By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
AUBURN – Cherokee County is used to the punishing running style of junior Jacob Cornejo, but on Friday afternoon, another player who wears No. 9 demonstrated how hard he was to tackle.
Andalusia senior Dorian Crittenden posted 246 yards on 31 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a 28-7 victory in the Class 4A state title game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was the school’s first football championship since 1977 and it capped a 14-1 season.
“This has been something 45 years in the making,” Andalusia coach Trent Taylor said. “I can’t say enough about this group. I think it’s just our mental toughness. To be down three weeks ago 21-0 (at Anniston) at halftime, and then play a team in the fourth round that beat you soundly (Montgomery Catholic), for these guys to do what they’ve done over the course of the year but certainly through the course of the playoffs has just been remarkable.”
Crittenden earned the game’s Most Valuable Player honor.
“This is the biggest game I’ve ever played in. I don’t even have the words. I’m just so happy,” said Crittenden, who scored both his touchdowns in the second half on runs of a yard near the end of the third quarter and two yards with 6:55 remaining in the fourth to put the game away.
But before Crittenden’s second score, the Warriors (12-3) had a chance to potentially make it a one-score game.
With Andalusia ahead 21-7 early in the fourth quarter, Cherokee County had moved the ball down to the Bulldog 26-yard line. The Warriors moved into scoring position on back-to-back Cade Hopper-to-Alex Johnson completions that covered 23 and 19 yards.
Hopper attempted a third straight pass on the drive, but Bulldog sophomore defender Xavier Marshall intercepted the pass to end the drive.
Andalusia then ate up over 4 ½ minutes on their final touchdown drive following the turnover, in which Crittenden carried the ball six times. His last carry for a 2-yard score put the Bulldogs up three touchdowns.
“We were down two scores so we needed to sling it around a little bit just to loosen them up,” Warrior coach Jacob Kelley said. “Cade just kind of pressed a little bit there. Nobody wanted to throw that thing in the end zone more than he did. The kid made a good play. Hat’s off to them. They executed a little bit better.”
“For him to even be part of the coverage is kind of a unique call for us to be quite honest,” Taylor said of Marshall’s interception. “We were in a simple Cover 3. He was responsible for the flats. Sometimes it’s not what you do as a coach, it’s what the kids do.”
Andalusia took a 7-0 lead with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter on quarterback Jack Lathrop’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Denson. Lathrop completed 9-of-13 pass attempts for 107 yards and the score.
The Bulldogs were looking to extend their lead early in the second quarter. They marched down to the Warrior 15, but a high snap on a first-down play resulted in a 14-yard loss. On the play, Warrior junior defensive back Jeb Crane suffered an ankle injury. He had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.
“They reset his ankle on the field,” Kelley said. “He dislocated it. We had a similar injury at practice last year. I know it’s stable. They’re going to do what they need to do to get him on track. I promise you he’s a tough kid. The one last year was around two months, I think 12 weeks. I know he’ll be ready to roll come baseball season.”
When play resumed following Crane’s injury, the Bulldogs later attempted a 45-yard field goal, but Cason Clarke’s attempt was no good.
The Warriors then put together their only scoring drive to tie the game. They marched 80 yards in 11 plays, capped off by Cornejo’s 1-yard run. Will Frampton’s extra point tied the game at 7.
Andalusia regained the lead on its ensuing drive. Four straight Crittenden runs went for 60 yards to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Zerrick Jones, giving the Bulldogs a 14-7 edge with 2:42 remaining in the first half.
On their ensuing possession, the Warriors drove down to the Bulldog 19, but had to settle for a 36-yard Frampton field goal attempt with 23 seconds to go in the half. The kick was no good, keeping the score at 14-7 in favor of Andalusia.
The Warriors appeared to catch a break on Andalusia’s first possession of the second half. Junior defensive back Haden Wheeler looked as if he picked off a Lathrop pass at the Bulldog 35, but upon further review, officials ruled the pass was incomplete.
After both teams traded punts, the Bulldogs put together a scoring drive before the end of the third quarter. Crittenden accounted for all 32 yards on a four-play drive, which culminated in his 1-yard score to put Andalusia up 21-7.
Crittenden scored again in the fourth for the final.
Hopper completed 6-of-13 pass attempts for 101 yards. Cornejo collected 87 yards on 18 carries. He finished the season with 2,580 yards and 33 touchdowns.
“It’s been a good year. I think we exceeded expectations,” Kelley said. “A lot of thanks to my seniors. I just said goodbye to those guys, so it’s tough. It’s hard to talk about.
“I told them early on in the summer if you want to set a place on fire, be ready to roll against Trion (in the first game of the season). They went to work in the off-season program, and we were ready for it. From day one, it’s been a blessing. They’ve been so much fun to coach. They allow us to coach them hard, love them hard. It’s a big family. I spend a lot of time with them. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch, a better city, a better community, than what I’ve got.”
Kelley also said he’s looking forward to the future.
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. That’s exciting to me,” he said. “Now that I’ve been here and kind of experienced this, I know what to do different, but hat’s off to Andalusia. They’ve got a great team. They did the things they needed to do to win this one, so congratulations to them.”
