REFORM, Ala. — Devonte Simon’s demeanor Friday night fit well with the cold temperatures.
As easy as it might have been to look past an opponent his Pickens County football team had handled in the regular season, Simon didn’t allow his focus or the attention of his teammates to waver one minute.
If the temperatures in the low 30s caused him to shiver, he only had to think back to last season to warm him up. With the memory of a one-point loss to Marion County in the state semifinals fresh in his mind, Simon wasn’t going to let anyone — or any opponent — stand in his way.
Simon set the tone from the jump, rushing for Pickens County’s first two touchdowns en route to a six-touchdown performance that propelled top-ranked Pickens County to a 53-22 victory against Hubbertville in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 1A state semifinals.
“Our main thing was not underestimating them because they are a great team,” Simon said. “We knew if we came out and let them stay in the game, they would mess around and win the game, so we came out with a dominating attitude.”
With the victory, Pickens County (14-0) secured a date against Maplesville at 3 p.m. Thursday at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. Maplesville (14-0) defeated Brantley 31-8 on Friday night.
Simon scored on a 1-yard run to break the seal on the semifinal. He then added touchdown runs of 18, 8, and 76 yards. He also connected with Steffon McCoy on a 21-yard touchdown pass and with Jermarcus Brown on a 35-yard scoring play. Brown joined in on the fun with eight carries for 174 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown run. A 48-yard run by Darrien Latham accounted for the Tornadoes final score on an evening in which they could have named the final margin.
“Last year, we weren’t as focused as were this year,” Simon said. “We weren’t as disciplined and our preparation during the week wasn’t as good as it was now.”
Pickens County remained focused even though it beat Hubbertville 50-0 on Oct. 11. That game was part of a pinball-wizard like regular season that also saw Pickens County score 78 (Lynn) and 70 (Parrish) points. The 22 points Hubbertville scored matched the most allowed by Pickens County this season. Its closest game was a 33-22 victory against Gordo on Nov. 1. Still, the Tornadoes said their focus never wavered.
“We heard it all last year and we saw how that turned out, so coach held that over our head and we didn’t want it to happen again,” Simon said.
A 42-41 loss to Marion County one step away from the state title game haunted Pickens County throughout the offseason. It also served as a wonderful motivator for coach Patrick Plott. Simon said Plott constantly reminded the players of last year. At times, he said Plott would get loud and put the players through conditioning work as a way to snap everyone back to attention.
Simon didn’t need any reminders or attention-getters Friday night. His speed on the ground and the strength of his arm made him a threat to score every play. With Brown by his side ready to deliver another lightning bolt, Pickens County’s quick-strike capability helped put the game away early.
“We never took a team lightly. We just played hard every game,” Brown said.
Brown, who is an Oregon fan, said the Tornadoes played Friday night for Jones. He said Pickens County has the team and the coaches and it is up to them to put it on the field and deliver one more time. He doesn’t think that will be a problem Thursday playing on one of the biggest stages in the state.
“The whole season, we never started off fast until the second half,” Brown said. “Coach gave us a speech today and said if we wanted it that bad that we had to come out and start playing, so that is what we came out and did.”
Plott’s son, Peyton, took part in the postgame festivities, accepting the semifinal plaque near midfield. He then brought the plaque back to where the Tornadoes were gathered and was hoisted into the air as everyone reached into the air in an attempt to touch it. It was a fitting moment of celebration for Plott, who has orchestrated the high-scoring magic in his second stint as coach at the school.
“(Getting a chance to play at Bryant-Denny) means a lot,” Plott said, “not just for me, but for this community, the administration, teachers, players. Everybody put in the work all summer and all year for us.”
Plott never allowed the expectations of another run at a state title weigh his team down. But that doesn’t mean took his foot off the accelerator. In fact, Plott may have been even more demanding in pushing the Tornadoes to remain focused and not to overlook anyone on the road to the University of Alabama. He said the coaches have preached the cliche of taking “one game at a time” to his players all season and working hard every day. He said he never saw any of his players tune him out or lose their focus.
“They knew everyone who came to play us was going to bring their ‘A’ game,” Plott said. “It didn’t matter who it was. We were going to get their best.”
Plott said Pickens County had added incentive Friday night. Earlier in the day, freshman offensive lineman Delvonn Jones and his grandmother were involved in an automobile accident. Plott said the accident happened as Jones’ grandmother was bringing him to the field for the team’s pregame routine. A sign on the fence surrounding the field said No. 60 (Jones) was in the team’s thoughts and prayers.
“When you have one of yours not with you, that gives you extra motivation,” Plott said. “I think it gave the guys a little extra motivation.”
With Simon and 14 other seniors listed on the roster providing motivation, the Tornadoes weren’t going to be stopped.
Senior wide receiver Deonte Simon, who is the brother of Devonte, said Pickens County had to regain its focus in the second round of the playoffs against Addison. Even thought it won the game 38-22, Deonte Simon said the team had to think back to everything it went through last season and in the offseason and play with a purpose. He said the Tornadoes are prepared to do that one more time to realize their goal.
“We have become a better team than we were last year,” Deonte Simon said. “Even though the athleticism was the same, our attitudes and our self-discipline have gotten a lot better. We just do what the coaches tell us and get the job done.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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