MONTGOMERY – Several football players from Class 2A Spring Garden and Class 3A Piedmont were among those recognized Tuesday afternoon for their playoff performances in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Spotlight.
Luke Welsh and Cooper Austin were chosen from Spring Garden (12-1), which defeated North Sand Mountain 21-0 in the state quarterfinals on Friday.
Welsh ran for 125 yards on 20 carries with a 7-yard touchdown. Austin ended a key North Sand Mountain drive with an interception. The win secured fourth-ranked Spring Garden’s first trip to the state semifinals in school history.
The fourth-ranked Panthers travel to top-ranked Mars Hill Bible (11-2) this Friday.
The Piedmont Bulldogs (12-1) defeated Region 5 rival Saks on Friday thanks to several key performances.
Elijah Johnson gained 156 yards on 28 carries and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jack Hayes completed 7-of-13 pass attempts for 144 yards and two touchdowns (20 and 57 yards). He also had 14 rushes for 80 yards and a 25-yard score in the win.
On defense, Jakari Foster intercepted a Saks pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Sean Smith recovered a fumble on a punt near midfield in the fourth quarter.
The second-ranked Bulldogs travel to top-ranked Fyffe (13-0) this Friday.
In other statewide happenings, Handley High School junior Tae Meadows provided the long and the short of the Tigers’ 35-21 playoff win over Bibb County to claim the AHSAA Football Playoff Spotlight for Round 3.
Meadows needed just 21 carries to rush for 258 yards and three touchdowns against the tough Choctaws’ defense and scored three touchdowns to boost the Tigers of Coach Larry Strain into the Class 4A semifinals to faced American Christian this week.
Meadows averaged 12.3 yard per carry and had touchdowns of 79, 38 and 4 yards in the win to boost his season totals to 1,506 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in just nine games. He is averaging 167.3 rushing yards per game.
His performance edged out another fine rushing performance from Montgomery-Catholic running back Jeremiah Cobb. The Knights’ workhorse had 20 carries for 265 yards and one TD in a 24-15 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Thomasville.
Other top performances reported from last week’s playoff action included:
RUSHING
NATHAN CROCKETT, THOMPSON: Crockett rushed for 226 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns as No. 1 Thompson crushed No. 2 Hoover 52-14.
PEYTON HIGGINS, MARS HILL BIBLE: The senior running back for the Panthers had 18 carries for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead Mars Hill Bible into the Class 2A state semifinals with a 55-14 win over Aliceville. He had five runs of 20 or more yards with an 11.6-yard average on the night. He also made a spectacular grab of a 36-yard pass for his fifth touchdown on the night.
IKE ROWELL, FYFFE: Accounted for four touchdowns – three rushing and one passing – and finished with 212 total yards as the Red Devils defeated Ohatchee 26-7 for their 13th straight playoff win and their AHSAA-leading 43rd consecutive victory overall. He finished with 176 yards rushing on 25 carries.
BRANDON WALLER, AMERICAN CHRISTIAN: Rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns to lead American Christian to a 38-7 Class 4A playoff victory over Alabama Christian.
JASHAWN COOPER, MONTGOMERY ACADEMY: Picked up 184 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles (13-0) downed Trinity Presbyterian 42-21 in the 3A playoffs.
CHRISTIAN BURNETTE, FAITH ACADEMY: Ran for 155 yards and a score on 21 carries as the Rams snapped UMS-Wright’s 17-game playoff win streak with a 37-16 win in the 5A quarterfinals.
J.T. ROGERS, AUBURN: Had 16 carries for 105 yards, including and victory-sealing 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Tigers moved to the Class 7A state finals with a 35-17 win over Central-Phenix City. He also had a TD pass reception covering 8 yards.
STROTHER GIBBS, MOUNTAIN BROOK: Gibbs rushed for 109 yards on 29 carries in a 21-10 win over Clay-Chalkville. He scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter and a 1-yard run in the second.
JAVONTE GRAVES-BILLUPS, ST. PAUL’S EISCOPAL: The senior rushed 23 times for 81 yards and produced a 43-yard reception in addition to playing cornerback on defense as the Saints beat two-time 5A champ Central-Clay County 27-13.
PASSING
KARSON GREEN, SARALAND: The senior QB was 18-of-25 passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score in a 46-27 Class 6A playoff win over Opelika.
CALEB McCREARY, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Was 9-of-16 passing for 242 yards and two scores in the Knights’ 24-15 win over Thomasville in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
TUCKER KILCREASE, BRANTLEY: Passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns and had five tackles plus a sack on defense as the Bulldogs nipped Maplesville 21-19 in the Class 1A quarterfinals.
KAMREN IVORY, RAMSAY: The quarterback completed 10-of-15 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score in a 54-14 win over Russellville.
MATTHEW CALDWELL, AUBURN: Led the Tigers to a 35-17 win over rival Central-Phenix City completing 15-of-19 passes for 160 yards and one TD as Auburn secured a berth in the Super 7 Class 7A state championship game next week to face defending state champion Thompson.
AVERIAN MALONE, LEROY: Passed for 155 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another in the Bears’ 28-21 win over Lanett in the 2A playoffs. The Panthers won the 2019 Class 1A state title before moving to 2A this season.
ZYQUEZ PERRYMAN, PLEASANT GROVE: Threw four touchdown passes as the Class 5A Spartans (10-2) beat Alexandria 35-7 in the quarterfinals.
PASS RECEIVING
KENUWYN DIXON, BRANTLEY: Had eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns, rushed three times for 30 yards and another TD and made an interception on defense in Brantley’s Class 1A quarterfinal 21-19 win over Maplesville.
TRENT DAVIS, ETOWAH: The senior scored on runs of 9 and 13 yards and also caught TD passes for 61 and 28 yards in the Blue Devils’49-14 win over Northside.