Week 6 Spotlight Shines Brightly On Central-Hayneville;
Lions Snap 56-Game Winless Streak With Victory Over Zion Chapel
Jaquez Bolling returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown and caught a 30-yard touchdown pass Friday night to lead Central-Hayneville to a 38-12 win over Zion Chapel at Greene Memorial Stadium in Jack. It was the first time Bolling and his teammates had experienced the thrill of victory.
The win snapped the state’s longest winless streak at 56 games dating back seven seasons to 2007 and grabbed the AHSAA Spotlight for Week 6 of the 2013 prep football season.
The school’s last victory came over Francis Marion 34-26 in a game played in Marion Oct. 12, 2007.
Lions head coach James Bibb said his team had persevered long enough.
“My hat goes off to the boys,” Bibb, in his second season as head coach, told the Troy Messenger. “They stayed with me and I stayed with them. We worked hard every single day to get to this moment. We have had our back against the wall so many times over the last couple of years and they never quit believing. They are so special to me.”
The state record is 70 losses set by R.C. Hatch from 1997-2005. Clayton lost 56 in a row from 1994-99 – a streak that extended to 69 after Clayton merged with Louisville to form the current Barbour County High School.
Central, located in the farming community of Mosses just east of Hayneville, lost all its equipment in a fire that destroyed the team’s field house in 2009. Many schools across the state came to their aid, however, and a new field house has since been constructed.
The monumental win edged out several key performances for this week’s spotlight, including a 400-yard rushing performance, a 400-yard passing performance and a dominating team defensive effort in a battle of Class 6A undefeated teams.
Quenton Samuel of W.S. Neal piled up 410 rushing yards on 23 carries and scored five touchdowns in a 46-8 win over Excel. His five TDs accounted for 272 of the yards and covered runs of 74, 17, 60, 52 and 69 yards. It was the first 400-yard effort since Brandon Burks’ 411-yard effort for Daleville in 2011.
Houston County’s Cooper Sellers, who missed practice earlier in the week to attend the funeral of his older brother, completed 21-of-27 passes for a career-high 401 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions beat Ariton 32-8. Sellers also rushed for one score in the win. His favorite targets were Rayshon Kennedy and Jarvis Whyte. Kennedy had 11 catches for 174 yards and Whyte caught six passes for 149 yards and a TD. Whyte also returned a punt 80 yards for a TD and had two interceptions to help secure the win.
And at Hoover, the defending Class 6A champion Bucs (6-0) won their 21st game in a row with three interceptions and a kickoff returned for touchdowns in a 48-7 victory over Bessemer City (5-1).
Senior standout cornerback Marlon Humphrey returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a TD to set the pace. Defensive back P.J. Hall returned the first pick 45 yards for a score in the opening quarter, followed by defensive end Malcolm Cox’s interception return of 21 yards before the half ended. Tyren Spurling closed out the defensive scoring with a 58-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.
MILESTONES
Coach Buddy Anderson, Vestavia Hills: Recorded the 302nd win of his prep coaching career as Vestavia Hills beat Woodlawn 42-21. The victory ties Anderson with retired Luverne Coach Glenn Daniel, who won 302 games in his career to rank first in the AHSAA with career victories. Anderson is currently 302-123 in a career that has spanned 36 seasons and five decades dating back to 1977. All his wins have been at Vestavia Hills.
Danny Horn, Benjamin Russell: Notched the 250th win of his prep career with the Wildcats' 42-13 win over Russell County. Horn's career record is now 250-66 with 225 wins coming at Clay County and the last 25 coming at Benjamin Russell.
Colbert County High School: The Indians (6-0), who have six state championships to their credit, also have 600 victories after beating Lauderdale County 24-7 at C.T. Manley Stadium in Leighton. Senior running back Ryan Carpenter led the way with 208 yards rushing and one touchdown on 29 carries. Colbert County, 600-342-23 dating back to 1915, is just the ninth school in AHSAA history to register 600 all-time wins.
T.R. Miller, with 632 wins, is the leader followed by Deshler (623), Oneonta (615) and Fayette County (615), Enterprise (614), Benjamin Russell (604) and Bessemer City (604) and Thomasville (603). Decatur, with 595 wins, is next in line.
Wilbur Jackson Jersey Retired: Carroll High School retired Wilbur Jackson’s No. 42 jersey prior to its 31-26 win over Marbury at Eagle Stadium in Ozark. Jackson, who was the first black high school football player to sign a football scholarship with the University of Alabama, was a standout end and return specialist for Coach Tom McClendon’s Eagles. His last season was 1969. Jackson went on to a stellar college career that culminated with his selection as captain of the 1973 team. He then played nine years in the NFL, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1974.
Other highlights reported from Week 6:
PASSING
Chandler Taylor, Alabama Christian: Was 14-of-15 passing for 356 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-8 win over Bullock County.
Kordell Rudolph, Etowah: Was 14-of-21 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-20 loss to Scottsboro.
Kaleb Barker, Priceville: Completed 8-of-15 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 119 yards and two more scores on 13 carries in a 42-13 win over East Lawrence.
Brody Meeks, Lynn: Totaled 427 yards, completing 16-of-30 passes for 249 yards and two TDs and rushing for 178 yards and three more touchdowns on 19 carries in a 78-38 loss to Marion County.
Mickey Forrest, Spain Park: Completed 17-of-29 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns as the Jaguars (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 28-17 win over Thompson. Otis Harris had four catches for 95 yards and two TDs (24 and 52 yards) and Dalton Brown added TD catches of 57 and 28 yards.
Sebastion Fendley, Good Hope: After missing two games with a broken left forearm, the senior quarterback returned in top form, completing 9-of-13 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 118 yards on five carries with a 61-yard TD run in a 49-21 win over Danville. The Raiders rolled up 19 first downs and 610 total yards with 297 passing and 313 rushing.
Aaron Gaines, Midfield: Was 14-of-22 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns (30, 15 and 58 yards) and also had a fourth TD rushing on a 7-yard run as the Patriots beat Montevallo 69-6.
Jacob Carroll, Mountain Brook: Completed 15-of-23 passes for 201 yards and two scores and rushed six times for 77 yards and two more TDs in a 35-7 win over Carver-Birmingham. He finished with 278 total yards.
Garret Lewis, Sipsey Valley: Completed 12-of-16 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to Northside.
Jase Trotter, Oakman: Piled up 271 total yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats' 41-7 win over Sulligent. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 104 yards and a score.
Stetson Payne, G.W. Long: The Rebels’ quarterback accounted for 244 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-0 win over Wicksburg. Payne completed 11-of-15 passes for 172 yards and two TDs and rushed for 72 yards and three scores.
Keilan Knight, Center Point: Completed 12-of-19 passes for 191 yards and a 39-yard touchdown and added 40 rushing yards in a 40-14 win over Pinson Valley.
Michael Barron, Moody: Was 12-of-13 passing for 185 yards with TD tosses of 17, 44 and 11 yards and tacked on a rushing TD as the Blue Devils beat Mortimer Jordan 47-26. Teammate Dee Williams also had 22 carries for 175 yards and three touchdowns (41, 16 and 2 yards).
Drew Guy, Fayette County: Completed all seven passes he attempted for 176 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-20 win over Greene County.
Dalton Cosby, Cedar Bluff: Completed 7-of-16 passes for 174 yards with a TD covering 81 yards to Devante Dixon in a 21-19 loss to Collinsville. Cosby also ran for an 18-yard TD.
RUSHING
Terrance Hollingsworth, Berry: Gained 415 all-purpose yards, 273 rushing and 142 passing, and scored three touchdowns in a 34-26 win over Brilliant. He also had six tackles and an interception.
Ready Swanigan, Marion County: Rolled up 359 all-purpose yards in the Raiders’ 78-38 win over Lynn and went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the process. He had 12 rushes for 157 yards, all in the first half, with TDs covering 25, 40 and 54 yards. He added one pass reception for a 43-yard TD, returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown – also in the first half. His only touch in the second half resulted in a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD on the opening play of the third period.
Marion County also had long TD runs of 80 and 66 yards by Trevor Walker, who finished with 151 yards on four tries, and 55 yards by Jordan Wallace. Wallace also caught a 61-yard TD pass as the Raiders totaled 591 yards overall. Lynn had 490 total yards as the two teams combined for 1,081 yards rushing and passing on the night.
A.J. Travis, Northside: Rushed for 277 yards on 33 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 42-35 win over Sipsey Valley.
Marlon Bridges, Lanett: Ran for 273 yards and two scores on 19 carries in Lanett's 25-14 win over Isabella.
Marvin Davidson, Leroy: Rolled up 262 yards rushing on 28 carries and scored four touchdowns as the Bears beat Southern Choctaw 32-13.
Logan Campbell, Cold Springs: Rushed 28 times for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard sprint, in the Eagles’ 42-22 region win at Francis Marion. The senior also completed both passes attempted for 40 yards.
Caegan Epperson, West End: Ran for a game-high 249 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in the Patriots' 41-14 loss to North Sand Mountain.
Austin Harris, Fairview: Rushed 32 times for 246 yards and two 56-yard touchdowns in the first quarter as the Aggies edged St. Clair County 36-34.
Matt Mullinax, Spring Garden: Rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns (7 and 76 yards) on 21 carries to lead the Panthers to a 47-22 win at Woodville. Teammate Kyle Reece also added 113 yards and two more scores (58 and 6 yards) on eight carries.
Thomas Ozmint, Glencoe: Rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns with runs of 8 and 56 yards in the Yellow Jackets’ 39-28 loss to Saks.
Tyler Thornton, Wenonah: Ran 21 times for 215 yards in the 12-7 win over Central-Tuscaloosa.
Samuel Dixon, Murphy: Had 15 carries for 201 yards and three touchdowns (51, 54 and 19 yards) as Murphy beat Mary G. Montgomery 41-7.
Jordan Bentley, Guntersville: The sophomore had 173 yards rushing on 26 carries and scored twice as the Wildcats rolled up 405 yards on the ground in a 35-13 win over previously unbeaten Sardis. The touchdowns now bring Bentley’s total to 20 on the season. Quarterback Gunner Lemons added 134 yards on 15 carries and junior Lee Menefee scored three touchdowns on four carries.
Dustin Ingram, Fayetteville: The sophomore rushed 23 times for 189 yards and two TDs (10 and 8 yards) as Fayetteville beat Verbena 57-20. Ingram now has 1,000 yards rushing for the season.
Hayes Battles, Houston Academy: Rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, had an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and four receptions for 75 yards in the Raiders’ 40-30 victory over Cottonwood.
Jerod McClure, Good Hope: Rushed 24 times for 177 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-21 homecoming win over Danville. His scoring runs covered 22, 4, 1, 19 and 25 yards.
Darius Davis, Dora: Filling in after Dora's top two offensive threats went down with injury, Davis rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in a 50-27 loss to Bibb County.
Brontae Harris, Hanceville: Ran 17 times for 175 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 27-7 win over Winfield. The junior, who also completed a 25-yard pass to Dant’e Reese in the fourth quarter, scored on runs of 1, 5 and 87 yards.
Garrett Crider, Cullman: Rushed 22 times for 164 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run early in the second half, to lead the Bearcats to a 30-7 victory over Russellville. It was the first-ever victory over Russellville at home in Cullman’s school history.
Blake Devine, Southside-Gadsden: Rushed 12 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns and caught a TD pass in the Panthers' 45-25 win over Arab.
Alex Ignont, Buckhorn: The freshman running back rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns, highlighting Buckhorn’s 22-point fourth-quarter rally with a game-winning 12-yard TD run with 22 seconds remaining in a 35-28 win over Sparkman. Ignont’s 10-yard scoring run with 6:13 left tied the game at 28-28.
PASS RECEIVING
Javon Moore, Elmore County: Caught eight passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns in a 43-42 loss to Handley.
Ben Cagle, Lynn: Caught 10 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 78-38 loss to Marion County.
Sammy Harris, Spanish Fort: Caught seven passes for 156 yards, including the game-changing 57-yard TD pass on a fake punt, in the Toros’ 29-6 victory at St. Paul’s.
Keith Mixon, Shades Valley: Caught five passes for 138 yards and a 69-yard touchdown and added three more scores on runs of 1, 44 and 16 yards as the Mounties (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 42-35 win over Hewitt-Trussville.
Terrell Martin, Moody: Had seven receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns (17, 44 and 11 yards) in a 47-26 win over Mortimer Jordan.
Chris Raper, Good Hope: Hauled in five passes for 124 yards in Good Hope’s 49-21 win over Danville.
Tevin Madison, Fayette County: Caught two passes for 116 yards, including a 54-yard TD, in a 39-20 victory over Greene County.
Jacob Parker, Westminster Christian: Had four receptions for 104 yards and one TD in a 41-12 win over Clements. He also rushed for 82 yards and one score, passed for another TD and registered 12 tackles on defense.
Bailey Strong, Fairview: Caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns (31 and 42 yards), kicked two extra points and had 31 yards on a kickoff return in the Aggies’ 36-34 win over St. Clair County.
Jordan Bishop, Calera: Caught four passes for 102 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown, and scored a 33-yard touchdown on his only rush attempt as the Eagles beat Carbon Hill 83-6.
Denard Spears, Piedmont: Caught three passes for 87 yards with a TD covering 51 yards in a 68-13 win over White Plains for unbeaten Piedmont (6-0). Quarterback Ty Sparks was 5-of-5 passing for 121 yards and two TDs – all in the first half.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Tyari Powel-Welch, Fayetteville: Returned a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and teammate Payton McKee added a 68-yard kickoff return in the second half as the Wolves beat Verbena 57-20.
Rashad Roberson, Oneonta: The senior defensive back had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown and another 65-yard TD return off a free kick in the Redskins’ 51-0 victory over Cleveland. On defense, he had four tackles and broke up two passes.
Darshaun Jordan, Sparkman: Returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and also caught a 15-yard TD pass later in the first quarter in the Senators’ 35-28 loss to Buckhorn.
Jermarcus Brown, Pickens County: Scored on an 80-yard kickoff return, caught a 40-yard pass and had runs of 40 and 22 yards in a 70-6 win over Parrish.
C.J. Savage, Piedmont: Returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown and also caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the Bulldogs' 68-13 victory over White Plains.
Jaylan King, Huffman: Returned a kickoff 90 yards for one score and an interception 50 yards for another TD in the Vikings’ 43-21 loss to Gardendale.
Hakeem Woods, J.O. Johnson: Returned a kick 60 yards for a touchdown and added three more TDs on runs of 1, 6 and 11 yards in a 49-6 win over previously unbeaten Ardmore.
DEFENSE
Brendan Donovan, Enterprise: Registered 15 tackles, including one for a loss, and also recovered a fumble as Enterprise limited Northview to just one third-down conversion on 14 tries in a 38-2 win. Teammate Caleb Butler added 13 tackles and caused a fumble.
Zay Caldwell, Lincoln: Led the Bears to a 37-8 win over Cherokee County with two interceptions, 163 yards rushing and three touchdowns on offense.
Devin Pughsley, Spain Park: The defensive end had four sacks and forced a fumble as the Jags beat Thompson 28-17.
Nick McCallister, Providence Christian: The Eagles’ linebacker was in on 15 tackles, including two for losses, in a 41-18 loss to Samson.
Hunter McEntire, Houston Academy: The Raiders’ defensive standout had 13 tackles in a 40-30 win over Cottonwood.
Rashaan Evans, Auburn: Recorded two sacks and forced two fumbles on defense while also rushing for three touchdowns in the Tigers' 38-20 win over Carver-Montgomery.
Jake Averhart, Corner: Had 14 tackles in the 21-18 win over Oak Grove.
Christien Rogers, Linden: Recorded 13 tackles in a 30-12 win over A.L. Johnson.
Alex Cofer, Good Hope: Had 12 tackles, including three sacks, as Good Hope beat Danville 49-21.
Weston Bonner, Berry: Had 11 tackles and scored three touchdowns in a 34-26 win over Brilliant. Teammate Jeremiah Chaney also had 11 stops for the Wildcats’ defense.
Nathan Young, Hubbertville: Had 10 tackles, including three for losses, in a 27-0 win over South Lamar.
Robert Cooks, McAdory: Had two interceptions and eight tackles as the Jackets beat Fairfield 21-6.
Ben Ivey, Spring Garden: Recovered a fumble and nabbed an interception in the Panthers' 47-22 victory at Woodville.
Colby French, Hale County: Scored on a 95-yard fumble return in a 48-24 win over R.C. Hatch.
Charles Tatro, Hanceville: Had two fourth-quarter sacks for a unit that finished with 12 total tackles for losses and two recovered fumbles as the Bulldogs beat Winfield 27-7.
Paul Hammonds, Tuscaloosa County: Recorded three sacks in a 29-17 victory over Northridge.