The AHSAA
MONTGOMERY – There were a number of outstanding individual area football performances turned in last Friday, and the Alabama High School Athletic Association recognized 12 of them in its Week 5 Football Spotlight Tuesday afternoon.
The Gaylesville Trojans (4-2) posted a 55-20 homecoming win over Asbury, led by the trio of Keylon Higgins, Michael Reynolds and Jacob Gordon.
Higgins ran for 170 yards on 10 carries and scored three touchdowns. He also posted seven tackles on defense and had a fumble recovery.
Reynolds and Gordon also rushed for 100 or more yards in the win. Reynolds had 115 yards and a TD on 10 carries, and Gordon had 100 yards rushing on six carries with two TDs.
The Trojans host Sumiton Christian on Thursday night.
At Spring Garden, Chaz Pope rushed for 141 yards on 15 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown in the first quarter, of the Panthers’ 21-0 victory over Hokes Bluff. He also completed 8-of-14 pass attempts for 95 yards in the win.
The Panthers (4-1) host Gaston for homecoming on Friday.
In Collinsville, Sand Rock’s Ace Ashley completed 16-of-23 pass attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns (35 and 46 yards) in the Wildcats’ 28-7 victory at Collinsville. His top target was Logan Crider, who caught six passes for 128 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.
Sand Rock (4-1) travels to Locust Fork on Friday.
At Piedmont, the Bulldogs rallied from 17 points down four different times to win a shootout with Jacksonville, 55-45.
Quarterback Jack Hayes ran for 148 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns (2, 24, and 1 yard). He was also 16-of-22 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns (15 and 11 yards) for 338 total yards.
Brayden Morgan gained 184 yards on 12 rush attempts with two touchdowns (21 and 7 yards), but the game wasn’t officially sealed until Omarion Foster returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the game. Foster also caught an 11-yard touchdown pass.
The Bulldogs (5-0) travel to Ohatchee on Friday.
In Centre, the Warriors blew past Coosa, Ga. 53-0 on their homecoming. Quarterback Cade Hopper completed 9-of-10 pass attempts for 111 yards and a 26-yard touchdown. He also sneaked in from the 1 for another score.
Tae Diamond recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, and Jack Amos returned a punt 31 yards for another score in the Warrior win.
Cherokee County (4-1) hosts Munford on Friday.
In other statewide happenings, two receivers made a big impact on both sides of the football during last week as the AHSAA closed out Week 5 of the 2021 season. Both players, New Brockton senior Trey Boland and Blount receiver Tyler Beverly played major roles in helping their teams post victories and share this week’s AHSAA High School Football Spotlight.
Boland, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior, intercepted a W.S. Neal pass at the 3-yard line from is defensive back position with 10 seconds left to preserve a 30-26 comeback win for the Gamecocks (4-2). He also caught nine passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns at wide receiver to spark New Brockton, coached by Zachary Holmes.
The Gamecocks trailed 26-8 in the third quarter when senior quarterback Brayson Carr and Holmes hooked up to start the comeback effort.
Carr finished the night 17-of-36 passing for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
Beverly, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior defensive back/receiver for the Leopards (2-4) of Coach Dedrick Sumpter, became the first player in the AHSAA to swipe four interceptions in a single game since 2018, according to the AHSAA Record Book to help Blount shut out Mary Montgomery 21-0. He also had six tackles on defense and caught five passes for 103 yards and a TD on offense.
The last time a player had four interceptions in one game came in the Class 1A state playoffs in 2018 when Joseph Hanson had four picks in a 41-27 win over South Lamar.
Four players hold the state record (5) – Tuscaloosa County’s Justin Little (2014); J.B. Pennington’s Devyn Murphree (2006); Meek’s Phillip Williams (2001); and Georgiana’s Charlie McCoy (1981), who had four of his picks in one quarter in a 26-14 win over Florala in ’81.
The two-way player efforts edged out a school record-setting effort by quarterback Jake Smithson of Brookwood and a sensational night by Baldwin County quarterback Ty Mims.
Brookwood’s Smithson had 411 total yards to lead the Panthers (1-5) to a 76-35 win over Sipsey Valley. He had 25 rush attempts for 264 yards and four touchdowns and completed 7-of-8 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns – accounting for six TDs overall.
Teammate Carson Capps added 152 yards rushing and two scores on 18 carries. The 76 points scored set a new school record breaking the old mark (66) set in 1953 against Tuscaloosa-Montgomery High School in a 66-7 win.
Mims totaled 392 yards and also accounted for six touchdowns. He passed for 215 yards and three TDs as the Class 6A Tigers beat Class 7A Foley 49-28. His TD connections covered 85 yards to Ky McNulty, 11 yards to Hunter Thomas and 37 yards to Zeke Palmer. He also rushed 12 times for 178 yards and TDs of 27, 63 and 85 yards.
MILESTONES
WALTER TAYLOR III, JACKSON: Connected on 17-of-23 pass attempts for 349 yards and four touchdowns as Jackson beat rival Thomasville 41-21 in the 94th meeting of the series which started in 1916 with a 0-0 tie. The Aggies hold a 49-39-6 edge in the series.
ELI JACOBS, BOAZ: Ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns (1 and 8 yards) on 22 rush attempts as Boaz beat Albertville 35-21 in the 81st meeting between the two schools from Marshall County. Albertville owns a 57-23-1 edge in the series which has been played annually since 1952. The first game of the series was played in 1938 with Boaz winning 13-0.
In other top performances reported this week:
RUSHING
GAGE ALEXANDER, HUBBERTVILLE: Rushed 19 times for 269 yards and three touchdowns and teammate Greyson Key added 169 yards and two scores on 14 tries in a 51-24 win over Hackleburg.
JEREMIAH COBB, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Scored on his first carry in the second half on a 68-yard run and finished with 263 yards and two scores on 23 rush attempts as the Knights (6-0) beat Montgomery Academy 42-0.
EMMANUEL HENDERSON, GENEVA COUNTY: Ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 26-25 loss to rival Geneva.
FORTUNE WHEELER, EAST LIMESTONE: Managed 30 carries for 239 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-28 loss to rival West Limestone.
JAHKOBE SHAW, WILLIAMSON: Rushed 30 times for 224 yards and touchdown runs of 5, 1, and 65 yards in the Lions’ 39-22 win over Charles Henderson.
COLE BLAYLOCK, UMS-WRIGHT: The Bulldogs’ running back gained 151 rushing yards and scored twice on 24 carries in a 23-15 win at T.R. Miller. He finished with 221 all-purpose yards and now has more than 500 yards rushing and eight touchdowns this season.
JORDAN SMITH, ARITON: Rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in a 38-28 win over Slocomb. Both of Smith’s TDs were 2-yard scores.
MYKEL JOHNSON, ENTERPRISE: Rushed 11 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats (5-1) downed Fort Walton Beach (FL) 64-59. In the process, he became the first Wildcats’ running back to gain over 200 yards in a single game. Enterprise finished the night with 538 rushing yards overall.
COLLIN MOON, ONEONTA: Picked up 211 yards rushing on 17 carries, caught three passes for 15 yards and also had seven tackles on defense as the Redskins beat Susan Moore 40-0.
JAY LOPER, BAYSIDE ACADEMY: Rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in the Admirals’ as Class 3A Bayside Academy defeated Class 5A B.C. Rain.
DEMARCUS LACEY, PLEASANT GROVE: Ran for 197 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries to lead the Spartans past Central-Clay County 35-3.
LOGAN PATE, GUNTERSVILLE: Ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in a 44-21 win over Madison County.
BRAYLON McREYNOLDS, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Picked up 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns (3, 51, 80 yards) in less than a half of action as the Yellow Jackets beat Murphy 38-0.
LANDON YOUNG, SWEET WATER: Had 17 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown in Sweet Water’s 41-26 victory over Leroy.
ERIC FUQUA, LAUDERDALE COUNTY: Rushed for all five of the Tigers’ touchdowns (34, 4, 1, 4 and 9 yards) in a 33-8 win over Rogers.
TAJ MORRIS, JACKSONVILLE: Ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and also caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in the Golden Eagles’ 55-45 loss at Piedmont.
PASSING
PRESTON STOKES, CALERA: Completed 12-of-15 passes for 311 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 58 yards on six attempts as the Eagles downed Pell City 56-21.
IAN SENN, ARITON: Completed 22-of-31 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns in the Purple Cats’ 38-28 win over Slocomb. Senn’s TD passes covered 35, 32 and 33 yards.
JIM OGLE, JACKSONVILLE: Completed 11-of-25 pass attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns in the Golden Eagles’ 55-45 loss at Piedmont.
CADEN CHILDERS, BREWER: Was 28-of-44 passing for 255 yards and one TD in a 49-13 loss to Arab.
BLAKE JOHNSON, FAYETTE COUNTY: Passed for 252 yards and two touchdowns on a 9-of-16 passing effort as the Tigers beat South Lamar 21-7. He had one TD throw covering 91 yards.
GABE REYNOLDS, SARALAND: Completed 19-of-21 passes for 249 yards and two TDs in Saraland’s 52-7 win over Davidson.
JAMES ED JOHNSON, ARAB: Directed the Knights (5-1) to scoring drives of seven seconds, 11 seconds and 30 seconds as Arab beat Brewer 49-13. Exiting late in the second quarter, Johnson was 7-of-7 passing for 92 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards on three carries with a 26-yard scoring dash. Back-up QB Aidan Cox was 5-of-5 passing for 59 yards and one score. Arab finished 12-of-13 overall for 151 passing yards.
KAHLEEL JOHNSON, HOUSTON COUNTY: The Lions’ quarterback completed 6-of-10 passes for 234 yards with four touchdowns in Houston County’s 50-26 win over Ashford.
JAYLEN GATES, CHICKASAW: Was 6-of-11 passing for 221 yards and four touchdowns as the Chieftains beat Southern Choctaw 56-6.
KADYN MITCHELL, HOUSTON ACADEMY: Was 9-of-10 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns in HA’s 49-0 win over Florala. All three TDs were to Will Wells, who caught four passes for 128 yards.
HAYDEN GARRISON, CHELSEA: Completed 16-of-24 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns and added a running score in the Hornets’ 31-28 victory over Pelham.
BRAYDEN KYLE, DECATUR HERITAGE: Passed for 212 yards, rushed 105 yard and accounted for seven touchdowns in a 55-14 win over Woodville. He fired five TD passes and rushed for two scores in the game.
CADEN BURNETT, FALKVILLE: Was 7-of-8 passing for 211 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-7 win over Cold Springs.
KEYSHAW COLE, CARROLL: In just one half of football, Cole threw five touchdown passes and rushed for a sixth score in the Eagles’ 49-6 win over Pike County. He completed 10-of-12 passes for 175 yards and his only carry went for a 16-yard TD. The Eagles didn’t have an offensive snap in the second half as a running clock was used.
RYAN SKINNER, CULLMAN: The Bearcats’ quarterback ran for 85 yards and passed for 82 yards in just three quarters a 49-7 win over Mars Hill Bible. He scored on runs of 16 and 62 yards and directed an offense that amassed 406 total yards and scored on all six possessions with him at QB.
JUSTIN ADAMS, CITRONELLE: Adams passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in Citronelle’s win over Alma Bryant. He was 17-of-29 overall for 164 yards. He also added a 7-yard TD run.
PASS RECEIVING
ISAIAH JOHNSON, ARITON: Grabbed 11 receptions for 172 yards with two touchdowns in the Purple Cats’ 38-28 win over Slocomb.
A.J. McCAMEY, DAR: Caught seven passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns in a 58-28 loss to Pisgah.
KENDRICK MOORE, FAYETTE COUNTY: Caught six passes for 146 yards with a 91-yard TD reception as Fayette County downed South Lamar 21-7. He also had an interception on defense.
JUSTIN PEGUES, THOMPSON: Grabbed four pass receptions for 145 yards (36.3 yards per catch) and a touchdown and added two carries for 41 yards (20.5 average per run) to lift Thompson (6-0) to a 50-0 win over Mountain Brook.
JAKHAEL ROWSER, HUEYTOWN: Caught eight passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns and ran nine times for 62 yards and a score in the win over Athens.
WILL WELLS, HOUSTON ACADEMY: Caught four passes for 128 yards and three TDs in the Raiders’ 49-0 win over Florala.
TOBIAS BURREL, PAUL BRYANT: Had five catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns as the Stampede downed Central-Tuscaloosa 31-7.
DANNY BURNEY, BREWER: Hauled in 15 catches for 115 yards in the Patriots’ 49-13 loss to Arab.
JON-MICHAEL KLINNER, BROOKWOOD: Caught five passes for 110 yards and a TD in the Panthers’ 76-35 win over Sipsey Valley.
ISAIAH LATTIMORE, WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN: Caught five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns (45 and 25 yards) in a 23-20 win over Lawrence County.
DEFENSE
LUKE HODGE, ONEONTA: Recorded 17 tackles in a 40-0 triumph over Blount County rival Susan Moore.
TREY JENNINGS, OPP: Recorded 12 tackles in the Bobcats’ 42-0 shutout win over Covington County rival Straughn.
C.J. CARROLL, COTTONWOOD: Totaled 11 tackles in the Bears’ 28-26 double overtime win over Northside Methodist. Carroll and teammate Ethan McCardle combined to stop Northside Methodist’s two-point try on the game’s final play to preserve the two-point win.
KELBY COLLINS, GARDENDALE: Totaled 11 tackles, including two for losses, as the Rockets blanked Shades Valley 33-0.
T.J. DUDLEY, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Registered 10 tackles, 2.5 for losses, as the Knights (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 42-0 win over Montgomery Academy.
KAM CHAMBERS, ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL: Made two key stops on fourth-down plays and thwarted scoring opportunity with an interception in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats edged Millry 24-17. The two-way standout also anchored St. Luke’s offensive line.
KEMARIUS HORNE, CENTER POINT: Despite playing with a cast, Horne picked off two game-changing passes in the Eagles’ 32-22 win over Anniston.
WALKER HOYLE, HARTSELLE: Had two interceptions on successive possessions, returning one for 29 yards and a touchdown, to lead the Tigers to a 58-21 victory over previously unbeaten Russellville.
LUTHER WATKINS, PAUL BRYANT: Returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown in a 31-7 win over Central-Tuscaloosa.
CONNER GOODSON, RANDOLPH: Recorded an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in a 35-0 win over Westbrook Christian.
JOSEPH ROBERTO, HELENA: Had seven tackles and a fumble recovery on defense and ran for both overtime touchdowns in a two-overtime 41-35 win over McAdory.
JOSHUA GIFFORD, COTTAGE HILL CHRISTIAN: Had two sacks and two interceptions in his team’s 28-21 victory over LeFlore.
PAUL THOMPSON, HOOVER: Intercepted a Prattville pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown to spark the victory, adding four tackles on defense in Bucs’ 35-16 win over the Lions.
SPECIAL TEAMS
JAYLEN MURRY, WICKSBURG: Returned the game’s opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to set the tone in the Panthers’ 17-6 win over Rehobeth. Murry also rushed for 106 yards on offense.
SAM BARNES, WHITESBURG CHRISTIAN: Blocked a punt and returned it for one touchdown and also picked off a pass on defense and scored another TD I a 61-14 Warriors win over Shoals Christian.
DANTE SNODGRASS, JAMES CLEMENS: Scored on a 94-yard kickoff return and a 65-yard touchdown catch in a 55-15 win over Lee-Huntsville. He finished with 97 rushing yards on nine carries and caught three passes for 98 yards.
ANTHONY JOHNSON, MIDFIELD: Returned a kickoff 55 yards for one score, completed 7-of-11 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-0 win over Tarrant.
NATE ZILLS, CULLMAN: Booted a season-high 7-of-7 extra points with one onside kick-off recovered successfully leading to a TD on the next play. Cullman also improved to 7-1 in its last eight games at Oliver Woodard Stadium dating back to the 2020 season.