Staff Reports
ANNISTON – Cherokee County High School senior quarterback Slade Alexander turned in another standout performance Friday night at Class 4A, Region 4 opponent Anniston on Friday.
A week after accounting for seven total touchdowns in a win over Springville, Alexander ran for 121 yards on 24 carries and three scores. He also completed 5-of-7 pass attempts for 65 yards and another touchdown, and returned an interception for a score on defense in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors to a 43-27 victory.
The two teams were scoreless at the end of the first quarter and tied at 14 at halftime. The Bulldogs (0-4, 0-2) took a 7-0 lead on Jamarius Billingsley’s 14-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Alexander countered with his first score, a 5-yard run, to tie the game at 7. Anniston regained the lead on a Brandon Roberts 7-yard run, but then Alexander tied the game at 14 on a 2-yard score before halftime.
The Warriors (3-1, 1-0) took their first lead of the game in the third quarter on Alexander’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Whit Johnson. Daniel Mejia’s extra point gave Cherokee County a 21-14 advantage.
Damien Ramsey, who accumulated 121 yards on 15 carries, stretched the Warrior lead to 28-14 in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard run, but the Bulldogs didn’t lie down. Kentrez Hunt pulled Anniston within a touchdown on his 3-yard run, making the score 28-21.
But Alexander made sure the Bulldogs would get no closer. He scored again on a 1-yard run. Johnson added the 2-point conversion for a 36-21 Warrior advantage. Alexander then intercepted Anniston quarterback Kamron Sandlin and returned it for a touchdown to stretch the Warrior lead to 43-21.
Sandlin scored the game’s final touchdown on a 10-yard run for the final. He led the Bulldogs by completing 13-of-20 pass attempts for 206 yards. He also had 30 yards on seven carries. Taishun Hall was Sandlin’s top receiver, with six catches for 131 yards.
Cherokee County hosts White Plains in another Region 4 battle on Friday. Anniston has an week open.