ALICEVILLE, Ala. — The Aliceville High School football team unleashed its defense on Pickens County on Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets forced three turnovers and rode a big offensive night from Jeremy McMullen en route to a 36-6 victory.
“We played one heck of a defensive game,” Aliceville coach Charles Moody said. “We got a lot of pressure on their quarterback. Our defensive front has really grown up a lot in the last couple of weeks. They played great against Lamar County (in a 12-7 Alabama High School Activities Association Class 3A, Region 4 win). They played great again in this game.”
McMullen rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets. The team’s leading rusher scored on runs of 34, 17, and 9 yards. Jaterrius Steele scored twice on runs of 12 and 17 yards. Syron Clark also scored on a 4-yard run.
Aliceville (6-0) rushed for 245 yards and committed one turnover. Quarterback Santiago Taylor passed for 140 yards.
“When the season began, the offensive line is where we needed a little more experience and depth,” Moody said. “With (McMullen) and (Steele), we got a good combination going and we are doing enough things to keep the other defense off-balanced.”
Pickens County (3-2) was limited to 140 yards of offense. Darrien Latham scored the Tornadoes’ touchdown.
Stephon Dunner, Jakari Garner, and Jamar Richardson each had an interception for Aliceville. Deonte Taylor and Anfernee Mullins each had three sacks to pace the Yellow Jackets’ defensive presence in the backfield.
Aliceville (2-0 region) will play host to Greene County (2-3, 0-3 region) in Class 3A, Region 4 play Friday night.
Pickens County (2-0 region) will play host to Hatch (3-3, 2-1 region) in Class 2A, Region 4 play Friday night.
n Lamar County 29, Sulligent 10: At Vernon, Ala., the Bulldogs continued their mastery with a sixth-straight win in the county rivalry.
“It feels good to win the two county games this season,” said Lamar County coach Ken Adams, whose team beat South Lamar 14-7 earlier this season. “We came out a little tight and it took a while to settle into a rhythm. Defense played well all night, and that is what really gave us a chance to get some things going.”
Lamar County broke a tight game open by scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter. The big catalyst was Cullin Carter, who rushed for 185 yards, including 105 yards in that quarter.
Ty Herron started the scoring with a 14-yard run. Bryce Miles followed with a 16-yard run. Carter scored from 5 yards out to give Lamar County a 22-3 halftime lead.
Alex Wheeler capped the scoring for the Bulldogs with a 14-yard run in the third quarter. Lamar County finished with 325 yards rushing. Herron led the defense with eight tackles and an interception, while Tanner Johnson was in on seven stops.
Sulligent received a 35-yard field goal from Max Ilg in the first quarter and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Gardner to Riley Cagle in the third quarter.
Lamar County (4-1, 1-1 region) will play host to Hale County (1-4, 0-3 region) in Class 3A, Region 4 play Friday night, while Sulligent (2-4, 2-1 region) will visit Cherokee (0-6, 0-2 region) in Class 2A, Region 8 action.
n South Lamar 47, Holy Spirit 6: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Stallions won their second straight with an easy road win in non-region play.
South Lamar coach Shannon McGregory saw his squad build a 34-0 halftime lead. The Stallions have played inconsistently this season. That changed Friday night.
“We feel like we get on the field, we have to play hard do things right and play smart,” McGregory said. “I challenged the team to play all four quarters, and we finally did that. I am pleased with that.”
South Lamar (2-3) finished with 432 yards rushing. Leading the way was Hershel Smith (185 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and Kyle Redmond (125 rushing yards, two touchdowns). Kyle Redmond (21-yard run), Garrett Trull (14-yard run), and Dustin Weathers (12-yard run) also scored for South Lamar.
“We have to cut down on our penalties,” McGregory said. “We are doing some things that can get beat you in games. But, at the same time, we are learning how to win. These players only won three games last year. We are learning how to play winning football.”
South Lamar (1-1 region) will return to Class 1A, Region 6 play Friday night when it plays host to Marion County (3-3, 2-1 region).
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