From Staff Reports
ALICEVILLE, Ala. – Of all the expectations surrounding the Alabama High School Activities Association showdown between Lamar County and Aliceville, a defensive struggle had to be low on the list.
However, the teams had that.
Jeremy McMullen scored on a 1-yard run with 53 seconds left in regulation as Aliceville rallied to a 12-7 victory in its Class 4A, Region 3 opener.
“The two defenses played outstanding,” Aliceville coach Charles Moody said. “We hit a couple of big gains on our last possession and were fortunate to escape with the win.”
Lamar County (3-1, 1-1 region) took a 7-6 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on a 4-yard run by Alex Wheeler. Wheeler finished with a team-high 68 rushing yards for the Bulldogs.
Aliceville (4-0, 1-0) actually scored on its opening possession as Santiago Taylor led the Yellow Jackets on a 71-yard drive. Taylor hit Jakari Garner on a 4-yard touchdown to cap the drive. The try for two failed but Aliceville still held the lead until the fourth quarter.
“I thought we started out strong,” Moody said. “We had some mistakes on offense and committed some turnovers. However, Lamar County had a lot to do with that. We knew how big a challenge this game would be, so it is good to get region play started on the right note.”
Ty Herron led the Lamar County defense with 12 tackles and an interception.
Aliceville travels to Hale County (1-3, 0-2 region) for another region Friday night, while Lamar County is open.
n Berry 14, South Lamar 12: At Millport, Ala., the Stallions dropped their region opener in AHSAA Class 1A, Region 6 play.
“The team really played hard and competed for four quarters,” South Lamar coach Shannon McGregory said. “However, we just couldn’t keep things going on offense. Our first couple of drives were good but then we will really struggled to move the chains.”
Charleston Hudson rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown to lead Berry (3-1, 2-0). Hudson scored on a 9-yard run in the second quarter. James Raines completed a 2-point conversion pass attempt to Chance Daniels to give Berry an 8-6 lead at halftime.
Daniels hit Raines on a 7-yard pass in the third quarter to up the lead to 14-6. South Lamar (0-3, 0-1) later scored on an 11-yard pass from Kyle Redmond to Hershel Smith. However, the try for two failed with about eight minutes left in the contest.
Smith began the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown for South Lamar in the first quarter.
“Defensively, we played well,” McGregory said. “They have a couple of talented backs but we did a good job of keeping them in check. We also made some big stops to give our offense a chance.”
South Lamar plays host to Meek (1-2, 0-1 region) in another region game Friday night.
n Clarke Prep 27, Pickens Academy 0: At Carrollton, Ala., the Pirates dropped their opener in Alabama Independent School Association Class AA, Region 2 play.
Clarke Prep (1-1, 1-0 region) built a 10-0 lead after one quarter and held that same lead at halftime. The Gators added to the lead with 10 points in the third quarter and a final touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Nick Pope had two rushing touchdowns and a pass receiving score for the Gators. Pope scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and caught an 11-yard touchdown from Marcus Nelson.
Pickens Academy (1-2, 0-1) finished with 178 yards of total offense. Quarterback Joseph McGlawn completed 4-of-14 passes for 96 yards. McGlawn also added 22 rushing yards on eight carries. Landon Hattaway led the team with four rushes for 36 yards. Chance Britt had 11 carries for 14 yards.
Lance Acker caught two passes for 50 yards, while Jordan Davidson caught two passes for 39 yards. Justin Barton led the Pirates with 15 total tackles, while Daniel Powell had 12 total tackles.
Pickens Academy plays at Southern Academy (2-1) Friday night.
n Pickens County 42, Marion 6: At Marion, Ala., the Tornadoes moved to 2-0 in AHSAA Class 2A, Region 4 play with the easy win.
“It was our first road game in region play so it was good go out there and have the kind of start we had,” Pickens County coach Nick Roberson said. “The kids have really responded after the first loss (to Greensboro) with a pair of solid wins. The key to this game was the fast start.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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