Just like last year, the contest against PCA had major playoff implications. The loser would be in a deep hole with little hope for the postseason. Also like last year, Alabama Christian (3-2) handled its business and walked away with a convincing win. After falling behind early, the Eagles put an old fashioned whooping on PCA. If there had been a woodshed around in the fourth quarter, you might have seen the Eagles taking their hosts back behind it.
PCA got the ball first and moved quickly down the field as they took advantage of the size of their outside receivers. With 9:30 left in the first the home team led 6-0. ACA’s first possession was a marathon 11-play, 63-yard march that ate up eight minutes of the first quarter clock. The offense converted two third downs and a fourth down on the way to the end zone. Micah Merritt punctuated the drive with a 21-yard scoring run to tie the game 6-6 late in the first. The defense got after it on the Panther’s second drive as Merritt and Keenan McCarthy both had sacks that eventually forced a punt.
In the second period things started to get strange with the clock. Before a fourth down, PCA called a timeout with 10:30 left in the second. Five plays later, with one of those plays being an incomplete pass which should have stopped the clock, the Panthers punted the ball back to Alabama Christian with 5:35 left in the half. ACA managed to score to take the lead but again big chunks of time seem to be coming off the clock. Ethan Dabney scored on a 39-yard run with 1:42 left in the half for a 12-6 lead. PCA then made a crucial mistake as they fumbled deep in their own end to give the Eagles another chance to score. Levi Summers recovered the fumble on the PCA 26-yard line with 1:22 left. Christian Snipes scored from 4 yards out with 29 seconds left to build a 19-6 lead heading into halftime. At the break, it was rumored a Go Fund Me was set up for remedial clock operating lessons to help with future games.
The Eagles would get the ball to start the second half and hoped to take control with an early score. After two pitiful onside kick attempts, ACA took over on its opponent’s 48-yard line. Three different runners carried the ball over five plays as the offense found pay dirt to take a 26-6 lead. Mekhi Gardner had a 23-yard scoring romp for the first points of the half. To PCA’s credit, their team responded with an 11-play, 72 yard drive to cut the margin to 26-13. Micah Merritt made sure the momentum did not stay on the Panther’s side as he rumbled 53 yards to the PCA 26-yard line on the first play of the next possession. Four plays later, David Johnson hit a 30-yard field goal to give ACA a 29-13 lead with just over two minutes left in the third. PCA turned it over on downs with 10:28 left in the game to start ACA’s next drive.
Teilan Tyson-Long hit the PCA defense with lightning as he ran for 16 and 35 yards, respectively, on the first two plays of the Eagle drive. Micah Merritt delivered the thunder as he scored two plays later to extend the lead to 36-13. The Panthers seemed uninterested in fielding the next kickoff and when they finally did, they fumbled and Noah Shack came up with the ball for the good guys. With 4:48 left in the game, the night was over for a number of starters including QB Christian Snipes. Even with the backups, ACA scored again as Tyson-Long had a six-yard score for a 43-13 lead. On the next play from scrimmage for PCA, Levi Summers took the ball away from the Panther runner and raced 34 yards for another Eagle touchdown. With 3:10 left in the game, Alabama Christian led 50-13. PCA punted the ball back to ACA with just three seconds left in the game. Every coach's favorite play, Victory formation, was executed and the Eagles left Prattville with a ‘W’.
The ground game was king on Friday night as ACA racked up 285 rushing yards and needed to throw just nine passes all night. Micah Merritt led the rushers with 137 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Ethan Dabney had three carries for 63 yards and a score while Teilan Tyson-Long had 53 yards on six attempts and a touchdown. Mekhi Gardner and Christian Snipes also had rushing touchdowns. Snipes finished 5 of 8 for 50 yards passing. Beau Gainey and Tyson-Long both had two receptions to the receivers. On defense, Merritt had seven tackles and a sack to lead the way. Noah Shack and Aiden Whiten both had five tackles while Kennan McCarthy, Jackson Burton-Elayihan, and LaDarius Walters all had four tackles.