Staff Reports
GADSDEN – Despite losing six of their first seven games of the 2025 football season, the Sand Rock Wildcats have turned things around. They won their second consecutive game Friday night and also clinched a playoff berth with a 44-28 Class 2A, Region 7 victory at Gaston.
The Wildcats (3-6, 3-3) will travel to Region 8 champion Red Bay (8-1) when the state playoffs begin on Nov. 7. Sand Rock closes out its regular season next Friday at Whitesburg Christian.
Coming off an 8-passing touchdown performance a week ago against Cedar Bluff, Alec Ashley led the Wildcats by completing 21-of-36 pass attempts for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Ryker Woodall was his top receiver with seven catches for 87 yards and a score.
Landon Chadwick got the Wildcats going with his 25-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give them an early 6-0 advantage. Chadwick finished with 75 yards on three carries with two scores.
Sand Rock built an 18-0 lead in the first quarter before Gaston (1-8, 0-6) scored its first touchdown in the second on a 2-yard run. Following a 2-point conversion, the Bulldogs trailed 18-8 at halftime.
Gaston tightened things up even more early in the third quarter on a 15-yard run to make it an 18-14 game. Following another Ashley touchdown pass, Gaston countered with a 26-yard touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to make it a 25-20 game, but the Bulldogs would get no closer.
Ashley threw two more touchdown passes to build Sand Rock’s lead back up over two scores, then Chadwick put the exclamation point on the game for the Wildcats late in the fourth quarter with his 50-yard touchdown run for the final.
