Eagles Win Sixth in a Row to Finish Regular Season

Who would have thought that a win over PCA in mid-September would be the start of a six-game winning streak. After a 1-3 start to the season against very tough competition, ACA ran the table the rest of the way to finish the regular season at 7-3. Coach Dockins and his staff deserve a lot of recognition for the turnaround along with the players who just kept working. The 52-21 win over Pike Liberal in the season finale was a great close to the regular season.

Alabama Christian has had some games where they started slow and picked up steam as the game progressed. That was not the case on Friday night. The home team never saw what hit them as ACA had their foot on the gas from the start. The defense turned over the Patriot offense on downs on the opening possession as LaDarius Walters tackled a receiver behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th and 1 attempt. After a pass interference call against Pike Liberal, Mason Henry took to the air again and found Beau Gainey for a 21-yard touchdown. It only took the offense 13 seconds to score its first touchdown of the night. On the next play from scrimmage, under heavy pressure, the Patriot quarterback attempted a pass, although it looked more like a two-handed throw you might see at a soccer game, which Mekhi Gardner intercepted. The offense did not turn the interception into a touchdown, but it did lead to a 25-yard field goal by David Johnson to build the lead to 10-0 with 8:09 left in the first. The defense forced its third turnover in a row on the next series as Levi Summers picked off a pass and raced 60 yards to the house for a 17-0 advantage. The Patriots finally scored on a six-play, 51-yard drive to cut the lead to 10 points with 2:41 left in the opening quarter. ACA scored quickly as Micah Merritt capped an 80 yard drive with a 41-yard run to the end zone on fourth down for a 24-7 lead right before the end of the period.

The second quarter did not bring any better fortune to the Pike Liberal offense. On the first play of the quarter, Aiden Whiten sacked the quarterback causing a fumble which was recovered by Hudson Smith at the Patriot’s 14-yard line. Two plays later. Bryson Dabney scored on a 13-yard run to make the score 31-7 with 10:57 left in the half. LaDarius Walters and Andy Fleming combined on a third down sack to stop the next Pike drive. A 34-yard catch and run by Ethan Dabney highlighted the next Eagle possession. The play gave ACA a 1st and Goal at the 4-yard line. Three plays later, Micah Merritt carried the defense into the end zone on a 3-yard ride to extend the lead to 38-7. The defense forced another three and out to give the ball back to the offense around midfield. Four consecutive completions covering 54 yards from Mason Henry to three different receivers gave the team seven more points. The last two plays were back to back 10 yard receptions by Beau Gainey. With 3:53 left in the half, ACA led 45-7. A Charlie Hibbard third down sack ended the next Pike drive and allowed the offense one last shot at points in the half. Unfortunately, for the Patriots the punt was shanked badly and only netted three yards. The Eagles offense only had to cover 18 yards in just over two minutes to score again. The offense worked the clock perfectly and scored with just eight seconds left in the half for a 52-7 lead. Mekhi Gardner did the honors with a 3-yard scoring run. You know things are in control when the bleacher coaches were not offering their expertise as the clock ran down in the half. Since the locker room was too far away, ACA headed to the corner of the field with a whopping 52-7 lead at the half. ACA’s offense was perfectly balanced in the first half. The group had 141 yards rushing and 140 yards passing in the half.

As you might imagine, the second half moved quickly as a running clock was used for both the third and fourth quarters. ACA used the opportunity to give many of their players real game experience. Carlos Smith carried the load on offense with 13 second half rushes. Even when everyone knew he was getting the ball he still managed a respectable 34 yards on the ground. Inexperienced players and communication issues on defense allowed Pike to score a couple of times in the second half to make the score a little more tolerable. 

LaDarius Walters led the defense with eight tackles and a sack. Mekhi Gardner finished with six tackles and an interception. Charlie Hibbard had two sacks while Aiden Whiten, Andy Fleming, and Landon Widmer each had one. Levi Summers put points on the board for the defense with his pick six. Mason Henry completed 11 of his 12 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Both scoring passes were to Beau Gainey who finished with three catches for 41 yards. Dee Howze also had three receptions for 19 yards. Micah Merritt gained 93 yards on just seven carries with two touchdowns. Gardner and Bryson Dabney both added rushing touchdowns.  

ACA Hammers Trojans in Key Region Contest

Don’t look now, but Alabama Christian is riding a five-game winning streak and has secured a winning season after they thumped St James Friday night, 35-7. A trip to St James is always an adventure, and this year’s game was no different. The festivities started when ACA’s play-by-play team and videographer were kicked out of the pressbox before the game started. The boys couldn’t even get a shout out in the invocation. Maybe investing in some hosting classes might be a wise idea.

Three things stood out in Friday night’s contest: the wind, the defense, and Micah Merritt. The wind played havoc with the passing and kicking games of both teams. Both squads had punts of less than 10 yards while kicking into the wind. The Eagle’s defense brought the pain all night long. They held the Trojans to 101 yards of offense and picked off three passes. The only touchdown surrendered was on a short field after a wind restricted punt. Lastly, there was #7, Micah Merritt. The offense hitched its wagon to the rugged back and he bludgeoned the St James defense for 209 yards on 32 carries and five, count ‘em, five touchdowns.

The two offenses traded punts on the first four possessions of the game and the first period ended with ACA facing a 2nd and 14 on the St James 26-yard line. On fourth down from the same spot, the Trojans were called for pass interference which almost made up for the horrendous missed interference call in the first. The flag set up ACA for a 4th and 1 at the 13-yard line. Everyone in the stadium knew who was getting the ball on fourth down, and he still scored a touchdown to give ACA a 7-0 lead. With the wind at their backs, St James thought they could break out their passing attack on offense. The defense was not impressed. After an incompletion, Mekhi Gardner lit a receiver up on a second down screen to set up a 3rd and 11. Bryson Dabney picked off the third down attempt and returned it to the Trojans 38-yard line. The offense stretched the lead to 14-0 with 7:02 left in the half as they covered the needed yards in eight plays, six of them runs. The defense held St James to a three and out to give the ball back to the offense. A holding call backed the Eagles up to the 14-yard line and forced a punt from the 21 on fourth down. The wind hampered the kick and the Trojans had the ball only 40 yards from the end zone. The home team scored in six plays to cut the lead in half, 14-7, with just 1:34 left in the half. ACA ran out the clock and headed to the locker room with a touchdown lead.

The Eagles were against the wind to start the half. The conditions were so bad, just surviving the quarter would be an accomplishment. ACA not only survived it, they built their lead as well. After both teams swapped punts to start the half, Alabama Christian turned the ball over as an errant snap was recovered by the Trojans at ACA’s 12-yard line. If the home team was ever going to get back in it, the time was now. Instead, Levi Summers picked off a third down pass at the three and returned it out to the 21-yard line. The stunned Trojans were not ready for Micah Merritt to throw the knockout punch. The senior ran for 30 yards on the first play of the drive to stagger the opponent. On the next play, they never saw the uppercut coming as the big man rumbled 49 yards to the house for a 21-7 lead with 1:14 left in the third.

As the fourth quarter started, ACA could smell blood in the water. After a twelve yard punt, into the wind, the Eagles started their next drive on the 37-yard line. Mekhi Gardner provided the big gainer with a 24-yard pick up, but Micah Merritt ran the ball the other six plays of the drive as ACA extended their lead to 28-7 with 8:11 left in the contest. Three plays later, Levi Summers got his second pick of the night to set up the offense at their opponent’s 16-yard line. Merritt scored his fifth touchdown of the night with 5:09 left for a 35-7 advantage. ACA’s offense set up in Victory formation when it got back on the field with just over a minute remaining. Two kneel downs later, and the game was over. 

Keenan McCarthy led the defense with seven tackles followed by Cooper Milner with six. Mekhi Gardner had five tackles and 35 yards rushing while Aiden Whiten and LaDarius Walters both had four tackles. The windy conditions hampered the passing game as Mason Henry threw for 26 yards on the night. Levi Summers led the receivers with two catches for 14 yards.  

Alabama Christian Finishes Home Schedule with a Win

The Friday matinee contest could not have started any worse for the Alabama Christian football team. The Eagles muffed the opening kickoff giving Fort Dale a short field to work with. The offense ran just three plays for minus nine yards over the first 16 minutes of the game. On the flip side, the visiting Eagles ran 18 plays over the same time span. The teams combined for 22 penalties for 164 yards. Eighteen of the flags were thrown in the first half. 

After recovering the ball on the opening kickoff, Fort Dale was only 41 yards away from the end zone. However, they managed to run 13 plays and eat up almost seven and a half minutes of the clock before they scored their only points of the game. ACA’s first possession was over in three plays as they gave the ball right back to Fort Dale. The visitors held the ball for 13 more plays, but could not put points on the board. A missed field goal gave the ball to ACA. Fort Dale drove all the way to the Eagle’s 12-yard, but back to back tackles for loss by Mekhi Gardner made the field goal attempt longer. 

With 7:45 left in the first half, the ACA offense trotted onto the field for its second possession. Micah Merritt got things rolling with a 26-yard run on the first play of the drive. The senior ran the ball on four of the first five plays of the drive to move the ball to the Fort Dale 32-yard line. Facing a 4th and 1 from the 23-yard line, Merritt finished the drive as defenders bounced off of him on the way to the end zone. With 4:37 left in the half, the game was tied 7-7. Landon Widmer set the tone on the next series with a tackle for loss which eventually led to a three and out for FDA. Alabama Christian had 2:50 to navigate 85 yards at the end of the half. Ethan Dabney gained 19 yards despite a holding call downfield to start the march. Mason Henry found Levi Summers for 14 more on the second play and the Eagles had already reached midfield. Five of the next six plays were penalties, two on ACA and three on FDA. The net result was a 1st and 10 for the home team on the FDA 28-yard line. On 2nd and 13 from the 21-yard line, Henry threw to Summers for a six-yard gain. As ACA moved quickly to the line Henry threw a fade to Summers in the end zone. The junior receiver went up to go get it and came down with a foot inbounds for the score. The stunned Fort Dale defense never saw the two-point conversion coming and ACA led 15-7 with 43 seconds left in the half.

The third period was a disaster for Fort Dale as ACA pulled away for a comfortable lead. Throwing caution to the wind on their first series, FDA went for a 4th and 6 on their own 36-yard line. The attempted pass fell incomplete and ACA’s offense had great field position. The Eagles drove as far as the nine-yard line but could go no further. David Johnson hit a 27-yard field goal to give ACA an 18-7 cushion. On the next offensive play for Fort Dale, Cooper Milner intercepted a pass to put the offense right back on the field. ACA scored in three plays as Micah Merritt finished the drive with a three-yard lunge over the goal line to give the Eagles a 25-7 lead. Fort Dale picked up a first down on their next series but quickly found themselves facing another fourth down. Beau Gainey intercepted the fourth down attempt to shut down the drive. Whatever hope might have been left for the visitors after Gainey’s pick disappeared like a puff of smoke as they watched Mekhi Gardner race down the right sideline for a 72-yard touchdown on the very next play. With 2:10 left in the third, ACA led 32-7. The ball stayed on the ground in the fourth quarter as the clock moved quickly. There were only three drives in the period and no points were scored.

After giving up the early score the defense stood tall and performed well all afternoon. Mekhi Gardner led the squad with 12 tackles and a sack. Three Eagles, Aidan Whiten, Levi Summers, and LaDarius Walters each had six tackles. Whiten and Landon Widmer each had a sack while Cooper Milner and Beau Gainey each had a pick. Micah Merritt finished with 98 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns while Gardner had 84 yards on two rushes and a score. Mason Henry was 7 of 11 for 83 yards and a touchdown. Levi Summers had five catches for 56 yards and a score while Ethan Dabney had two receptions for 27 yards.

Eagles Celebrate Homecoming with Win Over Wadley

The fact that Alabama Christian essentially plays all of its football games on the road is generally not a big deal. They do get to play, but not practice, on a new, shiny field and the scoreboard has a lot of bells and whistles on it. I guess that should count for something. However, Homecoming has a different feel to it. Former players, cheerleaders, and band members want to come back to the field they performed on at the campus they attended to relive great memories. Although the field where the Eagles currently play their home games is just across the ditch, it’s not our field at our school.  

A victory on Homecoming night is always sweet, but when it is a come from behind thriller, it’s even better. Wadley is a perennial 1A powerhouse who made it to the State championship game last year. ACA knew this would be a tough matchup and a win would be hard earned. The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and drove 56 yards in nine plays, eating up almost five minutes of game clock to score the first touchdown of the night. After the two-point conversion, Wadley led 8-0. The ACA offense responded with a seven play drive of its own that was capped off by a 10-yard Micah Merritt touchdown run. The big play on the drive was a 17-yard pass from Mason Henry to Ethan Dabney. The Eagles decided to chase the points and went for two, but failed. ACA trailed 6-8 with 3:21 left in the first. Back from his European tour, David Johnson made the ball dance on the onside kick as Alabama Christian recovered the ball on Wadley’s 44-yard line to steal a possession from the visitors. ACA scored in five plays aided by three Wadley offsides calls. Merritt once again took it in, this time from two yards out and ACA led 14-8 after a quarter.

Wadley was on the move again to start the second period. The Bulldogs faced a 4th and 2 at the Eagles 16-yard line and decided to go for it. Cooper Milner made sure the drive stopped there with a tackle for loss forcing a turnover on downs. Mason Henry connected with Levi Summers on two of the first three plays of the next drive covering 64 yards. Once inside the ten, Micah Merritt punched it in to build the ACA lead to 21-8 with 5:16 left in the half. The visitors again drove the ball the length of the field and looked poised to score before the half. The Eagle defense turned them away as they stopped a fake field goal attempt. With less than a minute to go in the half. It would seem the prudent move would be to take a knee and go to the half with a thirteen point lead. Maybe that was Wadley’s thinking, also. The Bulldog defense seemed surprised when Henry threw a quick pass to Bryson Dabney on the left sideline. The senior receiver raced 78 yards before the defense caught him. Once again, the prudent move would be to take the three points from there, but the Eagles scored on the last play of the half on a nine-yard pass from Henry to Summers to take a 28-8 lead to the locker room.

The second half started innocently enough with ACA gaining two first downs on its first drive. As the offense faced a 3rd and 11 at Wadley’s 33-yard line, a bad snap cost the team nineteen yards and forced a punt. The Bulldogs first drive of the second half looked very similar to the one that started the game. Wadley covered 84 yards in seven plays, all runs, to cut the lead to 28-16 with 4:52 left in the third. ACA was forced to punt when snapping disaster struck again. The Eagles lost 37-yards on this snap and gift wrapped a Wadley possession that started on the ACA 5-yard line. Wadley scored three plays later to make it 28-22 with 1:42 left in the quarter.

The fourth period started with ACA’s third straight series with a disastrous snap. This time the loose ball was recovered by Wadley and all the momentum seemed to be on the visitors side of the field. The Bulldogs scored two plays later to retake the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 30-28. With 10:38 left in the game, there was plenty of time left in the game for both teams. Wadley intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop ACA’s next drive with 7:56 left. The defense stood strong and forced a three and out to get the ball back to the offense. With 5:36 left in the game, ACA began its game winning march at its own 48-yard line. Mason Henry hooked up with Ethan Dabney for a 27-yard pass play to start the series. Micah Merritt then ran it four times in a row to make it to the visitor’s 11-yard line. On 3rd and 8, Henry threw to Levi Summers in the end zone for the go-ahead score. With 3:00 left in the game, ACA led 36-30. Three minutes is a lot of time, but tough to manage if you are primarily a running team. Wadley’s first three plays took almost half of the time left in the game. The Bulldogs converted two fourth downs to keep the final drive alive, but in the end turned it over on downs to secure the home team’s victory celebration.

Mason Henry finished the night with a career high 286 yards as he completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts with two touchdowns. Henry’s favorite target was Levi Summers who finished with eight receptions for 112 yards and two scores. Ethan Dabney added four catches for 55 yards. Micah Merritt ran the ball 19 times for 86 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, Summers led the team with eight tackles followed by Keenan McCarthy with six tackles. Cooper Milner and Bryson Dabney both contributed four tackles. 

ACA Crushes Sweetwater in Easy Victory

Friday night, the Alabama Christian football team travelled to Sweet Water, AL, population 228, SA-LUTE! Historically, the Bulldogs have been a 1A powerhouse with a state championship as recently as 2021, but that is not the case this season. ACA overpowered the hapless home team holding them to 25 yards of offense and just two first downs in just over three quarters of play. With a running clock for the entire second half, the game was called with 9:39 left in the contest due to a transformer issue at the field. The score of the game might have had a little something to do with it, too. ACA left town with a convincing 44-0 victory.

Sweet Water started on offense and faced a 4th and 1 at their own 49-yard line. The home team gambled and went for it, but Landon Widmer and LaDarius Walters stopped the runner for no gain to give the offense great field position. ACA threw on its first three plays but gained only seven yards. On 4th and 3, #7 introduced himself to the Sweet Water defense. Micah Merritt rumbled 42 yards to the end zone for the early 8-0 lead. Aiden Whiten’s tackle for loss on first down of Sweet Water’s next possession set the tone for a quick three and out. Once ACA had the ball back, the offense moved 63 yards in six plays for another score. Mason Henry connected with Ethan Dabney on a long pass down the right sideline for a 33-yard touchdown and a 16-0 lead. Whiten and Logan Foster produced another tackle for loss on the next possession to give the ball back to the offense. ACA scored in just three plays as Merritt took it in from 34 yards out for a 23-0 first quarter lead. Max Sanchez kicked the extra point after the score. If you were wondering where our regular kicker is, he is in Sweden playing baseball. That was not on my bingo card for reasons to miss a game.

Keenan McCarthy’s fumble recovery to start the second period provided the offense another chance to score. Mason Henry connected with Levi Summers twice on the drive. The second time was a 12-yard touchdown that Summers just seemed to keep going up to get. With 8:15 left in the half, ACA led 30-0. Sweet Water produced its second first down of the game on the next drive, but a Cooper Milner tackle for loss stalled the drive. The Eagles drove 61 yards on eight plays using just over four minutes of the clock for the last score of the first half. Henry again hit Summers on a 7-yard scoring pass with 1:26 left in the period.

Halftime was more interesting than normal. After the ACA band performed, the PA announcer informed the stadium there was an issue with a transformer on the visitor’s side of the field. All of the lights in the stadium would be momentarily turned off. After ten minutes or so, the crowd was told the game would continue as normal until the workers from Alabama Power arrived. As the teams took the field the two head coaches met with the officials and it was decided to have a running clock for the entire second half. 

Alabama Christian got the ball to start the second half and used it as an opportunity to rest many of its starters. The Eagles had to punt after three plays, but an Aiden Whiten fumble recovery on Sweet Water’s first play of the half, set the offense up at the Bulldog’s 20-yard line. Carlos Smith covered the yardage in two carries, scoring on a 7-yard run to make the score 44-0. Both teams traded punts to end the third quarter. As the clock continued to roll only one play was run in the fourth quarter. Fittingly, it was a tackle for loss by Whiten. With 9:39 left in the game, the Alabama Power workers arrived and the game was called.

Aiden Whiten led the team with seven tackles followed by Mekhi Gardner with five. Logan Foster, Cooper Milner, and Bryson Dabney each had four tackles. On offense, Micah Merritt rushed for 127 yards on just nine carries and two touchdowns. Mason Henry passed for 120 yards, completing 12 of 16 passes with three touchdowns. Ethan Dabney led the receiving corps with five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Levi Summers had four receptions for 30 yards and two touchdowns.

ACA Celebrates Homecoming with Victory Over Slocumb

After not playing a home football game for the last five weeks “Homecoming” took on a whole new meaning for everyone as ACA hosted Slocumb in familiar surroundings. The week ended on a high note as Alabama Christian defeated the visiting Red Tops 35-15. After building a 35-0 lead in the third quarter, the bench was cleared as multiple players saw playing time. Eleven different players carried the ball on the night including center Cam Sutton. I imagine no one had that on their bingo card.  

Slocumb got the ball first and Cam Sutton set the tone for the night as he tackled the ball carrier for a two-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later the visitors punted to ACA for their first drive of the night. The Eagles ran the ball seven times in a row using five different rushers to move the ball to Slocumb’s 16-yard line. An eight yard pass to Teilan Tyson-Long got the Eagles half the way there and Christian Snipes covered the last eight with his legs for a 7-0 lead with 6:17 left in the first. The drive covered 72 yards in nine plays and lasted a little over three and a half minutes. On the ensuing kickoff, David Johnson bounced the ball into the air and Beau Gainey beat the Red Top returners to the spot at the Slocumb 37-yard line to give the ball back to ACA. The offense converted a 3rd and 10 on a 17-yard pass from Snipes to Ethan Dabney to keep the drive alive and Dabney capped the possession with a 2-yard run on 4th and goal for a 14-0 advantage.

Once the Slocumb offense got back on the field, they put together a nice drive and moved the ball to the Eagle 21-yard line. However, that was far as they moved due to a penalty and a 4th down sack by Tydarius Moore. Neither team scored for the remainder of the half as both teams had the ball two more times. Micah Merritt ended the half with a sack on the final play. Although the Red Tops outgained ACA by a wide margin in the second period, they were unable to score.

Bryson Dabney opened the second half with a 27-yard kick return to give the Eagles great field position at the Slocumb 44-yard line. Dabney finished the drive with a 22-yard touchdown reception on the only pass play of the possession. ACA led 21-0 with 8:56 left in the third. The defense forced a fumble on a sack by Tydarius Moore to give the ball right back to the offense at midfield. Facing a 4th and 6 on the Slocumb 14-yard line, Christian Snipes connected with Beau Gainey for a score to push the lead to 28-0. On the second play of the next possession, Keenan McCarthy forced a fumble on a sack at the Slocumb 10-yard line. On 3rd and goal from the five, ACA had a little fun as they ran the Philly Special for a score as Bryson Dabney threw to Snipes for the touchdown. The good guys led 35-0 with 1:35 left in the third.

As the game moved into the final quarter, ACA shuffled a lot of players on and off the field as they substituted freely. Slocumb drove all the way to the Eagle 1-yard line before they were turned away on a 4th and goal. The highlight of the drive was a trick play that gave the Red Tops an apparent touchdown only to have a 10 minute conversation between the officials and the coaches that ultimately waved the score off for an ineligible man downfield. The good news was the defense prevented a score, the bad news was the offense took over on the one. Two plays later, the visitors scored their first points with a safety. Slocumb scored again from the short field after the free kick to cut the score to 35-8 with 7:35 left in the game. The offense did its job by holding the ball for 6:37 before giving it back to Slocumb. The Red Tops scored on the final play of the game for the final 35-15 margin.

Mekhi Gardner led the defense with eight tackles followed by Bryson Dabney with six. Levi Summers and Aidan Whites both added five tackles. Micah Merritt was the team’s leading rusher with 69 yards on nine carries and also had two sacks. Christian Snipes finished with 67 yards on the ground with a touchdown and 74 yards through the air with two touchdowns. Beau Gainey was the top receiver with two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.

ACA Beaten 23-28 at Wicksburg

Although the night didn’t turn out the way the Eagles wanted in a 23-28 Region loss, the players and coaches could hold their heads high as they left the field at Wicksburg on Friday. A couple of times the team could have rolled over and taken the loss as the home team gained momentum, but they fought all the way to the end. Like last week, ACA cut the lead to one score and had the ball late. The reality of the loss means Alabama Christian will miss the postseason for the first time in a decade ending the longest playoff streak in program history.

Friday night’s game was the first with a chill in the air as fall decided to show up and brought some unexpected misty showers with it. The teams had to deal with the light rain for much of the first half. Wicksburg got the ball first and moved on the ground to ACA’s 35-yard line with six consecutive running plays. The Panthers first pass attempt turned disastrous as the ball slipped out of the quarter back’s hand as he prepared to throw. Keenan McCarthy recovered the muffed pass attempt to halt the Panthers drive. The offense took advantage of the miscue and put points on the board in its first drive. The rattled home team helped with two offsides penalties to help the possession continue. Christian Snipes' 14-yard run to convert a third down was the highlight of the drive. The offense stalled at the Wicksburg 21-yard line, but David Johnson nailed a career best 38-yard field goal to give ACA a 3-0 lead with 6:09 left in the first. After the passing mishap, Wicksburg stuck to the ground on its next drive on 13 straight plays. The scoring march ended at the start of the second quarter as the Panthers took a 7-3 lead with 11:10 left in the half. The methodical drive kept the ball away from ACA for a tick under seven minutes.

The Eagles responded to the home team’s score with one of their own. After Micah Merritt converted a 3rd and 1 with a seven yard run, Christian Snipes connected with Beau Gainey on two big pass plays that covered 62 yards in all to set up a first and goal at the 2-yard line. Snipes powered it in from there and Alabama Christian regained the lead 9-7. It looked as if the defense would get the ball back quickly for the offense as Wicksburg faced a 4th and 4 from ACA’s 44-yard line. The Panthers went for it and drew up a play that snuck the tight end out down the middle (ironically his number was 44, that’s a lot of 4’s) which resulted in a touchdown. With 6:20 left in the half, Wicksburg led 14-9. A three and out by the ACA offense gave the ball back to Wicksburg with just over five minutes to go in the half. The Panthers used the opportunity and the clock to perfection as they scored with just 16 seconds left in the half for a 21-9 halftime lead.

ACA started the second half with a three and out on offense and after a very short punt, the Panthers started on the Eagle 35-yard line. It took the home team just one play to score to extend their lead to 28-9 with 10:05 left in the third. The offense answered with a 7-play, 72-yard drive to cut the score to 17-28. Christian Snipes had an eleven yard run to get the drive going and had two important completions. The first was to Gekar Kelly for 28 yards to the Wicksburg 25-yard line. Four plays later he found Ethan Dabney in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. For the second game in a row, Mason Henry found Teilan Tyson-Long on the two-point conversion. After a little confusion about where ACA would kickoff from, David Johnson had a Panther in his sights and he nailed him with a line drive that caromed so hard off him that Ethan Dabney recovered the ball at his own 36-yard line (four yards behind where the kickoff came from). The Eagles moved to the opponent’s 29-yard line, but got no closer and turned the ball over on downs.

Wicksburg’s next possession moved all the way to the ACA 7-yard line. However, the defense did not break and forced a field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. Cam Sutton blocked the kick which allowed ACA to take over on its own 16-yard line. On 3rd and 9 from the 17-yard line, Christian Snipes found Teilan Tyson-Long on a go route for 50-yard pass play to the Panther’s 33-yard line. Reeling from the previous play, the Wicksburg defense never saw the next one coming as Mason Henry lined up at receiver. Snipes handed off to Ethan Dabney on a fake reverse who flipped the ball to Henry for the pass. While all the eyes were in the backfield, no one noticed Beau Gainey 30 yards behind the defense. Henry saw him and the duo hooked up for a 33-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 23-28 after the two-point conversion failed. The Eagle faithful anticipate many more Henry to Gainey scores in the coming years. Alabama Christian did manage to get the ball back with 1:56 left in the game but was unable to take advantage and turned the ball over on downs. The home team kneeled twice and the game was over.

Christian Snipes finished the game 12 of 28 for 217 yards and a touchdown while Mason Henry completed his only attempt for 33 yards and a score. Beau Gainey finished with four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Teilan Tyson-Long also had four catches for 68 yards. Ethan Dabney added three receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Mekhi Gardner was the team’s top tackler with 11 followed closely by Micah Merritt with 10 and Levi Summers with nine. Aidan Whiten finished with seven tackles while Bryson Dabney and Cooper Milner both had six.

Eagles Lose Important Region Game at Houston Academy

If Alabama Christian wanted to keep their postseason streak alive, conventional wisdom was the Eagles would need a split in their two road trips to Houston Academy and Wicksburg. On paper, Houston Academy looked like the easier team to beat, but ACA fell short 14-21 on Friday night. While they can still attain their goal, the path is much harder now with a must-win at Wicksburg next week.

The defense did everything it could to keep the Eagles in the game against Houston Academy without much help from the other phases of the game. Special teams allowed two punts to be blocked which set up scoring drives of 4 and 28 yards, respectively, for the Raiders. After no first downs and only 25 yards of offense in the first half, the strategy turned to throwing deep in hopes of some explosive plays in the second half. On the two drives a long connection was made, ACA was able to put points on the board.

Both defenses dominated early as the six combined possessions in the first period ended with a punt. Although the teams were trading punts, Houston Academy had the field advantage. ACA started the second quarter on its own 20-yard line after a touchback from a punt. After an incomplete pass, Christian Snipes was sacked on second down to give the Eagles a 3rd and 21 from the 9-yard line. Back to back pre-snap penalties moved the ball to the 2-yard line. The offense gained five yards on third down to set up a punt deep in its own territory. Houston Academy was able to block the punt and recover it on the 4-yard line. Three plays later the home team struck first with a touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 7:52 left in the half. The Raiders scored again with 1:16 left in the second to take a 14-0 lead. The drive covered 56 yards in just four plays. 

Houston Academy got the ball to start the second half and could for all intents and purposes put the game away with a score to start the half. However, the Eagle defense held and gave the offense a chance to cut the lead. On 3rd and 9 from their own 21-yard line, Christian Snipes connected on a 39-yard pass play with Ethan Dabney. A facemask call on the tackle moved the ball to the Raiders 25-yard line. Pass interference on the next play produced another first down at the 13-yard line. Three plays later Snipes ran one in from 4 yards away to cut the lead to 6-14 as the extra point was blocked. The home team geared the offense down and took their time as they kept the ball for the final six minutes of the third quarter. Although they didn’t score, precious time was ticking away.

Houston Academy punted back to ACA to start the fourth period and once again pinned the offense inside their own 10-yard line. Facing a 4th and 7 from the 11-yard line, the Eagles were forced to punt. The Raiders broke through and got a piece of the punt to take over at ACA’s 28-yard line. The home team scored in four plays to extend the lead to 21-6 with 9:21 left in the game. Much to the credit of the players, ACA kept fighting and put together its best drive of the game. The offense moved 67 yards in 9 plays and took just 2:26 to cut the score to 14-21. The big play of the drive was a 36-yard pass from Christian Snipes to Beau Gainey. The duo hooked up again three plays later for another 15 yards to the Houston Academy 3-yard line. Snipes scored on the next play to cut it to a one possession game. The Raiders continued to work the clock as they milked almost four minutes off before punting back to ACA with 2:58 left in the game. The Eagles were 78 yards away from potentially tying the game. The offense made it as far as their own 47-yard line but could not convert a second consecutive fourth down. The home team kneeled in Victory formation one time and the game was over.

Noah Shack led the defense with nine tackles while three defenders, LaDarius Walters, Mekhi Gardner, and Aidan Whiten, each had seven tackles. Cam Sutton and Levi Summers both had six tackles. Christian Snipes finished the night 6 of 19 passing for 117 yards with Beau Gainey being his favorite receiver with three receptions for 60 yards. Micah Merritt was the leading rusher with 23 yards on nine attempts.   

Alabama Christian Overpowers PCA in Region Tilt

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.

Eagles Drop Region Game to Trinity

Unfortunately for the Alabama Christian program, Friday night’s game against Trinity was the same story, just a different chapter. ACA was optimistic coming into the game and although the offense was ineffective in the first half the game was still competitive. However, the visiting Wildcats came out of the halftime locker room and controlled the second half in a 28-0 victory over Alabama Christian. The offense managed just 134 total yards and had only two first downs in the second half.

ACA got the ball first and converted one third down opportunity, but ultimately punted the ball to Trinity. Levi Summers booted the ball 48 yards to the Wildcat 4-yard line. The visitors moved the ball to ACA’s 32-yard line but turned it over on downs as a fourth down pass fell incomplete. After a three and out by ACA, Trinity turned the ball over again in Eagle territory as LaDarius Walters recovered a fumble with 4:48 left in the first period. The home team returned the favor as the Wildcats recovered an ACA fumble at midfield to start the second quarter.

For the third time in a row the Wildcats drove into enemy territory only to come away with no points. This time they missed a 25-yard field goal attempt to keep the game scoreless with 5:34 left in the half. Once again the offense could not move the ball and produced just an 11-yard punt to give Trinity the ball on ACA’s 23-yard line. The visitors did not waste the chance to score this time. The Wildcats scored on its only completed pass of the first half to take a 6-0 lead with 3:18 left in the second. In the second half, Trinity scored touchdowns on its first three possessions while the Eagles had a turnover and two three and outs to essentially end the suspense of the outcome.

The defense was led by Mekhi Gardner with 10 tackles. LaDarius Walters had eight tackles followed by Bryson Dabney with seven. Four Eagles, Noah Shack, Cam Sutton, Jackson Burton-Elayihan, and Aiden Whiten, each had five tackles. Micah Merritt was the team’s leading rusher with 60 yards on eight carries. Christian Snipes finished with 42 yards on the ground and 41 yards in the air. Beau Gainey was the top receiver with four catches for 25 yards.

Alabama Christian Rolls Over Northside Methodist in Region Opener

In a scheduling oddity, Alabama Chrsitian was their opponent’s season opener for the third week in a row. Northside Methodist, out of Dothan, only scheduled Region games this year as the program navigates a shortage of players. The Knights fought hard and had some significant gains on the ground in the first period. However, in the end ACA proved to be too much for the visitors in a lopsided 45-8 contest.

Northside took the opening kickoff and drove to the Eagles 31-yard line before they turned the ball over on downs. It did not take the offense long to find the end zone. On the fourth play of the drive Christian Snipes found Ethan Dabney on a 57-yard catch and run for six points. David Johnson added the first of his six extra points on the night. The Knights second possession made it to the ACA 24-yard line before Levi Summers' interception stopped the drive. Micah Merritt ACA’s second drive with a 71-yard rumble down to the Knight’s 8-yard line. Three plays later Merritt finished the drive from the one for a 14-0 lead with 5:12 left in the first. The defense put together a good series as the momentum was clearly on ACA’s side. A three and out highlighted by a Cayden Meeks tackle for loss gave the ball back to the offense.

The Eagles closed the first and began the second with a methodical 11-play 86-yard drive that ate up 6:52 off the clock to build a 21-0 advantage. The longest play of the series was a 20-yard Christian Snipes run to turn a 2nd and 16 into a first down. Micah Merritt scored his second 1-yard touchdown of the night. Northside turned it over on downs in ACA territory as Aidan Whiten made a fourth down tackle. The home team moved quickly and scored in just 58 seconds as Teilan Tyson-Long went 42 yards for the touchdown to make it 28-0. After forcing a punt, Alabama Christian scored its final points of the half as Snipes found Ethan Dabney for a touchdown for the second time in the game with 1:58 left for a 35-0 cushion.

Mason Henry took the field to guide ACA in the second half as Christian Snipes and many of the starters were given the rest of the night off. The freshman QB gained valuable experience and looked impressive leading the offense. After a good kickoff return by Teilan Tyson-Long, it took the offense only four plays to put points on the board. Henry found Ethan Capps on a short pass and the receiver made his way to the end zone on a 29-yard scoring play for a 42-0 advantage. David Johnson’s 32-yard field goal made it 45-0 and were the last points put on the board by ACA. 

Northside started the fourth period with their only score of the night. They kept the ball on the ground and drove 68 yards in eight plays to cut the score to 45-8 with 9:09 left in the game. The Eagle offense then bled the last nine minutes of the game away as they picked up three first downs and drove to the North Methodist 5-yard line before taking a knee three times in a row to end it.

The offense showed a balanced attack with 237 yards on the ground and 217 yards in the air. They also controlled the clock as they held possession for 35 of the 48 minutes in the game. Christian Snipes had a great first half throwing the ball as he completed 12 of 15 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball five times for 35 yards. Mason Henry had a solid second half as he finished 6 of 6 for 54 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Dabney was the top pass catcher on the night with seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Capps finished with three catches for 36 yards and a score. Micah Merritt was the leading ground gainer with 82 yards on five carries and two touchdowns. Teilan Tyson-Long had two rushes for 55 yards and a touchdown while Carlos Smith gained 43 yards in the fourth period on six carries.

The defense held its opponent to just eight first downs and 148 yards on the night. Nineteen different players recorded tackles on the night as the coaches substituted freely in the second half. Cooper Milner led the team with five tackles while four players, Levi Summers, Aidan Whiten, Tydarius Moore, and Mekhi Gardner, all had four tackles.

ACA Defeats Goshen in Home Opener

The defense we thought we might see last week showed up and dominated in the home opener. The Eagles held the Goshen ground attack to 35 yards and forced four turnovers in a convincing 27-6 victory. All three phases of the game improved over their week one performance.

Neither offense could garner any momentum in the early going. The combined five possessions in the first quarter resulted in two punts, two turnovers, and a blocked field goal. ACA was held to minus two yards of offense in the opening stanza. The highlight of the quarter was the first of two Bryson Dabney interceptions. Goshen began to move the ball to start the second and held possession for over four minutes but eventually had to punt it back to the home team. Alabama Christian’s initial drive of the second period posted the first points of the night as the offense moved 70 yards in eight plays in just over three minutes. The unit overcame three penalties as they moved down the field. Christian Snipes converted a big third down to start the drive as he found Jackson Burton-Elahiyan on an 18-yard pass play. The duo hooked up two more times on the drive, the first on a 39-yard play to the visiting Eagles 14-yard line. Two plays later, Snipes put the ball up in the air and let his big tight end go get for a 13-yard touchdown. Even Burton-Elayihan’s teammates bounced off him as he corralled the ball for the 6-0 lead. Both teams had two more shots to score in the first half but the defenses held their ground and the score remained 6-0 heading into the half.

Goshen was able to score in just four plays to open the second half to tie the score, 6-6. Levi Summers tackled the holder after a bad snap on the PAT to keep the contest tied. ACA had to punt on its first drive of the third quarter and Summers launched his best punt of the night at 53 yards. The sophomore flipped the field all night for the Eagles as he punted five times for a 45.8 yard per punt average with no return yards. Goshen’s next drive ended as LaDarius Walters recovered the fumble of an Eagle receiver. Alabama Christian took advantage as the momentum started to swing towards the home team. Two plays after the turnover, Micah Merritt rumbled 42 yards for a score to give ACA a lead it would not relinquish. As the end of the third period neared Goshen went for a 4th and 13 from the ACA 38-yard line. Bryson Dabney stopped the receiver one yard short of the marker to give the ball back to the offense.

The success of the pass game in the first half softened the Goshen defense and allowed the running game to carry the offense in the second half. Christian Snipes only had to throw four passes in the second half. As the Eagles extended the lead to 20-6 early in the fourth, the drive covered 74 yards in eight plays and was capped off by a Snipes 9-yard run. A quick three and out gave the ball right back to the offense. Last year as the game wore on, the Goshen run game took over. ACA had a bit of payback as the next drive consisted of six consecutive runs that covered 43 yards and ended with a Snipes 2-yard run with 4:05 left in the game. Bryson Dabney’s second pick of the night ended the next drive for Goshen and Aidan Whiten recovered a fumble to end the last drive of the night to preserve the 27-6 victory.

Jackson Burton-Elahiyan led the defense with eight tackles followed by Micah Merritt and Levi Summers with seven apiece. Cam Sutton, Mekhi Gardner, Aidan Whiten, and Noah Shack each had four tackles. Sutton blocked a first quarter field goal while LaDarius Walters and White both recovered fumbles and Bryson Dabney had two interceptions. Christian Snipes finished the night with 12 completions on 22 attempts for 164 yards and a touchdown. Snipes favorite target was Burton-Elayihan who had six catches for 98 yards and a score. Ethan Dabney finished with 3 receptions for 32 yards. Micah Merritt led the ground attack with 93 yards on eight rushes and a touchdown while Snipes added 61 yards rushing on 10 carries and two touchdowns.   

ACA Loses Season Opener to Lee-Scott

The 2025 season opened in disappointing fashion as Lee-Scott dominated the visiting Eagles, 40-20. The preseason thoughts of the defense being the strength of the team did not show itself on the field as Warrior runners ran through tackles and receivers were open most of the night. Alabama Christian did not help matters as they were penalized 12 times for 135 yards.

It only took Lee-Scott 40 seconds to score their first touchdown, but the Eagles answered on their second drive with a touchdown of their own to cut the lead to 6-7 with 5:11 left in the first. Christian Snipes scored on a 1-yard run to cap a six-play, 77-yard drive. The key play of the drive was a 38-yard pass play to Ethan Dabney which set up a first and goal at the five-yard line. The home team controlled the rest of the half as they scored three more times, including the last touchdown with just 33 seconds left in the second. The Warriors took a 27-6 cushion into the halftime locker room.

Alabama Christian showed a little life in the second half as they scored on their first possession to cut the lead to 13-27. Christian Snipes scored his second touchdown of the night with a 5-yard run. Lee-Scott responded by scoring on its next two possessions to increase the lead to 40-13 at the end of three quarters. The ACA offense sustained a long drive to start the final period. The Eagles held the ball for over six minutes on a 15-play, 58-yard drive that produced the final points of the night. Snipes again scored on the ground, this time from three yards out to cut the margin to 20-40. The Warriors virtually ran the clock out after that as they gave the ball back to the Eagles with just 42 seconds left in the game.

Christian Snipes finished with 142 yards passing, completing 14 of 19 passes, and 36 yards on the ground with three touchdowns. Micah Merritt was the leading rusher with 42 yards on three carries. Jackson Burton had three receptions for 63 yards while Ethan Dabney caught seven passes for 59 yards. On defense, Cooper MIlner led the way with six tackles while Mekhi Gardner and Levi Summers both had five tackles.

ACA looks for its first win of the season in the home opener against Goshen next week.

Eagles Season Ends in Second Round of Playoffs

Alabama Christian’s season ended Friday night as they fell to Bayside Academy, 23-7. The game was close until the very end and the Eagles had opportunities to trim the Bayside lead, but could not finish drives. ACA was intercepted three times in the second half in Admiral territory.

The Eagles received the opening kickoff and marched methodically to Bayside’s 27-yard line. However, the drive stalled with consecutive negative plays to force a long fourth down from the 32-yard line. Out of field goal range and not wanting to give Bayside any momentum, ACA elected to take a delay penalty to back themselves up five more yards and punt the ball. The strategy worked as the Admiral offense did nothing with its first opportunity and punted the ball back after just three plays. Alabama Christian’s second drive of the night was its best. Christian Snipes hit Bryant Swindle and AC Walters on consecutive plays to move the ball onto Bayside’s side of the field. Next, a 15-yard run by David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball to the 29-yard line. The drive ended on a quick screen on the right side to Walters who ran past the defenders on his way to the end zone. With 3:49 left in the first ACA led 7-0.

Bayside would show their tenacity and lack of discipline on the next drive as they overcame five penalties, including one on the bench, to kick a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. The Admirals held the ball for over five minutes and 13 plays that counted. After sitting for that long, the offense did not look sharp as two quarterback runs and an incomplete pass gave the ball right back to Bayside. Gaining momentum, the Admirals drove 65 yards in 10 plays to take the lead for good, 9-7 with 4:42 left in the half. ACA tried to get back on track as AC Walters ran back to back plays from the QB spot to move the ball into Bayside territory. A 14-yard pass to Jackson Burton moved the ball to the 32-yard line, but that is far as the drive would go. The next three plays combined for a loss of three yards and an incomplete pass on a fake punt turned the ball over on downs. Luckily, Bayside was unable to take advantage and the score remained 9-7 at the half.

Bayside opened the second half by driving to ACA’s 23-yard line, but would end up punting two plays later after a tackle for loss by Micah Merritt and a false start penalty. The punt was shanked badly and only traveled six yards to give ACA the ball at their own 27-yard line. The Eagles were able to move the ball on the ground on their first drive of the half and drove to Bayside’s 30-yard line. On 3rd and 8, ACA tried to set up a screen on the right side, but #13 for Bayside read it all the way and picked the pass off and might have had a pick-six if David Ortiz-Ramirez hadn’t caught him. Three plays later Bayside did score to extend the lead to 16-7 with 4:03 left in the third period. For the past two weeks this is the point of the game where ACA flipped the switch and made a furious comeback. Once again the offense moved the ball and had just made it to the plus side of the field as the third period ended.

The offense moved the ball deep into Admiral territory and faced a 2nd and 4 from the 11-yard line. A score here with ten-plus minutes left in the game would give ACA a fighting chance to win this thing. Unfortunately, #13 made another incredible play for the Bayside defense as he picked off an attempted swing pass to end the Eagle threat. ACA would have the ball three more times in the game, but were unable to put up any points. The only serious threat ended with an all too familiar theme of interception. Bayside ran out the clock after the last pick for the win.

Micah Merritt led the defense with nine tackles and a sack while Broderick Williams and Jackson Burton each had seven tackles. Levi Summers finished with six tackles followed by Cooper Milner with five. AC Walters had 50 yards rushing on 10 carries and 59 yards receiving on five catches. David Ortiz-Ramirez had 48 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Jackson Burton led the team with six receptions for 69 yards. Christian Snipes was 16 of 27 for 136 yards and a touchdown.

We thank Coach Summers and his staff along with the players for a spectacular season. You brought the Eagle nation a lot of thrills and memories. We also appreciate the sportsmanship and class you showed during the season even when your opponent may not have been. Special thanks to Cathy Moorer for allowing me to use her pictures in the articles.

Eagles Drain the Swamp in Playoff Win Over Glenwood

For the second week in a row Alabama Christian walked the tightrope between losing and winning and lived to tell the tale. Last week ACA fell behind by 13 points early before fighting their way back for a victory. This week the Eagles spotted Glenwood 20 points and trailed 13-35 just a minute into the second quarter before producing one of the greatest comebacks in program history. The final score was 46-42 as the defense allowed just seven points over the last 35 minutes of the game.

Glenwood, who is new to AHSAA this year, came into the game undefeated, but as the game progressed chinks started to show in the armor. Before the game, the quality of their Region was questioned and as all four of their playoff teams were beaten in the first round, rightfully so. Only one other Region in all of the playoffs was swept out in the first round this year. During the game, the Gators seemed more concerned with trash talking and extracurricular activity after the whistle than finishing the game. As the game wore on their defense looked gassed and you could see the pressure of the game affecting them. Since the first week of the season, the closest margin of victory was 21 points exposing the fact they had not been pushed in the fourth for much of the season. We could write a book about their PA announcer, but all I will say is no self respecting Eagles fan will ever darken the doors of Tires First.

The home-standing Gators took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in five plays for a quick score and a 7-0 lead. ACA turned the ball over on its first possession to give the ball back to Glenwood around the middle of the field. Two plays later the lead was extended to 14-0 with 8:23 left in the first. With a two score lead the chirping picked up as Alabama Christian continued to struggle on offense. ACA turned the ball over on downs after a failed fourth down halfback pass attempt. The Gators scored again in what seemed like the longest first period ever and led 20-0 with 3:37 still left in the quarter. Teilan Long sparked the team with a 35-yard kick return to set up the offense deep in Glenwood territory. However, after consecutive holding calls ACA was backed up to the 40-yard line facing a 1st and 22. Two plays later, the offense handed the ball off to David Ortiz-Ramirez who raced through the defense on a 39-yard touchdown run for the Eagles first points of the night. The Gator defense had absolutely no answer for #21 as he ran around, over, through, and past them the rest of the night.

Although the offense had figured some things out late in the first, the defense was not quite there yet. Glenwood responded with a touchdown and added a two-point conversion to move the score to 28-7 with 1:34 still left in the opening quarter. Alabama Christian only needed a minute, as they fed Oriz-Ramirez on three straight plays, to match the Glenwood touchdown. The senior back’s second touchdown covered 40 yards and cut the score to 13-28 after a missed extra point. One more offensive play by the Gators brought the first period to an end. The teams combined to run 43 plays and score six touchdowns in the opening stanza.

The Glenwood offense must have felt like it would be more of the same in the second as they scored less than a minute into the quarter for their biggest lead of the game, 35-13. Little did they know the Eagle defense would stand strong for the rest of the game. Over the remaining 11 Glenwood possessions, the home team would score one touchdown and turn the ball over four times, including the last three times they had the ball. Both teams traded punts on the next two drives as Micah Merritt ended Glenwood’s drive with a third down sack. With 9:08 left in the half, Ortiz-Ramirez struck again as he took a screen pass and ran 51 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, after a long conference between the officials, one of many on the night, offsetting penalties were called and the play was nullified. It must have felt even sweeter the second time as Ortiz-Ramirez took the hand off up the middle and broke to the left sideline for another 51-yard scoring play, except this one counted, on the very next play. After two 50-yard dashes in a row and no time to catch his breath, the offense gave it to #21 again but the two-point conversion failed.

Micah Merritt ended the second drive in a row with a sack of the Glenwood quarterback. This time it was on fourth down and gave the ball back to the offense on its own 39-yard line with 6:49 left in the half. ACA opened the possession with a 26-yard pass completion to Jackson Burton and three plays later the junior tight end helped the team pick up another first down with a 16-yard reception from the arm of AC Walters. Three plays later, Christian Snipes hit David Ortiz-Ramirez on a swing pass out of the backfield for a 13-yard scoring strike along the left sideline. After another failed 2-point attempt, ACA trailed 25-35 with 4:10 left in the half. The Glenwood offense looked to be back on track, but a TJ Meritt interception of a ball that caromed off the receiver ended the threat with 3:16 on the clock. The Eagles looked poised to score and make the contest a one-score game as they had a first down on the Glenwood 16-yard line. However, a personal foul and an intentional grounding moved the ball back to the 37-yard line and forced a punt. Glenwood was content to run the clock out and leave the field with a 10-point lead at the half.

After all of the offensive fireworks in the first half, the last thing anyone expected was a scoreless quarter, but that is exactly what happened as neither offense was able to put anything together. ACA was able to move the ball as all three of their drives made it to Glenwood territory. The Gator’s offense produced two three and outs to start the quarter and turned the ball over on downs on the first play of the fourth.

Down by ten to start the final period was right where ACA wanted them. The offense moved the ball eighteen yards in two plays to set up a 2nd and 2 from the ACA 39-yard line. The next play was a thing of beauty. As Ladarius Walters went in motion to the right side, Christian Snipes threw a quick pass to AC Walters. Ladarius wiped out one defender while AC put a vaporizing move (one second he was there, the next he was gone) on a second and he was off to the races on a 61-yard scoring play to cut the lead to three points. The eerie silence in the stadium was the Glenwood faithful who nervously squirmed in their seats. Even the PA man implored the fans to cheer louder. To Glenwood’s credit, they did respond while on the ropes and scored on a 34-yard heave that the defender lost track of in the air. With 10:04 left the lead was back to ten, 42-32.

AC Walters returned the next kickoff on to Glenwood’s side of the field. Three straight runs by David Ortiz-Ramirez and a horse collar penalty set up a 1st and goal at the 9-yard line. From the QB spot, Walters covered the last nine yards in two carries to cut the lead back to three with 8:08 left. You could feel momentum heading over to the ACA sidelines and a growing belief that this was about to happen. Glenwood ran the ball twice to start their next drive to move the ball out to their own 45-yard line. On first down, Cooper Milner stepped in front of the receiver and picked off the Gator QB to get the ball back. Now, momentum was sitting on the ACA bench and getting comfortable because he was staying. The defensive memo for Glenwood at halftime had to be stop #21, but they couldn’t. A 44-yard run by the star of the game and two after the play personal fouls on Glenwood set up a 1st and goal at the one-yard line. On first down, Walters set up at quarterback and ran the ball in for Alabama Christian’s first lead of the game, 46-42, with 5:50 left.

At this point, things were starting to unravel for Glenwood. A receiver fumbled on the first play of the next drive after a Levi Summers tackle and ACA recovered. The Eagles picked up one first down and although they missed a 38-yard field goal attempt to end the drive, they did manage to take just over three minutes off the clock. The Gators got the ball on their own 20-yard line with 2:43 remaining. They moved quickly down the field and faced a 3rd and 17 from the ACA 34-yard line with just under two minutes to go. Glenwood went for it all, but the QB slipped as he threw and the receiver slipped as he went for the ball. The only one standing was Bryson Dabney who intercepted the ball at the 2-yard line for the Eagles. A penalty after the play against Glenwood moved the ball out to the 18-yard line to give Alabama Christian some breathing room. With 1:45 left and Glenwood with two timeouts, a first down would seal the win. On a 3rd and 5, and Glenwood out of timeouts, a Gator defender jumped offside to help give ACA the first down they needed for the win. Two victory formation plays later, the Eagles were headed to the second round.

This win was a total team effort and many players shined bright, but David Ortiz-Ramirez turned in a performance for the ages and will haunt the dreams of Gator defenders for years to come. The senior finished with 282 yards rushing on 27 carries and 21 yards receiving on two catches and four total touchdowns. The 282 yards rushing in a single game was the second best night in the playoffs and third best overall total in program history and he became just the fourth player in ACA history to have over 300 all-purpose yards in a game. AC Walters finished with five catches for 108 yards and 49 tough rushing yards on 16 carries and three total touchdowns. He also completed a pass for 16 yards on three attempts. Jackson Burton caught three passes for 61 yards. Christian Snipes went 9 of 21 for 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

On defense, TJ Merritt, Cooper Milner, and Bryson Dabney each had an interception. Micah Merritt had eight tackles and two sacks while Levi Summers matched him with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Jordan Sanders, Mekhi Gardner, and Jaydon McElrath each finished with five tackles.

Next week, Alabama Christian will host Bayside Academy in the secound round of the playoffs.

ACA Shocks Maplesville with Win on Last Play of Game

You know you’ve just witnessed something stunning, something spectacular, something special when the home team’s press box doesn’t put the last points you scored up on the board and turns the scoreboard off before the handshake line has finished. That’s exactly what happened in a 32-29 thriller as Alabama Christian defeated Maplesville in dramatic fashion on the last play of the game. With 5.7 seconds left in the game and on the far edge of field goal range, the decision was made to go for the win. Christian Snipes dropped back to pass and moved to his right to avoid the pass rush. As he rolled out, the junior quarterback spotted two receivers in the right corner of the end zone along with three defenders. Snipes heaved the ball and although AC Walters was unable to reach the ball, Bryant Swindle was standing right behind him and was able to corral the game winner. Bedlam ensued on the ACA side of the field as the miracle finish was celebrated.

The contest wasn’t nearly as exciting at the start as the Eagles looked flat and Maplesville seized control of the game. On the opening drive, the Red Devils methodically drove 74 yards in 11 plays to score the first points of the game. The scoring march took half of the quarter as ACA’s offense hit the field for the first time with 5:56 left in the period. The offense converted one third down opportunity with an eight yard completion to David Ortiz-Ramirez, but couldn’t convert a second time and turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt attempt. The Devils put their offense in low gear and kept the ball on the ground for the remainder of the first. The quarter ended with the ball on the ACA 13-yard line after six consecutive runs.

Four snaps into the second Maplesville scored again on a 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line on the only pass of the drive. The score remained 13-0 as Jackson Burton blocked the extra point. The special teams excellence seemed to pump some life into the team. After a running play to start the team’s second drive, Christian Snipes hit AC Walters on a go for a 76-yard touchdown beauty which trimmed the lead to six points. Taking advantage of the momentum, ACA squib kicked looking to steal a possession. Like a missile, David Ortiz-Ramirez came in hot and beat the Maplesville player to the ball to give the ball back to the offense. Unfortunately, the offense turned the ball over on the next play as Snipes was intercepted as he was hit while he threw. The Red Devils were given a gift by the official on their sideline on the third play of the next drive as a ball that clearly looked like it bounced was ruled a completion after several seconds of indecision. The home team drove to ACA’s 29-yard line where they faced a 3rd and 5. The defense stood firm on back to back plays to turn the ball over on downs. On third down, O’Kevion Suggs tackled the Maplesville back for a loss and on fourth down Micah Merritt and Jaydo McElrath met at the quarterback for a ten yard loss.

With 3:50 left in the half, Alabama Christian looked to score before intermission. The drive started with a 21-yard gain on a pass from Snipes to Ortiz-Ramirez which moved the ball to the Red Devil 39-yard line. AC Walters scored on the next play, but a holding call nullified the touchdown. After a defensive offside moved the ball up five yards, Snipes and Ortiz-Ramirez struck again on a 40 yard completion that set up a 1st and goal on the 2-yard line. On second down, Walters ran it in from three yards out to give ACA the lead 14-13 with 1:46 left in the half. The Maplesville coaching staff seemed content to go to the locker room despite the time left on the clock. The offense ran the ball on three straight plays and took their time between plays much to the dissatisfaction of the home fans. The Eagles left the field with a one point lead at the half and would receive the ball to begin the third quarter.

The second half started with Christian Snipes being sacked on first down and under heavy pressure drawing an intentional grounding call two plays later. After a punt, Maplesville’s offense took the field for the first time in the second half. Two plays later, a 64-yard run up the middle vaulted the Devils back into the lead. A two-point conversion made the score 21-14. Not to be outdone, Snipes pitched the ball to David Ortiz-Ramirez on the first play of the next possession and watched the senior race 63 yards for a score. A failed two-point conversion made the score 20-21 with 10:02 left in the third. Despite both teams scoring a touchdown early in the quarter, Maplesville was able to flip the one-point advantage due to the results of both team’s two-point conversions. The home team added to its slim lead with a 6-play, 60-yard drive in just under three minutes. Another successful two-point try made the score 29-20 in favor of Maplesville.

ACA needed to respond as momentum seemed to be moving across the field. After three plays netted just four yards the Eagles lined up to punt which surprised a few folks. However, the fake was on as AC Walters hit Jackson Burton on a 33-yard gain down to the Maplesville 18-yard line. Facing another fourth down, special teams were called on again as Tyson Summers connected on a 31-yard field goal to make it a one score game at 23-29. The Red Devils moved the ball on its next drive to ACA’s 9-yard line as they tried to regain control of the game. Over the next four plays, the defense began a series of important stops over the final quarter. On first down, Jaydon McElrath pressured the passer and Levi Summers broke up the attempt for an incompletion. On second down, Cam Sutton and Summers stopped the runner at the 6-yard line. Third down saw Ladarrius Walters throw the Maplesville back for a three yard loss to set up fourth down. The home team let the third quarter clock run out to talk about the call on fourth down.

The Devils decided to forego the field goal and go for the end zone. However, they ran the ball from nine yards out hoping to catch the defense unprepared. Just like third down, Ladarrius Walters made the stop and helped turn the ball over on downs. Despite being 95 yards away from the end zone, the Eagles still had life. Back to back runs by AC Walters moved the ball out to the 23-yard line. David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball into enemy territory with a 44-yard run that ended as he absolutely trucked a Maplesville defender. Walters added 25 more yards two plays later to move the ball to the 18-yard line. Facing a fourth down on the 14-yard line, Tyson Summers hit another 31-yarder with 8:58 left to cut the score to 26-29. Maplesville’s plan was to use as much clock as possible no matter the outcome of the next drive. Their offense kept the ball on the ground and moved the chains four times to eat up precious time. All of the coaches in the stands were getting nervous and implored the sidelines to start using their timeouts to save time. The game looked to be over as The Red Devils scored an apparent touchdown, but a personal foul brought it back. Once again, the defense stiffened and ACA got the ball back with 2:04 left without having used any of their timeouts.

Disaster struck on the second play of the drive as Snipes was intercepted as he was once again hit while throwing. The home team had the ball back with 1:39 left in the game and felt good about the outcome. The timeouts that had not been used earlier were like gold at this point of the game. ACA called timeouts after stops on first and second down to set up a 3rd and 8 for the game. The dilemma on the Maplesville sideline was whether to run the ball to force their opponent to use its final timeout or try a pass in hopes of getting a first down and ending it. The Devils opted for a safe throw to a back coming out of the backfield, but Jaydon McElarath got up and swatted the ball out of the air for the incompletion. It was fourth down and the Eagles still had one timeout.

After a punt, Alabama Christian took over on its own 12-yard line with 1:15 left in the game. A 15-yard completion to AC Walters on a crossing route moved the ball to the 27-yard line with 1:08 left. Christian Snipes scrambled for three yards on the next play, but most importantly got out of bounds with 1:00 remaining. A penalty on ACA negated a gain for the Eagles, but at least the clock stopped on the play. Snipes found Jackson Burton for 22 yards to the 47-yard line, but the clock was running. ACA tried to spike the ball to stop the clock, but the snap wasn’t handled and Snipes went to his knees before he spiked the ball which kept the clock winding. As the coaches argued it was a spike and the clock should have stopped, it kept running. Finally, with 32 seconds left ACA called the timeout when they realized they would not win the argument with the officials. However, no one told the clock operator and the clock made it to 21 seconds before it was stopped. After a discussion the officials put 25 seconds on the clock. David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball to Maplesville 24-yard line after catching a pass from Snipes. The offense lined up quickly and stopped the clock with 5.7 seconds left setting up the game winning play. The fantastic finish will go down as one of the greatest moments in program history.

Christian Snipes finished the game 12 of 24 for 247 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite receivers were AC Walters and David Ortiz-Ramirez who both finished with five catches. Walters had 107 yards receiving and a touchdown while Ortiz-Ramirez had 97 receiving yards. Jackson Burton had two receptions for 55 yards and Bryant Swindle’s game winner was his lone catch of the game. On the ground, Ortiz-Ramirez had 115 yards on just five rushes and a touchdown while Walters finished with 54 yards on nine carries and a score. On defense, Ladarrius Walters and Jaydon McElrath led the way with eight tackles apiece followed closely by a trio of Eagles, Cam Sutton, Levi Summers, and Burton, who had seven tackles each.

The playoffs start next week as Alabama Christian travels to Phenix City to take on Glenwood next Friday night.

Eagles Fall Short in Shoot Out with MA

Alabama Christian came into Friday night’s contest against MA looking for its fourth consecutive win against its cross town rival. The two armies of Eagles traded blows for three quarters, but in the end MA pulled away for the 57-36 triumph. The visitors took advantage of their gigantic receiving corps and the girth on their lines to wear the home team down.

MA received the ball to start the game and moved to ACA’s 25-yard line, but the drive stalled. MA went for it on 4th and 8, but turned the ball over on downs as Cooper Milner broke up the pass attempt. ACA’s offense came out firing as MA’s defense looked a step slow. Four running plays and two defensive offsides moved the ball to MA’s seven-yard line. The first pass of the possession brought six points as Christian Snipes rolled out to his right and found AC Walters at the pylon. With Tyson Summers not available, the chance of creativity on the extra point attempts was increased. Walters pitched a pop pass to David Ortiz-Ramirez who went around right end for an 8-0 lead. MA tied the game in just one play with a 59-yard run right through the middle of the defense and two-point conversion. With 3:36 left in the first, the game was tied 8-8.

Last week’s first quarter totaled 43 points as both offenses scored at will. The last few minutes of Friday night’s opening period had that same track meet feel. David Ortiz-Ramirez set up the offense with great field position at the visitor’s 45-yard line after his 39-yard kick return and horse collar penalty on the tackle. On the second play of the drive, AC Walters caught a quick pass on the left side, made a defender miss, and was off to the races for a 44-yard score. After Broderick Williams ran in the two-point conversion, the Eagles led 16-8 late in the first. MA matched its host with a two-play drive of its own to cut the lead to 16-15 with 2:23 left. A busted coverage left an MA receiver wide open for the easy score. The first ended with ACA in MA territory after six straight plays of the ball in Walters or Ortiz-Ramirez’s hands.

The offense would get no closer to the MA goal line as the ball was turned over on downs two plays into the second. The defense stiffened and forced a three and out aided by a third down sack by Jaydon McElrath. ACA opened up the passing game on its fourth drive of the night as Christian Snipes found AC Walters and Jackson Burton to help move the ball to MA’s 21-yard line. However, an interception in the end zone ended the threat with 7:46 left in the half. On the next play, MA hit one of their mammoth receivers on a slant that turned into an 80-yard score for a 22-16 lead. ACA responded impressively with an 11-play, 67-yard drive that took almost five minutes to tie the contest, 22-22. Snipes hit Burton and Walters on big gainers and used his own legs on runs of 18 and 10 yards. On 2nd and goal from the four, disaster was averted as Walters was able to recover a fumbled handoff exchange. On third down, the Troy commit covered the final eight yards himself to tie it. Both teams had the ball one more time before halftime, but neither were able to put any points on the board. The half ended with a tie game.

ACA started the second half with a bang as Christian Snipes hit Jackson Burton on a slant on the way to a 59-yard touchdown. After the catch, Burton made a cut straight up the field that was a thing of beauty and was so good it broke the ankles of the defender's family members. Subbing for Tyson Summers, David Johnson hit the first of two extra points for the first points of his career. Once again, MA answered immediately as their QB bought time and found another wide open receiver for a 42-yard score to tie the game up, 29-29. Forty-nine seconds into the second half both teams had already scored a touchdown. For the first time all night, the Alabama Christian offense was ineffective which led to a punt after just three plays. MA took advantage of the momentum swing and scored another long touchdown on a slant pass on the third play of the ensuing drive to take the lead for good with 7:30 left in the third. A second straight three and out gave the ball back to an offense that was finding its rhythm. MA extended the lead as their QB once again extended a play and hit a receiver who had gotten behind the defense for a 62-yard touchdown. The visitors led 43-29 with 2:00 left in the third. The home standing Eagles had to respond or the game would get out of reach. To the offense’s credit, after two three and outs, they regrouped and scored when they had to. An AC Walters 42-yard run moved the ball to MA’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, Snipes found Burton for the second time in the quarter to cut the deficit to seven points.

Despite the touchdown and being down just one score, the MA offense was hitting its stride and proved too much to handle. MA marched 64 yards in eight plays to move the lead back to two scores with 9:26 remaining. Knowing they had to score, ACA went for a fourth down on its own 40-yard line, but could not convert. MA scored with 5:35 left in the game to make the score 57-36 and end any hope of a comeback. ACA again turned the ball over on downs and MA ran the remaining clock out to end it.

Christian Snipes finished the night completing 17 passes on 24 attempts for 248 yards and four touchdowns. AC Walters was Snipes favorite target with seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Burton had five receptions for 107 yards and two scores while David Ortiz-Ramirez had five catches for 35 yards. Walter finished with 63 yards rushing and a touchdown on six carries while Ortiz-Ramirez and Snipes had 48 and 44 yards rushing respectively. Burton led the defense with eight tackles followed by Levi Summers with seven. Mekhi Gardner and Jordan Sanders both had six tackles while Jaydon McElrath and Micah Merritt both had five. McElrath had two sacks on the night.

Alabama Christian closes out the regular season next week at Maplesville.

ACA Enjoys Record Setting Night Against Slocomb

After tying the record for most points in a game with 64 last week against Wicksburg, the Eagles outdid themselves and hung 71 on Slocomb Friday night in a high scoring 71-38 contest. The victory coupled with a Wicksburg loss to Trinity, secured Alabama Christian a playoff spot for the ninth year in a row. Tyson Summers set a new record with nine extra points made on the night while David Ortiz-Ramirez tied Courtney Moss’ mark of five rushing touchdowns in a game, all in the first half. The senior back had a sixth to start the second half, but it was called back on a holding penalty. Without the running clock for the entire second half, there is no telling what other records might have been set.

Slocomb started the game with the ball and tried to throw on three consecutive plays. A third down sack by Micah Merritt put the Red Tops in a 4th and 25 predicament on their own 12-yard line. A good punt return by Jackson Burton gave the offense great field position on Slocomb’s 27-yard line. David Ortiz-Ramirez gave a glimpse of the kind of night he was about to have as he raced for a score on the first play of the drive (one carry, one touchdown) and a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The home team picked up a first down on its second drive, but could not sustain the drive. On fourth down, Slocomb lined up like they would go for it, but the quarterback punted out of the formation and almost had it blocked. The second drive was the AC Walters show as he moved the Eagles 58 yards in three plays on one rush and two receptions. At the Red Top 28-yard line, it was time for Ortiz-Ramirez again as he scored his second touchdown of the period (two carries, two touchdowns) to extend the lead to 14-0 midway through the first. The home team got on track in its third drive as they scored on a two-play, 74-yard drive to cut the score to 14-8 with 5:22 left in the quarter.

Despite the quick score by the offense, Slocomb still had no answer for the ACA offense and you know who, David Ortiz-Ramirez. On a 3rd and 4 from the Red Tops 43-yard line, the senior struck again (four carries, three touchdowns) as he outraced the defense for the touchdown and a 22-8 lead with still 3:49 left in the opening quarter. The game was getting the feel of a shootout as Slocomb scored on a long third down play to cut the lead to 22-14. If you thought the scoring was over for the first period with just 1:27 left, you would be wrong. That man struck again for a fourth time (five carries, four touchdowns) on a 53-yard jaunt on the second play of the possession to make the score 29-14 at the end of the first.

The action in the second period started just as frantically as the first had been. On the second play of the quarter, Ty’Darius Moore blocked another quarterback punt attempt and the ball was scooped up by Micah Merritt and returned 24 yards for a score and a 36-14 cushion. Not to be outdone, Slocomb scored on its first play of the next possession on a 75-yard run by the quarterback to make the score 36-22. Both teams had already scored in the quarter just 38 seconds in. Teilan Long’s 24 yard kick return set up ACA on Slocomb’s side of the field. On the second play of the drive Christian Snipes and AC Walters hooked up on a 34-yard touchdown pass for a 43-22 lead with 10:27 left in the half. As Slocomb faced a fourth down, they lined up in a more conventional punt formation, but decided to fake the punt and try for the first down. Micah Merritt chased the punter for what seemed like forever, but the pass fell incomplete to give the ball back to ACA. After a 17-yard pass to Walters, David Ortiz-Ramirez took center stage again. The back’s fifth touchdown of the night (six carries, five touchdowns) came from 39 yards out and gave the Eagles a 50-22 lead with 6:57 left in the half. The defense got the ball back quickly with a three and out, highlighted by a tackle for loss on third down by Micah Merritt. With a big lead, the offense throttled down and the Eagles marched to the Red Tops 21-yard line, but came up empty after a missed field goal. On the very next play, Levi Summers intercepted a pass to give the offense one last chance to score. Alabama Christian was unable to score on their final drive and went to the locker room with a 50-22 lead.

To the surprise of the fans, a running clock was agreed to for the entire second half. On the first play of the half, David Ortiz-Ramirez ran 50 yards for the apparent record breaking score, but a flag at the line of scrimmage squelched the moment. A holding call nullified the score and the record. Undeterred, the offense scored on the next play as Snipes to Walters struck again on a 60-yard score and a 57-22 lead. On the very next play for Slocomb, TJ Merritt stepped in front of a receiver for an interception and returned it 15 yards for a score that tied the school mark for most points in a game. Now, the question became would ACA score at least one more time with a running clock and a huge lead. The Eagles started to substitute freely at this point to allow some younger players some game experience. Slocomb drove the field and scored to cut the score to 64-30. The clock continued to run during the two-point conversion attempt by the home team. In fact, everytime the clock operator stopped it, the white hat would signal for him to keep it running.

ACA kept the ball on the ground with a steady dose of Ethan Dabney who gained 23 yards on four carries to set the ball on the Eagles 42-yard line. Teilan Long came in to spell Dabney on third down and help set the new scoring record as he went around right end on a 58-yard touchdown run and a 71-30 lead. With a game almost entirely of backups, Slocomb scored one last time with 3:32 left in the game for the final margin of 71-38. Because the clock ran during the conversion and before the kickoff, Alabama Christian only had to kneel one time in Victory formation before the final horn went off.

David Ortiz-Ramirez’s outstanding night was the highlight of the game as he finished with 197 yards on seven carries and five touchdowns. Teilan Long was the second leading rusher as he had 58 yards on one carry and a score. Christian Snipes was 10 of 16 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite receiver of the night was AC Walters who had 6 receptions for 172 yards and two scores. On defense, Jackson Burton and Levi Summers led with six tackles apiece. Mekhi Gardner finished with five tackles. Summer and TJ Merritt both had interceptions.

Alabama Christian takes on MA next week in the final home game of the regular season.

Shorthanded Eagles Drop Decision at Trinity in Region Action

A match up that was already difficult became even more of an uphill battle as four starters missed the game Friday night at Trinity. Christian Snipes and Broderick Williams on offense and Bryson Dabney and TJ Merritt on defense. The Eagles could have phoned it in amidst the circumstances they faced, but to their credit fought all the way to the end in a 41-19 loss to the Wildcats.

The weather was predicted to be meddlesome all night, but besides a lightning delay before the game started, the weather held off and not a drop of rain fell during the game. Neither team scored in the first period as both defenses dominated. ACA’s first two drives started inside their own 10-yard line which made play calling very difficult. The Eagles longest play of the quarter was an eight-yard run by AC Walters.

Trinity scored on the first play of the second quarter for the night’s initial points. Alabama Christian tried to answer as Teilan Long returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards into Wildcat territory. ACA drove to the Trinity 26, but a bad snap sailed over the head of David Ortiz-Ramirez on second down which cost the offense 19 yards. AC Walters was intercepted two plays later to end the drive. The Wildcats struck quickly with a 4-play, 90-yard drive to extend the lead to 13-0 with 6:12 left in the half. For the fourth straight game ACA allowed a late first half score as Trinity scored with just 57.4 seconds left and took a 21-0 lead into the half.

The second half started in good fashion as David Ortiz-Ramirez returned the kick 23 yards to start the drive on the ACA 40-yard line and Teilan Long ran a reverse 19 yards down to the Wildcat 41-yard line on the first offensive snap. Unfortunately, the drive stalled and ACA punted away to Trinity. The Wildcats scored on the next play on a 74-yard pass play for a 28-0 lead. The offense finally put together a drive and marched 65 yards in eight plays for a score. The pass was mixed in more often and was effective. On 4th and goal from the one AC Walters used the jump pass to Jackson Burton to cut the lead to 6-28. The score breathed some life into the team as the defense stopped the home team in three plays to force a punt. A terrible snap on the punt and a personal foul against the Wildcats gave the Eagles the ball on the Trinity 26-yard line. The period ended with ACA back on the one poised to score.

On the first play of the final quarter, AC Walters had a one-yard plunge to make the score 12-28. Trinity responded with a score to stretch the lead back to 34-12 with 9:03 left. The Wildcats got the ball back again and methodically drove the field to score again with just 1:15 left in the game. ACA took over on its own 32-yard line on its next possession. Ethan Dabney produced the highlight of the night as he broke out of the pack and raced down the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown for the Eagles. Jordan Sanders helped get the ball right back as ACA recovered the onside kick. On the next play, a frustrated Wildcat defender had a dirty, gutless play that cost his team 15 yards and got him immediately pulled from the game by his coaches. The white hat pulled the team together before the next snap to make sure there were no more cheap shots thrown. ACA ran one more play and the game was over.

Jackson Burton led the team with 11 tackles followed by Jordan Sanders with eight and Teilan Long with six. AC Walters finished the night completing six of nine passes for 75 yards and a touchdown and also had a rushing touchdown. Ethan Dabney finished with three carries for 75 yards and a score to finish as the team's leading rusher.

Next week, Alabama Christian is back at home as they face PCA for Homecoming.

ACA Dominates Northside Methodist in Region Action

After a disappointing result the previous week against Goshen, Northside Methodist was the tonic to cure the Eagles ailments. ACA controlled the game from the outset in a crushing 56-7 defeat of the home standing Knights. The whole organization deserved congratulations for the bounce back win. The players had a good week of practice and both coordinators called great games for their respective units.

Jackson Burton-Elahiyan leaves the Northside defensive back helpless.

The offense was on a mission to feature the pass on Thursday night and the first series was just a taste of the success Christian Snipes would have through the air. ACA took the opening kickoff and marched 68 yards in 10 plays while taking almost half of the quarter. Snipes completed all seven passes on the drive that ended with Jackson Burton-Elahiyan “Mossing” a defensive back for the touchdown. Northside picked up a first down on their first possession, but Mekhi Gardner and Micah Merritt combined on a third down tackle to make sure they didn’t get a second one. The second series for Alabama Christian didn’t appear to be anything special as they faced a 3rd and 9 from their own 28-yard line, but looks can be deceiving. Snipes uncorked a bomb down the right sideline to a streaking AC Walters for a 72-yard bolt of lightning and a 14-0 lead with just 26 seconds left in the first period. What we didn’t know at the time is that this would be the first of many lightning strikes.

The offense prepares for the snap on the first drive of the game.

On the first play of the second quarter, Jaydon McElrath took the ball from the Northside Methodist running back and raced 30 yards for a score and a three touchdown lead. Micah Merritt’s sack on the next Knight drive forced a punt and gave the ball back to the quick strike ACA offense. On the second play of the drive, Christian Snipes went deep again and connected with David Ortiz-Ramirez for a 60-yard score and a 28-0 advantage with 9:32 left in the half. With such a large deficit the Knight offense tried to pass the ball, but had no success and took very little time off the clock as well. Alabama Christian stretched the lead to 35-0 on an 18-yard touchdown reception by Bryant Swindle.

Bryson Dabney makes an open field tackle.

The Eagles got the ball back with 3:58 left in the second and once again struck quickly. It took just 50 seconds to make it 42-0 as Christian Snipes and David Ortiz-Ramirez hooked up again on a 71-yard bomb. Northside Methodist finally found some success and scored on a short pass that turned into a 56-yard score. With 51 seconds left in the half, it looked as if the Knights had slowed the momentum of the visitors. Ortiz-Ramirez made any positive vibes disappear as he raced 80 yards for another touchdown to end the scoring in the half. ACA led 49-7 at the break.

AC Walters outraces the defense to the end zone.

Alabama Christian started to substitute freely in the second half and the Knights moved the ball to the ACA side of the field. However, TJ Merritt intercepted a pressured quarterback and raced 70 yards for the second defensive touchdown of the night. The Eagles continued to substitute heavily and many young players gained valuable experience in the impressive win.

David Ortiz-Ramirez end the first half in style.

Although he did not play in the second half, Christian Snipes had one of the best halves by a quarterback in program history as he finished 14 of 17 for 292 yards and five touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez became the first back with over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game as he finished with 117 and 144, respectively. Jackson Burton led all receivers with five receptions for 43 yards while Bryant Swindle had 3 catches for 40 yards and AC Walters had 2 catches for 65 yards. All four receivers who caught a pass had touchdown receptions. On defense, Mekhi Gardner and Micah Merritt led the way with seven tackles each while three Eagles, Jordan Sanders, Cam Sutton, and Bryson Dabney, each had four tackles.

Next week, ACA travels across town to visit Trinity in an important Region game.