 265 yards. He also gained 55 yards rushing on six carries and scored two touchdowns.

TREY HIGGINS, OXFORD: Finished 17-of-23 passing for 261 yards and TD passes covering 48, 5 and 43 yards to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 42-14 win over Arab in Class 6A, Region 7. He also rushed for 76 yards and two more scores.

MALEK LOWE, JACKSON-OLIN: Was 14-of-25 passing for 261 yards and three touchdowns and added 12 rush attempts for 89 yards in a 35-7 Class 6A, Region 6 win over Jasper.

COLIN PATTERSON, WEST LIMESTONE: Was 16-of-21 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in 37-6 Class 4A, Region 8 win over Wilson.

AIDAN QUINN, WINFIELD: Passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-8 Class 3A, Region 6 win over Holly Pond.

DREW SEYMORE, DEMOPOLIS: Completed 18-of-34 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns as the Aggies beat Jemison 47-7 in Class 5A, Region 3.

KHALIB JOHNSON, CLAY-CHALKVILLE: Completed 14-of-16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns as the Cougars beat Mortimer Jordan 45-0.

K.J. JACKSON, SAINT JAMES: Completed 7-of-9 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth TD to lead the Trojans past Dale County 52-26.

JALEN CLARK, ALABAMA CHRISTIAN: Led the Eagles to a 49-20 win over Geneva amassing 290 yards total offense and accounting for six TDs. He was 10-of-14 passing for 146 yards and two scores and rushed 15 times for 144 yards and four touchdowns.

HAL SMITHART, OPP: Was 19-of-29 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the Bobcats’ 24-14 Class 3A, Region 2 win over Wicksburg.

HESS HORNE, EUFAULA: Horne threw five touchdown passes in the Tigers’ 38-21 win over Carver. He completed 12-of-20 passes for 142 yards with two TDs to Rodarius Thomas, who committed to South Carolina the day of the game.

JORDAN SCOTT, ATHENS: Tossed four touchdown passes in the first half of the Golden Eagles’ 47-14 win over Buckhorn in Class 6A, Region 8. He did not play in the second half.

AVERY SEATON, MADISON ACADEMY: Ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and completed 11-of-15 passes for 154 yards and a TD in a 34-10 win over Madison County.

GRAYSON VERMEIRE, DECATUR: Finished 10-of-18 passing for 176 yards and two TDs and ran for a third score as the Red Raiders beat Hazel Green 28-0.

COLTON WOOD, FAITH ACADEMY: The junior accounted for 193 of Faith’s 198 total yards of offense in a 41-7 win over Vigor. He rushed six times for 46 yards and a touchdown and completed 10-of-15 passes for 147 yards. He connected with senior Gabe Broadus on scoring passes of 18, 85 and 4 yards.

BRADY KRUEGER, ELBERTA: Krueger Was 15-of-26 passing for 165 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 60 yards on eight carries and another touchdown in Elberta’s win over B.C. Rain.


RUSHING
RONNIE ROYAL, ALEXANDRIA: Picked up 309 yards rushing on 20 carries and scored five touchdowns as the undefeated Valley Cubs beat Lincoln 42-17. He sped 69 yards for his first TD on just his second carry of the game, and on his next carry dashed 68 yards for a score. His other TD runs were 17, 42 and 27 yards.

JETT SMITH, WALTER WELLBORN: Had 15 rush attempts for 300 yards, including touchdown runs of 77 and 68 yards, to lead the Indians past Hokes Bluff 33-9.

COLLIN MOON, ONEONTA: Had 22 carries for 236 yards and three touchdowns as the Redskins downed Scottsboro 35-21. Playing both ways, Moon also had six tackles, a fumble recovery, a pass break-up and interception he returned 33 yards.

TECARIUS BOZEMAN, SIDNEY LANIER: Had 18 rush attempts for 237 yards and three touchdowns as the Poets beat Russell County 26-7.

COSNER HARRISON, SAINT JAMES: Carried 22 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns and threw a 45-yard TD pass as the Trojans beat Dale County 52-26.

MAKHI HUGHES, HUFFMAN: Had 34 carries for 224 yards and three touchdowns, adding a 2-point conversion against Chelsea.

KOBE HUGHES, HELENA: Ran 25 times for 202 yards and a touchdown against Calera.

EVAN SMITH, OAK MOUNTAIN: Scored four touchdowns, running for 226 yards on 26 carries and was 2-of-5 passing for 29 yards against Tuscaloosa County.

KEN’LI PREYER, GENEVA COUNTY: Rushed for 216 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 21-14 win over Houston County. He scored on runs of 56 and 4 yards.

JAHEEM DURANT, FLOMATON: Durant rushed for 210 yards and 4 TDs on just 11 carries as the Hurricanes roll past Excel 50-13.

JAKE SMITH, PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN: In just a half of football, Smith, the PCS quarterback, earned 208 yards rushing on 11 carries with three touchdowns (45 and 60 yards and 1 yard) to power the Eagles to a 37-14 win over rival Houston Academy.

DESHUN MURRELL, BIBB COUNTY: Rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and the Choctaws held on for a 22-20 win over West Blocton. The Tigers attempted a 45-yard field goal for the win in the Class 4A, Region 3 battle in the final minute but the kick came up just a few yards short.

DYLAN SELVAGE, NEW HOPE: Ran for 206 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries in a 44-28 win over DAR.

JORDAN PEARSON, SHADES VALLEY: Accounted for 277 total yards and three touchdowns with 191 yards on 27 carries and 86 yards on three catches against Homewood.

CARNEL DAVIS, SOUTHSIDE-GADSDEN: Rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries in the Panthers’ 28-27 loss to Fort Payne.

JEREMIAH COBB, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Had 17 carries for 160 yards and four touchdowns in the Knights’ 42-0 win over Childersburg.

STROTHER GIBBS, MOUNTAIN BROOK: Totaled 229 yards as the Spartans beat Briarwood 17-7 in Class 6A, Region 5. He had 24 carries for 122 rushing yards and a TD. He also completed 10-of-14 passes for 107 yards.

RI FLETCHER, HARTSELLE: The freshman had nine carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard touchdown run, to spark the Tigers to a 35-9 over Muscle Shoals in Class 6A, Region 8.

SEAN JACKSON, HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE: Ran 14 rushes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and a catch for four yards against Vestavia Hills.

KEDIN BENNEFIELD, BOAZ: The senior running back rushed nine times for 101 yards with TD runs of 1 and 35 yards as Boaz beat Douglas 42-21 in Class 5A, Region 7. He now has 22 touchdowns on the season.
Sophomore Cade Whorton added 113 yards on 14 carries for the Pirates.

ETHAN CRAWFORD, HILLCREST-TUSCALOOSA: Ran for three touchdowns and passed for another to lead the Patriots to a key 45-41 win over McAdory in Class 6A, Region 4.

TRENT SMITH, BERRY: Scored on an 8-yard run in the final minute and Joel Gray kicked the winning extra point to lead Berry to a 29-28 Class 1A, Region 6 win over Pickens County. Smith finished with 97 yards on 17 carries with two scores.

DEMARCUS LACEY, PLEASANT GROVE: Ran for three touchdowns and 140 yards on 13 carries and added a 26-yard scoring reception against Parker.

ADAM REAVES, CHELSEA: Scored all five touchdowns against Huffman, four running scores on 12 rushes for 49 yards and one receiving on five catches for 76 yards.

ZACK KITTRELL, BAYSIDE ACADEMY: The Admirals’ QB rushed for 162 yards and three scores and passed for 58 yards in Bayside’s 38-28 come-from-behind win over Cottage Hill.

TY BRADLEY, DAPHNE: Bradley had five carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns as the Trojans defeated Mary G. Montgomery 50-14.

PASS RECEIVING
TRE SHACKELFORD, AUSTIN: Had 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a fourth TD in a 40-7 win over Huntsville.

AULDEN BATTLES, SOUTHSIDE-GADSDEN: Caught 12 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 28-27 loss to Fort Payne.

JAREL WILLIAMS, SARALAND: Hauled in five receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-21 win over Gulf Shores.

J.B. MITCHELL, THOMPSON: Grabbed 11 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns against Gadsden City.

MYLES BUTLER, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Snagged five catches for 117 yards and a touchdown as Catholic beat Childersburg 42-0.

JAYDEN FOLMAR, DOTHAN: Caught eight passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolves’ 37-14 win over Jeff Davis. The TDs covered 23, 24 and 9 yards.

JORDAN MOSLEY, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: The Tennessee commit caught a pair of touchdown passes Thursday as McGill-Toolen defeated Robertsdale 45-6.

MIKE McKINNIS, MURPHY: The senior wide receiver/defensive back caught a game- tying 7-yard TD pass with 14 seconds left and Murphy went on to beat Alma Bryant 14-13. McKinnis also had a game-saving 21-yard reception on the same drive. He finished with four receptions for 74 yards. On defense, he had three tackles, two pass breakups and an interception.


DEFENSE
RICO DOZIER, ABBEVILLE: Made 18 tackles, caused and recovered a fumble in the Jackets’ 48-42 win over Elba. Teammate Gabriel Shell added 15 tackles.

JAY GLOVER, WEST END: Made three interceptions in the Patriots’ 20-18 loss to Sand Rock.

KELDRICK BROWN, BRANTLEY: Managed 14 tackles and a 70-yard interception return for a TD on defense, made three catches for 105 yards and a TD and rushed for 83 yards and another score on offense to pace the Bulldog to a 56-12 Class 1A, Region 1 win over Georgiana.

BRAYDEN HARDEN, CALERA: Had 11 tackles with three tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against Helena.

CHRISTIAN ANKULO FALKVILLE: Made 10 tackles on defense, rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries and caught a TD pass on offense in a 62-0 Class 2A, Region 7 win over Tanner.

JACKSON BLOUNT, ENTERPRISE: Led the Wildcats’ defense with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 35-13 Class 7A, Region 2 win over Smiths Station.

TAE RAMEY, DOTHAN: Totaled nine tackles and made an interception on defense in the Wolves’ 37-14 Cass 7A, Region 2 win over Jeff Davis. He also scored on a 2-yard run on his only offensive carry.

KEYSHAWN REYNOLDS-FEAGINS, BOB JONES: Picked off a pass and recovered a fumble in a 35-14 win over Albertville.

WILL JAMES, THEODORE: James intercepted a Riley Leonard pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to give the Bobcats a 25-14 lead with just 7:51 left in a crucial Class 7A, Region 1 in over Fairhope.

JOHN WILLIAMSON, HOLTVILLE: Jumped in front of a receiver to nab his third interception of the season and ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 38-20 loss to defending Class 5A state champion Central, Clay County. He also had 25-yard TD reception on offense.

TRENT LOLLAR, BERRY: Intercepted a Pickens County pass and raced 40 yards for a touchdown to help the Wildcats post a 29-28 Class 1A, Region 6 win over Pickens County.

TREY PINKERTON, FAYETTE COUNTY: Had 10 tackles and caused a fumble in a 28-6 loss at Haleyville.

SPECIAL TEAMS
TROY BRUCE, CENTER POINT: Scored five touchdowns, including two kick returns, to account for 34 of the Eagles’ points in the Class 5A, Region 6 54-32 win over Hayden. He returned a punt 76 yards for a TD, scampered 62 yards on a kickoff return for another score, picked off a pass on defense and raced 36 yards for another TD and rushed for two more touchdowns on offense.

HARRISON WALLACE, PIKE ROAD: Raced 95 yards on a kickoff for a touchdown, rushed for 97 yards and one score, had two catches for 77 yards and passed for a 44-yard TD as the Patriots (8-0) beat Headland 52-0 in Class 5A, Region 2.

KEVIN ESCARENO, ANNISTON: Nailed s 23-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Bulldogs past Munford 23-20 in Class 4A, Region 4.

JAMAAL PRITCHETT, JACKSON: Scored on an 86-yard punt return and an 87-yard run to lead the Aggies to a 26-22 win over W.S. Neal. He also finished with 14 tackles on defense.

JOHNATHAN LOCKE, BERRY: Returned a kickoff 81 yards for a TD in the Wildcats’ 29-28 win over Pickens County.

DYLAN SCHLOERB, FAYETTE COUNTY: Returned a kickoff 70 yards for the Tigers’ only touchdown in a 28-6 loss to Haleyville. The setback prevented Fayette County winning its 700th win all-time. The 699 wins currently leads all schools in the AHSAA.

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