Eagles Even Season Record with Area Road Win

Alabama Christian improved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Area play with a 50-12 triumph Friday night. ACA traveled two and a half hours to Livingston for its first visit to Sumter Central, The Jaguars were celebrating Homecoming and Senior Night in an event filled night that made the fans want to join the PTF, visit the principal, and not stand on the fence during the game. The Eagles started slow against the much improved home team, but scored three times in the final eight minutes of the first half for a comfortable 31-12 lead.

TJ Merritt’s 21-yard return of the opening kickoff set up the offense with great field position at midfield. The Jaguars were in a giving mood as they jumped off sides two plays in a row to give the Eagles a first down. David Ortiz-Ramirez ran 23 yards on the next play to the 17-yard line as the offense looked poised to score. The next snap brought disaster as it was launched past the quarterback and recovered by the Jaguars at the 40-yard line. Sumter Central scored in just four plays as the drive culminated on a 39-yard pass play to a wide open receiver for the 6-0 lead with 9:14 left in the first period.

ACA’s second series brought a new wrinkle for Sumter Central and future opponents to think about. Christian Snipes came in and split time with AC Walters at quarterback. The move was successful enough that the sophomore took all the snaps in the second half until relieved by the reserves late in the game. The drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Jaguar 7-yard line which backed up the home team’s offense. On third down, William Milner and Blake Shaw combined to stop a run play for a five yard loss to the 1-yard line. The Eagles got on the board as the punter fumbled the snap out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Milner continued to shine as he returned the short free kick to the Jaguar 24-yard line. The offense scored in five plays on a Walters two yard run for a 9-6 lead.

Sumter Central responded with their best drive of the night as they drove 65 yards in eight plays to retake the lead 12-9. It took Alabama Christian just two plays to retake the lead for good. AC Walters hit an uncovered Bryant Swindle for 42 yards to start and David Ortiz-Ramirez finished it with a ten yard run. The defense held and Jaylan McCovery partially blocked a punt to set up the offense on the plus side of the field. Both teams swapped punts and it looked like the half may end with ACA leading 17-12. With 1:52 left in the half, ACA scored in three plays in just 34 seconds capped by a 50-yard Walters run for a 24-12 lead. Not content to run out the clock and get to the locker room, Sumter Central passed on two of its three plays and had to punt it back to the visitors. The failed drive left 38.3 seconds on the clock for ACA. Walters ran the ball three times for 49 yards on the drive and scored from one yard out with 14.9 seconds left in the period for a 31-12 cushion.

The Jaguars started the second half on offense and drove to the ACA 25-yard line where the drive stalled. Surprisingly, they punted from that spot for a touchback, not surprisingly. Christian Snipes took the reins at quarterback and helped drive the offense 80 yards and hit Jackson Burton on a six-yard connection for his first career touchdown pass. After a three and out, the offense scored again as Snipes to Burton worked again for a 43-12 lead early in the fourth quarter. With the 30-point lead, the clock did not stop and the rest of the game moved quickly. Alabama Christian’s last score came on Noah Shack’s first career touchdown as he toted the ball on four consecutive plays and covered 43 yards in the process. Sumter Central scored on the last play of the game for the final margin of 50-18.

The time at running back definitely agreed with AC Walters as he finished with 222 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez and Noah Shack each has four rushes and a touchdown as they gained 69 and 43 yards, respectively. Four receivers, Bryant Swindle, Bryson Dabney, Ortiz-Ramirez and Jackson Burton, each had two catches. Swindle led the group with 47 receiving yards while both of Burton’s catches yielded touchdowns. Christian Snipes finished the night 6 of 11 for 49 yards and two touchdowns while Walters was 2 for 4 for 47 yards. The tackling machine, William Milner sparked the defense with 11 tackles followed by Lane Smith with eight. Jaylan McCovery, Burton, and Blake Shaw each contributed five tackles.

Next week Alabama Christian visits MA in a non-Area crosstown rivalry game.

ACA Falls to Trinity in First Area Game

In a contest that would test the Alabama Christian football team, Trinity took an early lead and blew out the Eagles late in a 38-6 final score. ACA committed two turnovers in their first four offensive snaps to make the task even more difficult. The first Eagle miscue set up the visitors at the ACA 16 yard line. The Wildcats scored four plays later for the early advantage. The defense kept Trinity out of the end zone after the second turnover as the Wildcats turned it over on downs.

The ensuing series saw Alabama Christian put together the first of two long, methodical drives. ACA ran the ball twelve consecutive times before being held on a 4th and 1. The fourth down opportunity was set up by a pass interference call against Trinity on a 4th and 16 on the previous play. The drive took just over seven minutes and gave the defense a much needed break. After the teams exchanged punts, Trinity scored for the second time in the half on a quick 4-play 63-yard drive to lead 14-0 with 7:12 left in the first half.

Amazingly, that was the last touch for the Wildcat offense of the half. ACA marched the full length of the field as they used all of the clock. Unfortunately, the offense was stopped inside the Wildcat one-yard line as the clock hit zero. David Ortiz-Ramirez touched the ball on the first six plays of the drive (five runs and a catch) for 22 yards to set up a first down at the Trinity 49-yard line. Over the next five plays, ACA mixed the pass and run and forced a timeout from Trinity with 1:13 left in the half as the offense faced a 2nd and 2 from the 13-yard line. AC Walters picked up seven yards on the next play for a 1st and goal at the six. Earlier in the half, ACA was forced to use two timeouts due to misalignment on special teams and defense which came back to haunt them in the closing moments of the half. After Otriz-Ramirez was stopped on second down, ACA had to use their last timeout. Coach Michael Summers started calling timeout with about 28 seconds left, but no official acknowledged him until 17 seconds left. With no timeouts, the offense gambled and tried to run it in on 3rd down, but were held short at the goal line. As the pile broke up slowly, the clock ran out in the first half.

Despite the disappointing end to the half, ACA got the ball to start the second half and had a chance to cut the lead to one score. Instead, the Eagles lost yards over three plays and kicked the ball to its opponent. Trinity kicked a field goal on its first drive of the half to stretch the lead to 17-0 with 6:10 left in the third. ACA went three and out on its next two drives and Trinity took a 24-0 lead at the end of the quarter with a fifty yard touchdown pass. The only score for Alabama Christian was delivered by AC Walters as he returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards through the Wildcat special teams. Trinity led 24-6 after three periods.

If anyone thought Trinity would take their foot off the gas with a commanding lead in the fourth quarter, they would not have been more wrong. In fact, the Wildcat offense seemed even more aggressive as they looked to run up the score. Trinity passed on eight of the next fourteen snaps to extend the lead to 38-6. Finally, as ACA committed its fourth turnover of the night with 2:59 left in the game, the Wildcats put in their offensive subs.

William Milner led the defense with 12 tackles. The senior linebacker is averaging almost 10 tackles per game so far this season. Jaylan McCovery, Lane Smith and AC Walters each finished with five tackles. On offense, David Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 92 yards on 21 carries while Walters added 60 yards rushing and 31 yards passing. Bryant Swindle was the favorite receiver with three catches for 21 yards.

Next week Alabama Christian (1-2, 0-1) travels to York, AL to play Area opponent Sumter Centra (2-1, 1-1).

Alabama Christian Defeats Lynn for First Win of the Year

As much as the outcome of the game was never in doubt last year, Friday night’s match up between ACA and Lynn was a close one-score affair until late in the fourth quarter. AC Walters' third score of the night, with 2:27 left in the contest, gave the Eagles the final margin of victory at 30-20. The win was the first of the year and although everything was not perfect, it was nice to put a mark in the win column for the first time in 2023.

Alabama Christian took the opening kickoff and marched to Lynn’s four yard line before the Bears defense stiffened and kept the Eagles out of the end zone. The offense featured David Ortiz-Ramirez getting outside and gashing the defense with big gains. After exchanging punts, ACA came up with the first big break of the game when Darrius Gardner picked off a Lynn pass and returned it 38 yards to the Lynn 37-yard line. Unfortunately, the Eagles squandered the opportunity and gave it right back with an interception of their own. The visiting Bears put together a 7-play 62-yard drive that consumed 4:26 of the second quarter clock to score the game’s first points.

With 3:55 left in the first half, there was question whether the Eagles had enough to score before intermission. Not only was there enough time to score once, Alabama Christian scored twice before the break. After two AC Walters’ runs gave ACA a first down, the offense caught a break as a mishandled snap looked to be a big loss and drive killer, but a helmet to helmet hit called against Lynn wiped out the loss and gave the offense new life with a first down at the Bear 34-yard line. Finally, facing a 3rd and 5 at the 16 with a little over a minute left, Walters broke through with a 16-yard scoring bolt to close the gap to 6-7. The score looked very similar to the touchdown he had last week against Catholic. The coaching staff and players did a masterful job with calling plays and getting out of bounds on the drive to save the team’s timeouts. The ensuing kickoff hit a Lynn up-man and William Milner recovered to give ACA another shot at scoring before halftime. The saved timeouts proved useful as the team drove to the 11-yard line and kicked a 28-yard field goal to take a 9-7 lead. Tyson Summers' kick came with just seven seconds left in the second.

The team rode the momentum from the first half right into the second half with a three and out from the defense aided by tackles from William Milner and Lane Smith. Lynn had a terrific punt that pinned ACA back to its own 6-yard line. On the first play of the half for the offense, David Ortiz-Ramirez outran everyone to the end zone on a 94-yard lightning strike to extend the lead to 16-7. The visitors responded with a scoring drive of their own and with 7:00 left in the third, ACA led 16-13. As the period closed, Alabama Christian drove into Lynn territory to set up an exciting final quarter.

On the second play of the fourth, AC Walters put a Bear defender on spin cycle as he left him at the 15-yard line on his way to a 26-yard score and a 23-13 lead. Once again, Lynn answered the bell with a long methodical drive running right up the middle to cut the score to 23-20. The march took over five minutes and left 6:34 on the clock in the contest. The Eagles goal was to run as much clock as possible and score late to put the game away, and that is exactly what they did. However, the drive got off to a rocky start as the offense faced a 3rd and 3 with 5:55 left. During the heat timeout it was decided to try and draw the defense off sides with a hard count and it worked. The gift five yards from Lynn gave ACA a first down and they never looked back. David Ortiz-Ramirez carried the rock three of the next four plays to set up a 1st and goal at the Lynn 8-yard line. On 3rd and goal, Walters scored from three yards out with 2:27 remaining for a 30-20 cushion.

Lynn did not quit and three consecutive pass interference calls against the Eagles helped move the ball to the 12-yard line with about 90 seconds to play. Three straight standout plays from the defense shut down the last ditch effort of Lynn. On first down, Ari Bowman broke up a pass. On second down, William Milner, stopped the Lynn quarterback from scoring and also held him short of the first down marker. On third down, Lynn spiked the ball to stop the clock with 1:06 left setting up a 4th and 1. On fourth down, Jackson Burton stopped the Bear runner and the celebration began. ACA ran out the rest of the clock and took home their first win of the season.

The running game was outstanding as both David Ortiz-Ramirez and AC Walters ran for more than 100 yards on the night. Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 187 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while Walters had 140 yards on 22 attempts and found the end zone three times. Walters completed three passes for 37 yards hitting Bryant Swindle twice for 25 yards and Ortiz-Ramirez once for 12 yards. On defense, William Milner led the way with 11 tackles while Lane Smith, TJ Merritt, and Ari Bowman each had five tackles. Blake Shaw had two sacks while Darrius Gardner had an interception.

Next week, the Eagles start Area play as they host Trinity.

Eagles Drop Season Opener at Catholic

Despite the rainy conditions and the opponent, it turned out to be a pleasant night for football. In fact, after enduring 100 plus degree temperatures last week, the 77 degree reading at kickoff felt downright chilly. ACA struck quickly twice in the first half, but in the end the Knights were just too strong. Catholic cruised to a 49-12 victory over the Eagles.

Alabama Christian received the opening kickoff and although they did not score, they took over four minutes off the clock and pinned Catholic on their own 13 yard line after a 48 yard punt. AC Walters converted a 3rd and 10 with a 14 yard scramble to highlight the series. Two late hits on the drive could have been called on the drive, but neither were. Jackson Burton booted an effective punt to end the series as the Catholic return man decided to let the ball go and not catch it. Lane Smith and William Milner’s tackles on first and second down set up a third down incompletion to force a Catholic punt. The kick was shanked to the right and went only 14 yards to set up the offense at the Knight’s 25 yard line. On the next play, Walters kept the ball and darted up the middle for a touchdown, stunning the home crowd. The extra point was blocked, but midway through the opening period, ACA led 6-0. However, as good teams will do, the Knights responded quickly and took the lead just 59 seconds later. Catholic scored again before the end of the period for a 14-6 lead at the end of one.

Catholic extended the lead in the second quarter with a nine play, 56 yard drive for a 21-6 cushion. Once again, ACA scored on a one play drive as David Ortiz-Ramirez took the hand off and raced 83 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-12 with 7:37 left in the second. Just like the first quarter, Catholic responded with two more scores before the half and took a 35-12 lead into the locker room.

Catholic scored in just three plays to start the third period and then the game moved rapidly as the clock ran due to the 30 point lead by the Knights. ACA would possess the ball three times in the half and was never a serious threat to score. The Catholic backups would add the final score with 2:47 left for the final 49-12 margin.

David Ortiz-Ramirez was the team’s leading rusher with 95 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. AC Walters carried the ball 12 times for 24 yards with a score and completed both of his pass attempts for 14 yards. Bryant Swindle and Jackson Burton had the team’s two receptions. On defense, William Milner led the team with six tackles while Lane Smith added five. Jaylan McCovery, Darrius Gardner and William Meeks each finished with four tackles.

ACA Football - 2022 Season Recap

Although the season ended earlier than wanted, this team, this senior class, and, in particular, this offense left its collective marks on the ACA record books. The 2022 team became the eighth squad in program history to win at least eight games in a season and the four-year total of 31 victories for this senior class is the best ever. The Eagles reached the playoffs for a record seventh consecutive year and Coach Michael Summers’ 15 wins in his first two years is the second-best total in school history. The offense posted five of the ten top point totals this year, including a best-ever 64 against Lynn, and finished with an all-time high average of 41.4 points per game. The scoring average bested the next-best season by more than six points per game.

Here is a look at the records and milestones that were reached this season:

Game

Hayes Hunt tied his own record with five touchdown passes in a game which he did four times this year.

Avery Stuart tied the record for most catches in a game with his 10 catches against Randolph County.

Preston Hicks tied the record with three touchdown receptions in a game which he did twice.

Tyson Summers set the record for most extra points in a game with nine against Randolph County.

Season

Hayes Hunt’s 35 touchdown passes beat his own record from last year by twelve.

Otasowie Dion set the record averaging 10.6 yards per carry for the season.

Preston HIcks (14) and Avery Stuart (12) produced the best two touchdown receptions seasons ever.

Tyson Summers’ 60 extra points set a new school record.

Career

Hayes Hunt

• Third in completions with 247

• Fifth in attempts with 383

• First in completion percentage with 64.5%

• Third in passing yards with 3,501

• First in touchdown passes with 63. The next closest total is 38 in Eagle history.

• Ninth in receptions with 49.

• Fourth in total offense with 4,374 yards.

Corey Landers

• First in rushing attempts with 574.

• First in rushing yards with 3,573.

• Fourth in rushing touchdowns with 34.

• Fifth in receptions with 57.

• Second in all-purpose yards with 4,700.

• Fifth in total offense with 4,291 yards.

• Second in total touchdowns with 45.

Otasowie Dion

• Seventh in rushing yards with 2,048.

• Third in average yards per rush with 10.2 per

• Eighth in rushing touchdowns with 22.

• Seventh in all-purpose yards with 2,882.

• Tenth in total offense with 2,299 yards.

• Sixth in total touchdowns with 30.

• Fourth in solo tackles with 115.

• Tenth in total tackles with 178.

• Third in sacks with 12.

Preston Hicks

• First in receptions with 119.

• First in receiving yards with 1,698.

• First in touchdown receptions with 23.

• Ninth in total touchdowns with 24.

Avery Stuart

• Seventh in receptions with 53.

• Fourth in receiving yards with 1,037.

• Seventh in yards per catch with 19.6 per

• Second in touchdown receptions with 17.

Tyson Summers

• First in extra points with 85.

This season will be long remembered for the success on the field and the special group of seniors who all played their entire careers at Alabama Christian.

ACA Loses Heartbreaker to End Season

Alabama Christan’s season came to an abrupt halt Friday night as Pike County stunned the Eagles with a 41-39 comeback victory to advance to the next round of the playoffs. The Eagles owned a 25-0 lead at the end of the first period, but the visitors fought all the way back to take their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter. ACA finished the year with an 8-4 record.

The game could not have started any better for the Eagles as they scored early and often against the lifeless Bulldogs. ACA drove 64 yards in six plays highlighted by a 31-yard Corey Landers run. Hayes Hunt hit Otasowie Dion on an eight-yard score for the first points of the night. Pike County could muster just one first down on their initial drive and were forced to punt the ball back to ACA. The Bulldog punter fumbled as he tried to punt and William Milner recovered for the Eagles at the Pike County 39-yard line. Two plays later, Landers took a direct snap and ran 39 yards for the touchdown to give the home team a 13-0 lead. The defense forced a second straight punt to give the ball back to a hot offense.

Otasowie Dion rumbled 61 yards on the first play of the possession to set up a 1st and goal at the Bulldog nine-yard line. After a Landers’ reception moved the ball to the one, Dion punched it in for a 20-0 advantage for the home team. Tyson Summers boomed the ensuing kickoff in the corner at the one-yard line and the returner was tackled inside the five to back up the Bulldogs. After three unsuccessful offensive plays, the ball was snapped over the punter’s head for a safety which extended the lead to 22-0. After the free kick, the offense drove 42 yards in seven plays and set up a 35-yard field goal by Summers to give the Eagles a 25-0 lead at the end of the first period.

The Pike County offense finally awoke in the second period and scored on their first drive in the quarter. The Bulldogs drove 60 yards in eight plays for the score and were aided by two face mask calls against the defense. As good as the first quarter was for ACA, they cooled off in the second. After a dropped pass an attempted throwaway was picked off by Pike County and returned 46 yards for a score and the lead was cut to 25-14 just like that. Both teams had the ball two more times in the half, but could not score. The Eagles were plagued by another dropped pass on the first of those two possessions.

The Bulldogs took the second-half kickoff and cut the margin to 25-21 on a seven-play 59-yard drive. ACA answered immediately as Otasowie Dion ran 63 yards on the first play of the next drive for a 1st and goal at the one-yard line. However, the scoring opportunity was not put to use as three straight running plays netted negative five yards, and a missed 23-yard field goal produced no points. A Brady Smith sack helped stop the next Pike County drive and the offense responded with points. On a 4th and 5 from the Bulldog 14-yard line, Avery Stuart hit Hayes Hunt on a quarterback throwback for a 32-21 late in the third period.

As the fourth quarter started the standout receiver from Pike County took over the game as he scored all three touchdowns for his team in the period. The first score was a 25-yard reception in the end zone on a 4th and 8 yards to cut the lead to 32-27. On the next ACA drive, the offense converted a third down and later faced a 4th and 2 at the opponent’s 49-yard line. Otasowie Dion took the direct snap and squeezed through a hole in the middle and beat the defense to the end zone to extend the lead to 39-27. The Bulldogs responded as they scored on a short pass that turned into a 40-yard score as the defense was unable to bring down the Pike County receiver. With a five-point lead, the offense had a chance to work the clock but was unable to pick up a first down as they lost four yards in three plays and were forced to punt the ball to the visitors. The Bulldogs converted two third downs, the second a spectacular 31-yard diving catch in the back corner of the end zone to give Pike County its first lead of the game, 41-39. To ACA’s credit, the offense drove the ball to the 11-yard line after a 31-yard pass to Preston Hicks and a six-yard Dion run. The unit disastrously lost twelve yards on second down from the eleven and turned a possible 28-yard winning field goal attempt into a 40-yard try. After an incomplete pass on third down, the Eagle’s final field goal attempt was blocked and Pike County held on for the win.

Otasowie Dion led the offense with 196 yards on just nine rushes with two touchdowns and caught two passes for 13 yards and a third touchdown in the game. Corey Landers finished with 80 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. Hayes Hunt finished 10 for 18 for 79 yards with a touchdown. Preston Hicks and Landers led the receivers with three receptions each. On defense, William Milner led the way with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. Josh Kreitz and Blake Shaw each had ten tackles while AC Walters had eight. Landers and Dion had five tackles each and Brady Smith had a sack.

ACA Dominates in First Round Playoff Victory

Alabama Christian looked like a team hitting its stride last week against Bayside Academy and Friday night the Eagles continued to impress as the high-flying offense overwhelmed Randolph County in a 63-30 shellacking. The unit amassed 534 yards of offense while the point total was the second most in program history and set a new mark for most points in a postseason game.

The Eagles produced over 500 yards of offense on the night.

Randolph County received the opening kickoff and gave the impression they did not want the Eagle offense on the field. The Tigers held the ball for over seven minutes as they marched 55 yards in 13 plays for the game’s first points. After having a flag thrown against them on a 4th and goal from the six yard-line, which negated a touchdown, the home team scored on the next play from the 11 yard-line for the 6-0 lead. ACA’s offense responded quickly with a three-play 62-yard lightning strike of a drive to take the lead for good, 7-6. After having a big gain called back from a holding call, Hayes Hunt connected with Preston Hicks two plays later on a 59-yard bomb for the team’s first touchdown. The long pass play pushed Hicks to the top of the list in career receiving yards in school history. The defense rose up and forced a Randolph County punt with the help of back-to-back sacks by Otasowie Dion and Hicks. The first period ended with ACA leading by one point over the Tigers.

Otasowie Dion sacks the Tiger quarterback.

The second quarter began with another quick ACA touchdown. Corey Landers raced to the end zone on a 39-yard score to extend the lead to 14-6. The run capped a four-play fifty-yard drive. The defense forced a second straight three and out to give the ball back to the offense. The possession started deep in Eagle territory on their own six-yard line. The unit covered 82 yards in five plays, highlighted by a 47-yard pass to Avery Stuart, and looked poised to score again. However, three incompletions in a row forced a field goal attempt, which was no good. It would be the only drive of the night that did not produce points for the Eagles, except for the victory formation to end the game. Randolph County responded to the missed opportunity and narrowed the lead to 14-12 with another extended drive. The Tigers marched 80 yards in 11 plays but failed on the two-point conversion to preserve the lead for ACA with 2:40 left in the half.

Hayes Hunt readies for the snap.

The home team must have been feeling good about their chances as halftime loomed, but little did they know ACA was on the verge of delivering the knockout punch before the half. After the kickoff, the Eagles started on the 50-yard line and completed three passes to Avery Stuart to move the ball to the Tiger 12-yard line. The Randolph County strategy of playing way off on Stuart left him open all night in the short-pass game. On 2nd and 10 from the twelve, Hayes Hunt found Preston Hicks for a touchdown with 1:17 left in the half for a 21-12 lead. It looked as if the home team was going to let the clock run out and head to the locker room down by nine points, but after picking up a first down, the Tigers dropped back to pass again and fumbled as the quarterback tried to avoid the rush. Hicks came up with the loose ball for the Eagles with just 5.3 seconds left on the Tiger 23-yard line. As Alabama Christian prepared for one shot at the end zone they were assessed a delay of game penalty which moved them back to the 28-yard line. Apparently, the extra five yards of real estate was just what the Hunt to Hicks combination needed as the two connected with no time on the clock for a 28-12 halftime lead. 

Preston Hicks and company go for the fumbled ball late in the first half.

ACA knew they could put the game away with a touchdown to start the second half and that is exactly what the offense did. They did it the hard way as the drive started on their own three-yard line. Two direct snap runs by Otasowie Dion moved the ball out to the 28-yard line. From there, Hayes Hunt and Avery Stuart connected on three pass plays that covered 62 yards. The last catch was a 25-yard touchdown toss to extend the lead to 35-12. In just five minutes and nineteen seconds of game time, Alabama Christian stretched the lead from 14-12 to 35-12 to take full control of the contest. Dion starred on defense on the first possession of the half for Randolph County as he batted down a pass and later dropped the Tigers back for a three-yard loss on a 3rd and 1 attempt. On fourth down, Josh Kreitz tackled the receiver just short of the first down to give ACA the ball on their own 35-yard line. Stuart caught three more balls on the next drive including a seven-yarder for a 42-12 advantage with 2:10 left in the third period. The touchdown catch was Stuart’s tenth reception of the night which tied the single-game record. The quarter ended with Randolph County driving and Alabama Christian working younger players into the game to gain playoff experience.

Avery Stuart on the move after one of his ten catches.

The home team finished the drive with a score, but once again failed on the two-point conversion. Corey Landers helped the offense respond with consecutive carries on a two-play 55-yard drive to run the score to 49-18. The scoring rush was 48 yards long for Landers. On the ensuing kickoff, the special teams forced a fumble that was scooped up by AC Walters and returned 28 yards for a score, and just like that, the score was 56-18. The Tigers scored on a long pass play to cut the lead to 56-24 with 9:22 left in the game. For the first time all night, ACA took the offense down a gear and worked the clock as they featured backup Jordan Frazier. Frazier carried the ball six times on a seven-play drive and gained 59 yards including a 13-yard touchdown with 5:15 left in the game for a 63-24 lead. Tyson Summers’ ninth PAT of the night was a new record for most extra points in a game. The last score of the night came with 1:45 remaining as Randolph County cut the margin to 63-30. The Eagles ran out the clock in every head coach’s favorite way, the victory formation to extend their season for at least one more week.

Jordan Frazier alludes the Randolph County defender.

The offense leaned more heavily on the passing game Friday night and senior quarterback Hayes Hunt delivered with a career-high 312 yards passing while completing 16 of 21 passes and five touchdowns. Hunt also added 20 yards on the ground on six attempts. Avery Stuart’s ten catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns led the receiving corps. The 188 receiving yards are the second most in a game in school history. Preston Hicks tied his own school record with three touchdown receptions and finished the night with five catches for 125 yards. Corey Landers led the backs with six carries for 98 yards and two scores while Jordan Frazier had six attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown followed by Otasowie Dion with seven rushes for 48 yards.

Josh Kreitz tackles the Tiger receiver for a fourth down stop.

Defensively, Taylor Thompson and Corey Landers led the unit with seven tackles each. William Milner added six tackles while Avery Stuart finished with five tackles. Otasowie Dion had five tackles, two pass deflections and a sack on the night. Five Eagles, Blake Shaw, Preston Hicks, Josh Kreitz, Brady Smith and AC Walters, all had four tackles. Hicks added a sack and the momentum-changing fumble recovery at the end of the first half.

Next week, Alabama Christian will host Pike County in the second round of the playoffs.

Eagles Demote Admirals in Playoff Tune-Up

Alabama Christian took advantage of a road trip to Bayside Academy to end the regular season and turned it into a dress rehearsal for the postseason which starts next Friday. The two-and-a-half-hour road trip, a new opponent, and a hostile atmosphere were used as a preview of the Eagle’s trip to Randolph County next week. With the solid performance turned in by the team, ACA should be confident moving forward. The Eagles trailed 10-7 early in the second quarter but outscored the home team the rest of the way 36-8 for the surprisingly easy 43-18 triumph.

Preston Hicks looks for room downfield after a catch.

ACA received the opening kickoff and set the tone for the contest with a 12-play, 79-yard march that ate up four minutes and forty-three seconds of the first quarter clock. Quarterback Hayes Hunt showed off his running ability as he ran three times for 30 yards on the drive including a 14-yard scramble around left end for the game’s first points. History was made on the drive as Corey Landers ran for 16 yards on his third carry of the night to become the leading rusher in program history. The senior back finished with 140 yards on the night and has gained 3,395 for his career. Bayside answered with a long drive of their own to tie the contest. The Admiral’s possession covered 69 yards, capped by a three-yard run with 2:35 remaining in the first. ACA punted on their last possession of the opening period as a holding penalty killed the drive. The quarter ended with Bayside looking at a 1st and 10 on the Eagle 25-yard line and the score tied, 7-7.

Corey Landers breaks the school career rushing record on this first quarter carry.

Over the next three plays, Bayside gained just two yards thanks to tackles by Blake Shaw, Josh Kreitz and William Milner. The Admirals did manage to get three points on the drive after making a 39-yard field goal. The home team led 10-7 with 10:27 left in the half. The Eagles did not trail for long as they covered 80 yards in four plays to retake the lead. Otasowie Dion covered over half of those yards with a 42-yard run down the right sideline and Avery Stuart finished the drive with a 24-yard touchdown reception from Hayes Hunt to take the lead for good, 14-10. The Admirals tried to respond to points posted by the visitors and picked up two first downs, but the drive stalled at the ACA 45-yard line. The rugby-style punter held on to the ball long enough for Dion to block the punt which went out of bounds at the Bayside 31-yard line. 

Coach Howard celebrates with Otasowie Dion after a second quarter blocked punt.

Before the punt, points before the half were uncertain, but with the short field, 3:56 was plenty of time. David Ortiz-Ramirez began the journey to the end zone with a 10-yard run and Hayes Hunt finished it with consecutive completions, the second a 13-yard pass to Preston Hicks with 2:26 left in the half for a 21-10 advantage. As Tyson Summers connected on his third extra point of the game, he set a new mark for most extra points in a season. The Admirals had to decide whether to try and score before the half or run the clock out and try to regroup at intermission. The home team decided to try and get points and three incomplete passes later, the decision backfired as they punted back to ACA with 1:45 left on the clock. Corey Landers’ 15-yard punt return set up Alabama Christian at the Bayside 42-yard line. Hunt started the drive with a 16-yard scramble and three plays later found Preston Hicks for a 21-yard touchdown pass with just 32.2 seconds left before halftime. 

Tyson Summers sets the season record for most extra ploints made.

The home team received the second-half kickoff and after picking up one first down punted back to the Eagles. AC Walters broke up passes on consecutive plays to help thwart the drive. ACA began the second half much like the first with a methodical, time-consuming drive. The offense kept the ball for five minutes over nine plays and covered 77 yards. Corey Landers (30 yards) and Otasowie Dion (16 yards) both had big runs to keep the offense moving. Facing a 3rd and goal from the 14-yard line, Hayes Hunt and Preston Hicks connected for the third time on the night to extend the lead to 36-10. Hicks tied the single-game record with his third touchdown catch of the contest. The Admirals held the ball for virtually the rest of the quarter as they scored their only points of the half with 43.1 seconds left to cut the score to 36-18. Although his team was still down by three scores, the Bayside quarterback felt the need to chirp at the Eagle defenders which earned him an unsportsmanlike penalty. 

AC Walters breaks up a pass in the third quarter.

As they have through the latter stages of the year, the offense leaned heavily on Corey Landers in the fourth period. The powerful runner toted the ball on six of seven plays to move the ball to the Bayside 10-yard line. Just when the defense was expecting another dose of Landers, Hayes Hunt passed the ball to Avery Stuart for the score and stretched the lead to 43-18 with 5:45 left in the contest. The touchdown throw was Hunt’s fifth for the game which tied the school record. The passer has thrown five touchdowns in a game four times in his career. The home team had one last shot for something positive to happen as they took the field trailing by 25 points. The offense drove down the field and looked poised to post the final points of the night with a 1st and goal at the ACA one-yard line with 1:42 on the clock. However, the Eagle defenders remembered the actions of the Admirals after their last score and wanted to make sure their hosts weren’t tempted to be unsportsmanlike again. On first down, Blake Shaw stopped the runner short of the goal line. On second down, the Bayside back lost his footing on his cut into the hole and fell forward to the line of scrimmage. On third down, a convocation of Eagles stopped the running back to set up a fourth down. Desperate for points, Bayside called a timeout to have time for their last offensive play. On fourth down, the Admiral back ran left and tried to jump over Shaw, who was in the hole, and William Milner finished him off in the air for a dramatic goal-line stand to punctuate the victory.

The defense celebrates the game-ending goal line stand.

William Milner led the defense with 17 tackles while AC Walters and Otasowie Dion both had six tackles followed by Blake Shaw with five. Three runners had at least fifty yards as Corey Landers led the team with 140 yards on 16 carries. Dion finished with six rushes for 74 yards and Hayes Hunt had 53 yards on five attempts and a touchdown. The senior QB had a hand in all six touchdowns against Bayside. Hunt finished with 123 passing yards on ten completions and five touchdowns. Preston Hicks led the receivers with five catches for 72 yards and a record-tying three touchdowns. Corey Landers had three catches for 17 yards and Avery Stuart caught two for touchdowns totaling 34 yards.

Hayes Hunt looks for an open receiver.

The playoffs start next week as Alabama Christian travels to Randolph County to hopefully begin a long run in the postseason.        

Eagles Clinch Third Seed in Region with Road Win

“What a game!! What a great game!!” Those words echo through the minds of the ACA faithful who were present for the game at Southside-Selma on Friday night. The PA announcer drilled it into the heads of the crowd constantly throughout the first half. As the Eagles pulled away in the third period, the phrase was heard less frequently and by the fourth, the phrase had been retired for the evening.

ACA took care of business and secured the number three seed in the Region with a 56-38 defeat of the home-standing Panthers. The team’s sixth win of the season ensures a winning record for the fourth consecutive year.

New daddy, Coach Dockins prepares for the game.

The Eagles got the ball first and scored the game’s first points, but the drive was far from smooth. Corey Landers converted a 4th and 5 with a six-yard run and bolted 40 yards on a 3rd and 15 to keep the drive going. On 3rd and goal from the six, Hayes Hunt directed Otasowie Dion to an open spot in the end zone and completed the pass for a 7-0 lead. The defense looked good on the first two plays of the Southside possession as the home team faced a 3rd and 15 from their own 41-yard line. The Panthers proved they were capable of the big play as a middle receiver screen went all the way for a score and an 8-7 lead. ACA had the ball for two more possessions in the first quarter but lost ten yards combined on the two drives. Sandwiched between those two drives, the defense forced a turnover as Preston Hicks recovered a fumble at the Eagle 46-yard line.

Hayes Hunt points Otasowie Dion open in the end zone.

Blake Shaw ended the Panther’s first drive of the second period with a third down sack to give the ball back to the offense. Alabama Christian found some rhythm and drove 74 yards in 11 plays in a little over four minutes to recapture the lead, 14-8. Otasowie Dion converted two third downs with his legs and the drive ended with a 29-yard pass from Hayes Hunt to Avery Stuart to grab the lead for good. The defense stiffened as AC Walters broke up a pass and Shaw and Brady Smith combined for a sack to force a punt with 3:29 left in the half. That was more than enough time for the offense as Hunt hit a wide-open Preston Hicks in the middle of the field for a 43-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. ACA went into the half with a 21-8 advantage.

Brady Smith and Blake Shaw pressure the Southside quarterback.

Although the Eagles kicked off to start the second half, the defense put points on the board to extend the lead to 28-8. On the third play of the quarter, Preston Hicks worked the tip drill to perfection as he intercepted the carom and raced 46 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown. The defense kept up the pressure as Corey Landers and Otasowie Dion both broke up passes on Southside’s next drive. On fourth down, ACA got a piece of the punt and David Ortiz-Ramirez recovered the ball on the Panther 37-yard line. Hunt and Stuart hooked up again two plays later for a 25-yard score and a 35-8 cushion. The home team tried to stay in the game with a 50-yard run around the right end by the quarterback to cut the lead to 35-14 with 7:54 left in the third.

Preston Hicks races down the sideline for a touchdown after an interception.

Alabama Christian minimized any momentum from the home team as Hayes Hunt went 4 for 4 on the next drive including a 42-yard bomb to Preston Hicks to move the score to 42-14. The touchdown toss was Hunt’s fifth of the night, which tied his own record for most TD passes in a game and was his 28th of the season which broke his record from last year for most TD passes in a season. Southside found its offense in the second half and matched ACA score for score over the final twenty minutes of the game. The Panthers closed out the scoring in the third quarter with a two-yard run and made the score 42-22.

Hunt and Hicks celebrate a third quarter touchdown connection.

As the final period started, the offense made a concerted effort to feed Corey Landers the ball and the senior back ate up time and yards against Southside. On the first drive of the quarter, Landers carried six straight plays that covered 64 yards and culminated with a five-yard scoring run to stretch the lead to 49-22. The Panthers answered with a nine-play 51-yard drive scoring march that cut the score to 49-30. Once again the offense hitched its wagon to Landers who ran the ball on three consecutive plays for 54 yards to run the score to 56-30 after his 15-yard score with 1:47 left in the game. Southside answered one last time as their talented receiver took a swing pass and weaved his way through the entire defense on a 72-yard trek with 37 seconds left in the contest. The touchdown finished the scoring for the night and the Eagles prevailed 56-38.

Corey Landers runs around left end in the fourth quarter.

Hayes Hunt finished the night with 15 completions on 23 attempts for 206 yards and five touchdowns. Avery Stuart was Hunt’s favorite target with a team-high five receptions for 69 yards and two scores. Preston Hicks finished with three catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns while Otasowie Dion had three grabs for 22 yards and a score. Corey Landers dominated on the ground with 164 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. 

Blake Shaw and friends stop the Panther runner.

Defensively, William Milner and Blake Shaw led the team with ten tackles each. Otasowie Dion and Josh Kreitz each had four tackles. Shaw and Brady Smith each had a sack while Preston Hicks had a fumble recovery and an interception for a touchdown on the night.

The Eagles close out the regular season next week as they travel south to Bayside Academy.

Alabama Christian Crushes Greensboro on Homecoming Night

The Eagles clinched a playoff berth for a record seventh year in a row with a blowout win over Greensboro, 56-6, on Friday night in a pink-out game recognizing breast cancer awareness month. With a win over Southside-Selma next week, ACA will secure the number three seed in the Region and will play the number two seed from Region 4 in the first round of the playoffs.

The weather was perfect for Homecoming night.

The Eagle defense made an impact on the game in the very first series as they drove Greensboro back 13 yards on their first three plays thanks to two Raider penalties and a sack by Brady Smith. The punt was kicked in a crowd and barely cleared the line of scrimmage which allowed Gerrod Green to alertly scoop the ball up and run 22 yards for a score to put ACA up 7-0. Like PCA the week before, Greensboro had trouble with the squib kick as William Milner pounced on the ball at the Raider 36-yard line. Corey Landers carried the ball for three consecutive plays and scored from seven yards out to increase the lead to 14-0 with 7:18 left in the first period.

Gerrod Green scooped up a first quarter punt and scored the first points of the game.

After another Raider punt, ACA marched forty yards in three plays for its third straight scoring drive and a 21-0 advantage. Otasowie Dion carried twice for 27 yards and Hayes Hunt found Gerrod Green in the back of the end zone for the score. The teams swapped turnovers late in the first quarter as Preston Hicks forced the ball out of the running back’s grip and Dion recovered for the defense. However, Alabama Christian fumbled the ball back on the next play to give Greensboro another opportunity. Once again the Raiders were unable to produce a first down and gave the ball back to ACA. After two incomplete passes, the only two in the whole game, Corey Landers ran for 13 yards to pick up the first down and caught two passes from Hunt that covered 47 yards and a score. WIth 32.2 seconds left in the first, Alabama Christian led 28-0. Landers’ touchdown was the 40th of his career as he became only the third player in program history to score at least that many touchdowns.

Corey Landers headed for the end zone after a first period catch.

Greensboro picked up its first first down of the game on the last play of the opening period, but punted the ball three plays later to the home team. ACA scored in six plays, four Otasowie Dion runs and two Preston Hicks receptions, with a drive that covered 48 yards and lasted just under three minutes. Dion capped the drive with a three-yard plunge which gave ACA a 35-0 cushion. Hicks’ two catches on the drive moved him into first place on the career receptions list in school history. AC Walters ended the next Greensboro drive with an interception and was rewarded by carrying the ball the next four plays for 35 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles headed to the half with a whopping 42-0 lead.

Preston Hicks runs after his record breaking catch in the second quarter.

After last week’s five-minute, running clock quarters, no one knew exactly how the clock would be handled in the second half. The clock was set to 12 minutes, but it was a running clock. Sophomore Kaiden Green got the call in the second half at quarterback and made the most of his playing time. Green threw a quick screen to Mac Moorer on the left sideline on the second play of the opening drive of the half and Moorer weaved his way across the field and through the defense for a 48-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 49-0. As the defense began to sub freely, the Raiders finally mounted a drive that produced points on the last play of the third quarter.

Mac Moorer works his way towards the end zone.

The Eagles final possession of the night put points on the board even though it had a rough start. After a false start penalty and a bad snap that led to an eleven-yard loss, the offense faced a 3rd and 23 from its own 39-yard line. Kaiden Green bootlegged to the right and found Bryant Swindle by himself behind the defense. The duo hooked up for a 61-yard scoring play to make the score 56-6 with 6:20 left in the contest. Remarkably, because of the running clock, Greensboro managed just three more offensive plays before time expired.

Bryant Swindle outruns the defense for a score.

The QB combination of Hayes Hunt and Kaiden Green completed seven passes in nine attempts for 204 yards and four touchdowns. Hunt finished 5 for 7 for 95 yards and two scores while both of Green’s passes were completed for touchdowns that covered 109 yards. Corey Landers and Preston Hicks led the team with two catches each while Landers, Gerrod Green, Mac Moorer and Bryant Swindle each had touchdown receptions. 

Brady Smith tracks down the Raider quarterback for a first quarter sack.

AC Walters led the backs with 56 yards on seven attempts followed by Corey Landers with  52 yards on five carries and Otasowie Dion with 45 yards on six rushes. All three backs had a rushing touchdown. On defense, Dion and William Milner both recovered fumbles while Walters and David Ortiz-Ramirez both had interceptions. Milner led the team with four tackles while Brady Smith, Preston Hicks and Wes Peake each had three tackles.

Next week, the number three seed in the Region is on the line as ACA travels to Southside-Selma in the first-ever matchup between the schools. 

Alabama Christian Overpowers PCA in Region Contest

Friday night began a very important three-game stretch of the season for Alabama Christian. If ACA could win all three games, against Region opponents, they would secure the number three seed and earn a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive year, a school record. The Eagles started the trio of games against PCA on Senior Night. The seventeen seniors honored have never played anywhere else besides ACA, which is rare in this age of rampant transferring.

All of the bounces went ACA’s way early and the game was never really in doubt. The Eagles kicked off to start the game and while no Panther seem to want to jump on the ball, Otasowie Dion darted past the opponents and recovered the kickoff for ACA at the PCA 21-yard line. The offense scored in two plays as Corey Landers carried both times, scoring on a 19-yard run to put the first points on the board with just over a minute gone in the game. The second kickoff was a line drive that caromed off a PCA up-man and returned to kicker Tyson Summers, who recovered the ball on the ACA 48-yard line. The drive started with the Panthers jumping offsides on two straight plays to give Alabama Christian a first down. From there, Dion ran the ball on three of the next four plays and scored from one yard out to increase the lead to 14-0 with 8:38 left in the opening period.

Coach Summers congratulates Preston Hicks on his record breaking catch.

A bronx cheer went up from the Panther faithful as PCA was able to cover the next Eagle kickoff. The visitors were running their first play from scrimmage in the game, already down by two scores. AC Walters broke up a third down pass to force a quick punt back to ACA. The Eagles moved 64 yards in seven plays to extend the lead to 20-0. Hayes Hunt, coming back from injury last week, hit David Ortiz-Ramirez on a five-yard completion for the touchdown. As the first quarter neared its conclusion, PCA showed a little life on offense, but turned the ball over on downs at the Eagle 43-yard line. To squash any hope of the Panthers keeping the momentum, Avery Stuart caught a slip screen from Hunt and raced 57 yards past the defense for a score and a 27-0 lead on the last play of the quarter.

Avery Stuart runs past the PCA defender on the way to the end zone.

PCA finally got on the board to start the second period, aided by four Eagle penalties on the drive. The Panthers drove 76 yards in 13 plays and ate up almost half of the quarter to cut the ACA lead to 27-7. Once again, to make sure PCA did not capitalize on the positive scoring drive, Corey Landers took the ensuing kickoff 77 yards down the left sideline to stretch the lead back to 33-7. Alabama Christian closed out the half with one final score as Hayes Hunt found Preston Hicks on a 33-yard score to extend the lead to 40-7. The touchdown reception was Hicks’ 15th of his career and moves him to the top of the list in career touchdown receptions.

Corey Landers returns the kick for a score in the second quarter.

The second half went by in a blink as it was decided to have five-minute quarters, with a running clock, to finish the game. ACA kept the ball for the entire second half as they ran eleven straight times and had three penalties called against them. The game ended in victory formation at the Panther 20-yard line.

A convincing win over PCA.

Hayes Hunt had a perfect night in the pocket as he completed all six passes he threw for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Avery Stuart caught two for 67 yards while Preston Hicks had two for 50 yards as both receivers had a touchdown catch. Corey Lander rushed for 62 yards on six attempts and a touchdown. An eleven yard run by Landers in the first quarter pushed him past the 3,000 yard mark for his career. The senior is only the third Eagle ever to run for that many yards. Since PCA’s offense only ran 29 plays in the entire game, defensive opportunities were scarce on the night. Blake Shaw led the team with six tackles followed by Preston Hicks with five. William Milner, Taylor Thompson and Brady Smith each added four tackles. Smith and Otasowie Dion both had sacks while Dion and Tyson Summers both recovered fumbles on kickoffs.

Next week, Alabama Christian hosts Greensboro for Homecoming in another crucial Region contest.

Eagles Fall to St James in Hard Fought Contest

For the past two seasons the winner of the ACA/St James game won the 4A Region 3 title. This year the combatants are 3A schools and, along with Trinity, are the favorites in the Region. A loss for the Eagles would all but assure a road game in the first round of the playoffs, but a win over the Trojans would keep Alabama Christian in the mix to host a first round game. Starting quarterback, Hayes Hunt was unable to play due to injury and the Eagles came up short, 20-35. Despite the loss, ACA showed its toughness and moxie as they kept the game close throughout the second half.

The Trojans won the toss and took the ball down the field on the opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead. ACA’s first possession was a three and out, as it would take the Eagles some time to find its rhythm on offense. St James marched down the field again on its second drive and with 3:08 remaining in the first period scored to take a 14-0 lead. ACA picked up a first down on its second possession as Otasowie Dion ran 12 yards on a 3rd and 1 from ACA’s 35-yard line. The Eagles would eventually punt it back to St James and the opening quarter ended with the home team ahead by two touchdowns.

William Milner brings down the running back.

The ACA defense forced a punt from the Trojans as Otasowie Dion pressured the quarterback on third down to force an incompletion. Alabama Christian picked up a couple of first downs on the next drive as the offense slowly began to gel. As the Eagles punted back to St James one last time in the half, the home team made the most of the opportunity and scored for the third time in four possessions to take a 21-0 lead to the locker room.

The defense gangs up to stop the ball carrier.

The second half began with a bang as Otasowie Dion bolted 65 yards for a score on the third play of the quarter to put the the Eagles on the board. The Trojans were able to answer back on the very next drive with a six-play 55-yard march to stretch the lead back to three touchdowns, 28-7. On the ensuing kickoff it became apparent the official on the ACA sideline was new to the game of football as he missed the kick returner being run into by the opponent before he could catch the ball. The man in stripes had several flags picked up the rest of the half by the head official and seemed to bungle multiple calls. After both teams traded punts, the Eagles scored as Corey Landers found Avery Stuart on a fly pattern for a 23-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-28. As the third period came to a close, ACA trailed by just two scores.

Otasowie Dion looks for an open field against the Trojans.

The Trojans scored to open the final stanza and stretched the advantage back to three scores, 35-14. Alabama Christian responded with its best drive of the night as the offense marched 69 yards in eight plays. The touchdown came on a 4th and 3 at the Trojan 25-yard line as Corey Landers hooked up with Preston Hicks for the score and cut the lead to 20-35. Two plays later, Landers intercepted the Trojan QB to give the ball right back to the Eagles with 5:21 left to play. The offense drove it to the St James 45-yard line, but could go no further and turned the ball over on downs with 2:34 left in the game. St James was able to run out the clock and take home the Region win.

Preston Hicks celebrates with teammates after a score.

Corey Landers played a heroic game as he finished with 114 yards passing with two touchdowns, 72 yards on the ground on 12 carries and added four tackles and an interception on defense. Landers became the first player in school history to reach 500 career rushes on the night. Otasowie Dion led the team in rushing with 118 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Avery Stuart led the receivers with four catches for 56 yards and a score while Preston Hicks had three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, William Milner led the charge with ten tackles followed by Otasowie Dion with seven. Blake Shaw had six tackles and a sack while AC Walters and Avery Stuart both had five tackles.

Next week, Alabama Christian hosts PCA on Senior Night in an important Region tilt.

Alabama Christian Beats MA in Last Minute Thriller

Alabama Christian and MA were coming off very different weeks as they renewed their rivalry Friday night. ACA blew out Sumter Central, 62-14, in a Region tilt while MA was manhandled by, perennial power, Andalusia, 49-7. The old foes squared off for the fortieth time in the series and ACA was hoping to win its second in a row over the visiting Eagles for just the second time in program history. Those hopes turned to reality as Hayes Hunt led his team to a riveting 33-27 victory, with a heroic performance despite being injured.

Hayes Hunt looks for Preston Hicks on ACA’s first score of the night.

MA received the opening kick and marched 70 yards in six plays, all runs, to take a 7-0 lead with 9:18 left in the first. ACA responded and looked very impressive on its opening drive and tied the game, 7-7. The home-standing Eagles moved 80 yards in five plays, highlighted by a 16-yard run by Otasowie Dion and a 21-yard reception by Avery Stuart (remember 21 yards and Avery Stuart for later). Hayes Hunt bought time as he moved up in the pocket to find Preston Hicks for 33 yards and a touchdown to cap the drive. Hunt’s 39th career touchdown pass moved him into the top spot in program history. 

Preston Hicks races to the end zone in the first quarter.

William Milner stopped the next MA drive as he ripped the ball away from the back and Hayes Hunt fell on it to give ACA the ball at MA’s 25-yard line. Three quick plays, an eleven yard run by Corey Landers, an eleven yard pass to Preston Hicks and a three yard run by Otasowie Dion, produced a touchdown in just over a minute to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead. MA responded with three plays of their own that covered 62 yards and took the lead back, 14-13, with still 3:12 left in the first period. As the first quarter was coming to a close, Hunt ripped off three runs that covered 32 yards, mixed with a pass interference call against MA and ACA ended the period at the MA 27-yard line. One of Hunt’s runs was a fake punt around the end for 24 yards as the return team lost any resemblance of containment on the left side of the field. The last run of the quarter brought great concern to the ACA faithful as the senior quaretrback was visibly struggling to put weight on his foot.

Defense helps the stripes know who has the ball.

Hunt started the second on the bench as the offense ran a direct-snap play to Corey Landers, but labored to get back to the huddle on the second play. Amazingly, he connected with Hicks for a 15-yard gain to the opponent’s 10-yard line on his first play back. However, two plays later a bad exchange on the handoff ended up on the ground and MA ended the threat with the recovery. The defense did not allow MA to gain momentum after the turnover although a terrible roughing the passer call did allow them to continue the drive. Josh Kreitz ended the possession as he recovered a fumble at the MA 42-yard line with 6:02 left in the half. Neither team scored for the rest of the half, but there was plenty of drama as we just knew that Hunt would not be on the field for the next drive, but he kept coming back every time for his team. MA led 14-13 as the team’s headed to the locker room.

Josh Kreitz celebrates ending another MA possession.

As the bell rang to start the third period, the Eagles were ready to fight with and for their leader as Hunt led the offense on to the field. Otasowie Dion had two big runs of 35 and 12 yards in the opening drive to help spur the offense. On 4th and 5 from the MA 15-yard line, Hunt found a wide-open David Ortiz-Ramirez in the end zone for the score. Corey Landers pass to a diving Preston Hicks netted ACA two points and the lead was 21-14 with 8:58 left in the third. Once again, MA answered with a five-play, 54-yard drive to tie the score, 21-21. After an ACA turnover on downs, MA took the ball and drove to the Alabama Chrsitian three-yard line as the third quarter ended.

Otasowie Dion helped set the tone for the second half with a 35-yard run on the first play of the third quarter.

MA scored on the first play of the fourth period to retake the lead, but a missed extra point kept the score 27-21. The next ACA drive ended with an interception with 9:05 left in the game and it felt as if the momentum had tilted in the visitors favor. After one first down for MA, a trio of Eagles, Preston Hicks, AC Walters and William Milner, stopped the running back on 3rd and 6 and forced a punt, that was downed on ACA’s own 10-yard line. With 4:49 on the clock and 90 yards away from the end zone, one wondered if ACA had enough time to tie the game, much less win it. Fifty seconds was all that was needed as Hunt connected with Hicks on an 85-yard bomb up the right sideline on the second play of the drive to tie the score, 27-27. As Hicks caught the ball his defender fell down and the senior receiver was off to the races on the longest play of the year.

Special teams enjoy the game-preserving fumble recovery by Jaylan McCovery.

The defense again was asked to stop the potent ground attack of MA and give the offense one last shot at the victory. The unit rose to the occasion as AC Walters ran the quarterback out of bounds two yards short on third down, despite the emphatic first down signal given by the runner, and forced another punt. ACA took the field with 2:32 remaining, 70 yards from the end zone. Dion and Landers combined for three rushes for 43 yards to take the ball to the MA 27-yard line. After no gain on first down, ACA called time with 1:16 left to go. After an incomplete pass, Corey Landers ran for 6 yards to set up a 4th and 4 at the 21-yard line with less than a minute left to play. On the crucial play, Hunt hit Avery Stuart on a slant, but the senior receiver pivoted immediately, after the catch, to the outside and outran three defenders to the end zone for the winning 21-yard reception with just 40.1 seconds remaining. Any fears of a last gasp effort from MA evaporated as the visitors could not secure the squib kick and Jaylan McCovery jumped on the loose ball to secure the win. Hunt and the offense trotted out one last time for the victory formation, the best play in football.

Hayes Hunt getting some love from his coach.

Hayes Hunt finished the night with a career-high 264 yards with four touchdowns and ran for 32 more to lead the offense. Five different Eagles had receptions in the contest led by Preston Hicks and Corey Landers with four catches apiece. Hicks’ catches covered 144 yards and two scores. David Ortiz-Ramirez had two catches for 55 yards and a score while Avery Stuart had two for 42 yards and a touchdown. Otasowie Dion led the backs with 118 yards on 13 carries and a score followed by Landers with 53 yards on 13 attempts.

The team runs onto the field as the clock runs out.

Defensively, William Millner led the attack with nine tackles. Corey Landers and AC Walters both had five tackles followed by Josh Kreitz and Jalen Flowers with four each. Kreitz, Hayes Hunt and McCovery all had fumble recoveries in the contest.

A night to remember for players and fans alike.

Alabama Chrsitian resumes Region play next week as they travel to St James. 

ACA Dominates in First Region Win of the Season

Alabama Christian looked to even its Region record to 1-1 on Friday as they played Sumter Central for the first time in program history. The visiting Jaguars had lost 26 games in a row and ACA hoped to continue the streak. Columbia, a 6A school from Huntsville, holds the current longest losing streak in the state at 66 games in a row. The Eagles scored early and often in the 62-14 win.

William Milner recovers the opening kickoff for the Eagles.

The Eagles won the coin toss and deferred until the second half, but wound up with the ball anyway as Sumter Central could not handle the squib kick. This was the first of three times ACA recovered a mishandled kickoff in the game. In a break from the norm, the offense threw five plays in a row, all completions, to start the game and opened the scoring with a 20-yard pass from Hayes Hunt to Otasowie Dion for a 7-0 lead. Hunt would connect on his first ten passes of the evening. After a three and out from the Jaguars, the offense drove sixty-nine yards in four plays capped by an eight-yard scramble from Hunt to stretch the lead to 14-0. Preston Hicks forced a fumble which was recovered by AC Walters to end Sumter’s second drive. Four plays later, Hunt rolled out to the left and hit a wide-open Dion who coasted to the end zone on a 23-yard pass play for a 21-0 lead. The first quarter ended with the visitors preparing to punt to the Eagles, trailing by twenty-one points.

Hunt and Dion have the left side of the field to themselves as they connect for a score.

David Ortiz-Ramirez opened the scoring in the second with a 40-yard dash to paydirt and a 28-0 cushion. Blake Shaw tackled the punter after he couldn’t catch the snap to give Alabama Christian the ball on the Jaguar 35-yard line with 8:50 remaining in the half. Corey Landers moved the ball to the five-yard line with one carry and Otasowie Dion scored on the next play for his third touchdown of the night and a 35-0 lead. Sumter Central put together a scoring drive aided by two big plays to get on the scoreboard. On 2nd and 16, the Jags completed a 40-yard pass to the ACA 39-yard line and ran 35 more yards on the next play to the four-yard line. Sumter finally scored on fourth and goal to make the score 35-6. The Eagles responded with a two-play drive that covered sixty yards to move the score to 42-6. The scoring play was a 37-yard bomb from Hayes Hunt to Avery Stuart. After recovering a botched kick return, ACA scored again as Hayes found Preston Hicks in traffic in the end zone on an eight-yard play for a 49-6 advantage. Neither team scored on its final possession of the half and Alabama Christian left the field with a commanding lead.

David Ortiz-Ramirez outraces the defense to the end zone.

A running clock was called for in the second half and after the starters scored on the first drive, the backups were able to play the rest of the way. Hayes Hunt tied the school record with his fifth scoring pass of the night as he hit David Ortiz-Ramirez for a three-yard touchdown and a 56-6 lead. After recovering yet another kickoff, the second team was able to drive for a score. Although the drive was dominated by Jordan Frazier’s running, Kaiden Grenn completed his first varsity pass to Mac Moorer, with his first varsity reception, on the drive. Frazier carried three times for 20 yards and his touchdown run extended the lead to 62-6. Sumter Central closed out the scoring with an 18-yard pass to cut the score to 62-14 in the fourth period.

Corey Landers moves the ball close to the goal line for the Eagles.

Hayes Hunt completed 11 of 14 passes on the night for 133 yards and five touchdowns and also ran two times for 35 yards and a score. Otasowie Dion led all receivers with five catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Avery Stuart caught two for 44 yards and a score while Preston Hicks had two for 21 yards and a touchdown. Corey Landers led all rushers with 137 yards on eight carries while Jordan Frazier finished with 72 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Both Otasowie Dion and David Ortiz-Ramirez rushed for over 60 yards and scored a TD in the game. With Sumter Central only running 29 offensive plays on the night, the defensive chances were not as numerous as past games. Blake Shaw, Gerrod Green and AC Walters led the team with four tackles apiece. Preston Hicks, Brady Smith and Avery Stuart each had three tackles.

Brady Smith and Avery Stuart combine for the stop.

Alabama Christian hosts MA next Friday, September 23rd, in its next contest.  

Eagles Lose Region Opener at Trinity

Although it was just the first Region game of the year, ACA had a chance to gain the inside track of hosting in the first round of the playoffs with an upset victory at Trinity. The contest was tight and the outcome was decided in the final seconds, but in the end, the Wildcats walked away with the victory as they have so many times before. Trinity moves to 2-0 in the Region with the 20-14 defeat of Alabama Christian. The Eagles fall to 0-1 and leave themselves no margin for error in future Region games.

The Wildcats opened the game with three straight passes, resulting in two incompletions and an Otasowie Dion sack, on their initial possession and punted on fourth down. The Eagle offense fared no better on its first drive and punted back to Trinity. Corey Landers forced a fumble recovered by Dion to end the Wildcat’s second drive and set up the offense on their opponent’s 33-yard line. ACA could not capitalize as they gained just two yards on four plays and turned it over on downs. Trinity drove the field and was on the Eagle 26-yard line as the first quarter ended tied 0-0. ACA had gained ten yards on seven offensive plays in the period.

The home team continued its drive in the second quarter and took the lead with 9:20 left in the half. The drive took 13 plays, covered 69 yards and lasted almost eight minutes. Alabama Christian picked up a first down on the next drive and was ready to go for it on a 4th and 3 from the Wildcat 46-yard line, but a false start penalty cost them five yards and ended the possession. Trinity’s next drive did not produce points, but it did eat up 4 and a half more minutes of clock and it looked like they would take a 7-0 lead to the locker room. However, with 1:49 left in the half, the passing game made an appearance and the Eagles tied the game with 2.3 seconds left in the half as Hayes Hunt rolled left and threw across the field to Corey Landers near the goal line for a 30-yard scoring play to tie the contest, 7-7.

Neither team scored on its first drive of the second half, but the Eagles found a rhythm in their second drive. The squad marched 76 yards in eight plays to take a 14-7 lead. The drive was highlighted by an eighteen-yard run by Corey Landers and an eight-yard touchdown scamper by Otasowie Dion. Trinity answered as they scored on a 38-yard pass play on 3rd and 7 to knot the score, 14-14, early in the fourth period.

After a three and out from ACA, the Wildcats struck again and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:37 left in the contest. Trinity drove 89 yards in nine plays to take the lead. The Trinity kicker hit one of his linemen with the extra point to keep the lead at six points, 20-14. The next Eagle possession had the feel of the last chance for the visitors to pull off the win. Facing a 3rd and 12 from their own 18, David Ortiz-Ramirez picked up 15 yards on a reverse to give the Eagles hope. On the next play, Otasowie Dion raced 36 yards to the Wildcat 33 and the offense was in business with just over three minutes to play. The first touchdown of the drive was called back on a 2nd and 1 from the 12-yard line as quarterback Hayes Hunt tried to run up the middle and bounced it around the left end for an apparent score, but the referee had thrown a flag for holding on the offense. This was the first holding call of the night against either team. Eventually, the Eagles wound up with a 2nd and goal from the 2-yard line and looked poised to score. Corey Landers gained one yard on second down. Otasowie Dion looked to be trapped in the backfield on third down but lateraled to his quarterback who again ran around left end for an apparent score, but the referee had blown the play dead before the lateral ruling forward progress had been stopped. On the Eagles’ last play, Hunt was pressured and threw an interception in traffic to seal the win for the Wildcats.

Hunt finished the night with ten completions in seventeen attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown. The senior also ran for 29 yards on five carries and made four tackles on defense. Otasowie Dion led the backs with 85 yards on 11 carries and a score while Corey Landers had 45 yards on 14 rushes. Landers was the team’s leading receiver with four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown while Avery Stuart and Dion both had three receptions. William Milner led the defense with eight tackles while Dion, Landers and Stuart each had five tackles.

ACA Sets Scoring Record in Blowout Win Over Lynn

For the third year in a row, the Eagles bounced back after a season opening loss and dominated their week two opponent for the first win of the year. This year the opponent was Lynn, the first of five schools Alabama Christian has never faced in football, and the Eagles dominated from the beginning in a 64-26 victory. The point total broke a forty-one year old record as the 1981 squad defeated Landmark Christian, 62-0.

The ACA captains head to midfield for the coin toss.

ACA should have scored on the first play from scrimmage, but Corey Landers was called out of bounds at the Lynn 41-yard line and had to settle for a 12 yard gain. Five plays later, Alabama Christian faced the closest thing to a stressful situation on the night with a 4th and 9 at the thirty. However, Preston Hicks got behind the defense and Hayes Hunt hit him for a touchdown and the rout was on. Lynn’s first offensive play showed some promise until Landers jarred the ball away from the receiver and Blake Shaw recovered to give the ball right back to the offense. Hunt found Avery Stuart on the next play on a 43-yard bomb for a 14-0 advantage with 9:31 left in the first.

Blake Shaw celebrates a first quarter fumble recovery.

The home team picked up a couple of first downs on their second drive, but failed to convert a fourth down as William Milner tackled the receiver well short of the marker. Hunt and Stuart connected again from 47 yards away on the third play of the possession to stretch the lead to 21-0. On the next series, Otasowie Dion picked off a pass and raced 26 yards for a score and a 28-0 lead with 5:03 still left in the first. Preston Hicks and Dion both had sacks to halt the next Bear drive and the quarter ended with ACA back on offense.

Hayes Hunt winds up for a bomb to Avery Stuart.

Alabama Christian scored again to start the second period as Hayes Hunt flipped the ball to Corey Landers on a jet-sweep around the right end for an 18-yard score and a 35-0 lead. Lynn’s offense came to life and put together a four-play 59-yard drive, highlighted by a 45-yard keeper by the quarterback, to get on the board and cut the lead to 35-6. Otasowie Dion made sure the momentum stopped there as he returned the kickoff 52 yards to the Lynn 22-yard line and scored after a penalty from 25 yards out to extend the lead to 42-6 with 9:13 left in the half. 

Otasowie Dion looks for daylight against Lynn.

The defense held Lynn to a three and out and set up the offense for another possession and score. AC Walters was the workhorse on the drive as he carried the ball on all four plays that covered 67 yards and scored on a 25-yard run for a 49-6 lead. The last score of the half was set up by a Gerrod Green interception. Jordan Frazier, the fourth tailback of the night, toted the ball five plays in a row and scored on an eight-yard run with 1:10 left in the half for a 56-6 lead.

Jordan Frazier outruns the defense to the end zone.

In the second half, the members of the JV squad played the rest of the way and gained valuable experience at the varsity level. Lynn controlled the ball for nine and a half minutes of the third quarter. The home team drove the field to start the half to cut the lead to 56-14. Lynn recovered the onsides kick, but after the officials conferred, the Eagles were awarded possession. ACA ran three plays and gained no yards and would not see the field again until the fourth quarter as they punted with 7:27 left in the third. The Bears drove and scored again with 31 seconds left in the period to cut the margin to 56-20. This time, the onsides kick was successful as the Eagles touched the ball and Lynn recovered to end the third.

Jaylan McCovery ended the Bear threat as he intercepted the team’s third pass on the night. After an extended absence, the offense took the field and again lasted only three plays before punting back to its opponent. Lynn scored for the final time in the contest with a six-play, 52-yard drive to make the score 56-26. Alabama Christian’s final score came on 3rd and 28 from their own 36-yard line as David Ortiz-Ramirez weaved through the defense on a 64-yard run to tie the all-time point total for a game in program history. The extra point would give them the record, but the snap was low and Hayes Hunt was unable to place it for kicker Tyson Summers. Hunt stood and calmly ran around the left end into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the record.

Tyson Summers ties the school record with eight made PATs.

AC Walters led all rushers with 76 yards on four carries while David Ortiz-Ramirez had 63 yards on three attempts. Otasowie Dion had 45 yards on two carries and Jordan Frazier finished with 44 yards on 11 carries. All four backs scored touchdowns on the night. Hayes Hunt went 6 for 8 for 159 yards and four scores hitting three different receiver for scores. Avery Stuart had two catches for 90 yards and two scores while Corey Landers had two for 30 yards and a touchdown and Preston Hicks had one for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Corey Landers goes down the sideline on the first play from scrimmage.

Josh Kreitz and Christian Snipes led the defense with seven tackles apiece while Blake Shaw added four tackles. Otasowie Dion, Preston Hicks, and Jake Hunt each had three tackles. In all, twenty-six different Eagles recorded tackles in the contest. Tyson Summers tied the school record for made extra points with eight in the contest.

Josh Kreitz and friends look to stop the Lynn runner.

Region play opens next week as ACA visits Trinity on Friday, September 9th.

Eagles Steamrolled by Catholic in Season Opener

After decades of playing their home games at Wade Black Norton Field, Alabama Christian Academy posted a surprising and unexplained message, on August 2nd, telling of plans to move its home games to the campus of Faulkner University. Seventeen seniors began their final year on a new field and although the surroundings were different, the opponent was very familiar. The Eagles began playing Catholic in 1974, the program’s first year, and the two schools were meeting for the forty-second time Friday night. Although ACA led the all-time series 23-18, the Knights had won the last four meetings.

Once the visitors got their offense clicking, Catholic scored the most points ever in the series in a 61-7 dismantling of the Eagles. After being kept off the board on their first drive, the Knights scored touchdowns on all nine remaining drives. ACA’s lone score came after the game was decided as Corey Landers raced down the left sideline on a 78-yard romp with 7:37 remaining in the contest.

Landers turned in a solid performance despite a tough night for the offense as he finished the game with 146 yards on 17 attempts and had the team’s only reception. Otasowie Dion finished with 46 yards on nine carries. On defense, William Milner led the team with seven tackles while Preston Hicks added five of his own. Dion and Avery Stuart both had three tackles.  

ACA Beaten by Jacksonville in First Round of Playoffs

A year after Alabama Christian eliminated Jacksonville from the playoffs, the Golden Eagles returned the favor with a 42-21 win over ACA Friday night. The visiting Eagles led 21-14 early in the third period, but Jacksonville responded with the last 28 points scored, doubling up ACA. Despite the loss, Michael Summers first year as head coach was a success and the team’s 7-4 record was the third best record for a coach in his first year in program history.

Jacksonville received the opening kickoff and after picking up one first down was forced to punt thanks to a third down sack by Donovan Emerson. Hayes Hunt helped the Eagles to two first downs on their first drive on a 16-yard pass to Garrett Weathers and a 14-yard scramble, on 3rd and 14, as the junior dove for the yard marker. The offense could move no further and were forced to punt four plays later. Jacksonville opened the scoring on their second possession of the game as the Golden Eagles converted a 3rd and 21 with a 39-yard pass completion, despite an obvious missed holding call on the offense. The Jacksonville quarterback bought himself some time by scrambling around and found his receiver deep down the field, in what would be a theme for the rest of the night, ACA responded quickly as Otasowie Dion bolted by the defense for a 59-yard touchdown run to tie the score, 7-7, with just 10.8 seconds left in the first quarter.

Jack Thomas and Corey Landers gang up on the Jacksonville back.

The Eagle defense forced a three and out to start the second period as Corey Landers and Jack Thomas combined to bring the Jacksonville ball carrier down behind the line of scrimmage on first down. ACA’s offense was clicking as Otasowie Dion (29) and Landers (21) moved the ball 50 yards in two plays down to the Jacksonville 24 yard line. Two plays later, Trey Schlemmer (or as the Jacksonville announcer would say, Norman Trey Schlemmer the third) caught a Hayes Hunt pass that covered 24 yards that gave Alabama Christian its first lead of the game, 14-7. The home team converted three third downs on their next drive and tied the game with 5:41 left in the half. Both teams had the ball two more times before halftime, but were unable to produce any points. Senior D’Andre Sneed ended one of the Golden Eagle drives with an interception.

Trey Schlemmer hauls in a touchdown pass.

Corey Landers opened the second half with carries on four of the five plays it took the offense to take the lead for the second time on the night. Landers gained 60 yards on the drive that ended with a three-yard scoring run. Jacksonville also scored on their first drive as they covered 55 yards in seven plays to pull even with ACA. Otasowie Dion raced 28 yards on the first play of the next drive and it looked like the second half may turn into a shootout. However, the Eagles were backed up on the next play due to a holding call and were not able to recover. After a punt, the home team drove 78 yards in 11 plays and overcame two penalties to take the lead for good with 18.9 seconds left in the third quarter.

On the first drive of the final quarter, Corey Landers ran the ball on six consecutive plays and gained 30 yards down to the Golden Eagle 25 yard line. On first down, the Eagles turned the ball over on an interception as the deep pass came up short and was picked off with 8:38 left in the game. With momentum on their side, Jacksonville controlled the rest of the game. Backed up on their own three yard line after the interception, the Golden Eagles marched 97 yards in 12 plays to take a 35-21 lead. The touchdown came on a 34-yard pass play as Jacksonville faced a 3rd and 16. On the first play of the next drive, ACA tried their favorite trick play, but fumbled the ball away on the failed hook and ladder. Jacksonville scored on the next play with another long pass and the lead extended to 42-21. Alabama Christian fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the ball back to Jacksonville for the third time in a row. Neither team scored over the final three minutes and the ACA season came to a close.

Corey Landers led the team with 120 yards rushing on 16 carries with a touchdown while teammate Otasowie Dion finished with 118 yards on five attempts and a score. Hayes Hunt threw for 55 yards as he completed nine passes on fifteen attempts and a touchdown. Trey Schlemmer had one catch for a score for 24 yards to lead the receivers. Defensively, three seniors stood out as D’Andre Sneed had 14 tackles with a sack and an interception. Jack Thomas tallied 13 tackles while Schlemmer had 12 tackles. Dion, Donovan Emerson and Joshua Kreitz each had sacks on the night.

A special thank you to Leah Hunt, Richard Peake and Cathy Moorer for allowing me to use their pictures to go along with the stories.

Alabama Christian Finishes the Regular Season with Win Over MA

It was a great night to pull for Alabama Christian. Every “expert” in the media picked MA to beat ACA in the season finale at home, but the visiting Eagles proved them all wrong. The not very welcoming hosts did set an unofficial record by threatening to tow ten different cars in the first half. The home team treated the visitors rudely, too, with two quick touchdowns, but the Eagles showed tremendous resiliency as they fought back to win the contest. The 31-21 victory was the sixth time Alabama Christian has beaten MA and the first time since 2008 to beat them at their place.

MA won the toss and scored its first touchdown in less than a minute with a two-play seventy yard haymaker for a 7-0 lead with 11:28 left in the first quarter. ACA punted on its first possession after picking up a first down to give MA the ball back on their own 34 yard line. Once again, it took the home team only two plays to score and the lead stretched to 14-0. From the early returns, it looked like the game might be over quickly. However, the coaching staff calmed the players and ACA started to play their game. After the first three and a half minutes of the game, ACA outscored MA 31-7 the rest of the way. AC Walters set up the offense with great field position as he returned the kickoff to the MA 48 yard line. On 3rd and 7, Hayes Hunt connected with Garrett Weathers on a deep pass that covered 42 yards for a first down at the three yard line. Preston Hicks scored on the next play on a receiver screen and the lead was cut in half, 14-7. Now the team looked to the defense to stop the powerful MA running attack. After allowing a couple of first downs, the defense stiffened and forced a punt to get the ball back to the offense, The defense stopped the MA runners behind the line of scrimmage on three plays during the drive. Jack Thomas, Corey Landers, Trey Schlemmer, Avery Stuart, Otasowie Dion and D’Andre Sneed all contributed on those three key plays. The quarter ended with MA pinning ACA back on their own one yard line to start the next drive.

The defense lines up to stop the running game of MA.

Alabama Christian marched 99 yards in eight plays to tie the game 14-14 early in the second period. Otasowie Dion and Corey Landers combined for the first 42 yards of the drive as the offense moved the ball towards midfield. On 3rd and 8, Avery Stuart beat his man and Hayes Hunt him in stride for a 57-yard touchdown connection for the game tying score. AC Walters produced on special teams again as he recovered an MA fumble on the kickoff at the 15 yard line. ACA couldn’t punch it in, but Tyson Summers gave the team the lead with a 26-yard field goal with 8:54 left in the half. Both teams traded punts and then MA seemed to find its rhythm again as they scored on a nine-play, 43 yard drive to retake the lead 21-17 with 1:59 left in the first half. ACA was unable to move the ball at the end of the quarter and trailed by four heading to the locker room.

Hayes Hunt looks down field for an open receiver.

Alabama Christian started the second half with the ball and promptly took the lead for good with a 61-yard drive in seven plays. After a first down, the offense went to work with consecutive receptions by Preston Hicks that covered 31 yards and a 22-yard jaunt up the middle by Corey Landers on a direct snap to the junior running back. With 8:11 left in the third quarter, ACA led 24-21. Neither team could score for the rest of the period as the team’s traded punts on three possessions. Jack Thomas continued to wreak havoc with his second sack of the game and combined with Hicks and Trey Schlemmer on two other tackles behind the line of scrimmage. On the last play of the third quarter, MA punted to Corey Landers who produced a career long 73-yard punt return to the MA seven yard line.

Corey Landers breaks a tackle on his way to the end zone.

On the second play of the final period, Hayes Hunt found Trey Schlemmer in the right flat and the senior powered his way into the end zone for the 31-21 lead. A stunned MA offense could do nothing and produced two three and outs as the clock kept ticking away. For its part, ACA kept the ball on the ground and ran as much clock as they could. With a little more than three minutes left in the game, MA began a last ditch effort to pull closer to ACA. The home team drove to the ACA 25 yard line, but turned it over on downs with 2:04 left to play. The Eagles tried to run out the clock, but fumbled the ball away and MA got another chance. With less than a minute left, Avery Stuart intercepted a MA pass to seal the victory for Alabama Christian.

Avery Stuart gets a lift after his game-clinching interception.

Hayes Hunt finished the night with 192 yards passing, completing 12 of 19 passes, and three touchdowns. Corey Landers was the team’s top rusher with 84 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Otasowie Dion had 37 yards on eight attempts. Preston Hicks led the receivers with three catches for 34 yards and a score while Landers also caught three balls for 25 yards. Dion had two receptions for 16 yards as Avery Stuart and Trey Schlemmer’s only catches went for touchdowns.

Hunt to Schlemmer for five yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Jack Thomas led the way with 11 tackles and two sacks while fellow line backer Trey Schlemmer had nine tackles. D’Andre Sneed had seven tackles while Donovan Emerson and Preston Hicks each had five tackles. After giving up 136 yards and 14 points on the first two drives of the game, the ACA defense held MA to 158 yards and seven more points the rest of the night.

Donovan Emerson and company tackle the MA ball carrier.

ACA will be in the playoffs next week for a program record sixth year in a row with a trip to Jacksonville.

Eagles Win Pink Out Game Over Bullock County

ACA celebrated Homecoming with a convincing 42-0 win over Bullock County. The Eagle fans and supporters were encouraged to wear pink as Alabama Christian recognized Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The football team surprised the home crowd as they donned pink jerseys to show their support of breast cancer fighters and survivors. The Eagles took control early and the outcome was never in doubt.

Thomas Stovall picks up yards after a catch.

Bullock County received the opening kickoff and threw caution to the wind early as they went for it on a 4th and 2 from their own 40 yard line. Jack Thomas and Donovan Emerson stopped the drive as they combined for a tackle behind the line of scrimmage to give the offense the ball at the Hornet 39 yard line. Two plays later, Thomas Stovall took a pitch around right end for a 28-yard touchdown and the rout was on. After a sack by Joshua Kreitz and a delay of game penalty, Bullock County faced a 4th and 19 as they readied to punt on their second drive. The snap sailed over the punter’s head and the defense tackled him on the Hornet nine yard line. Preston Hicks walked into the end zone on a two-yard receiver screen to stretch the lead to 14-0. Bullock County turned the ball over on downs on their first two possessions and the third time they had the ball a botched pitch on an option play turned into a Corey Landers fumble recovery. The Eagles would start on the Bullock County side of the field for the third straight drive, but were unable to score as they could not overcome a holding penalty. The Hornets last possession of the opening period ended in a punt for negative four yards to allow the offense to once again start in their opponent’s territory.

Trey Schlemmer brings down the Bullock County runner.

Alabama Christian gained no yards on the first three plays of the drive, but on a 4th and 10 from the 20 yard line, Hayes Hunt connected with Garrett Weathers as he got behind the defense for a 21-0 lead. The defense got the ball right back to the offense with a three and out who had their worst field position of the game starting at the 50 yard line. Corey Landers ran twice for 38 yards and Otasowie Dion finished the drive with a 12-yard run for a 28-0 cushion. Tyson Summers had been close to causing a turnover on kickoffs earlier in the half and this time he got it as Kayden Findley recovered the onsides kick for ACA. On the next play, the Eagles scored again as Hunt found Avery Stuart at the goal line on a 28-yard pass play. The Hornets picked up their first two first downs of the contest on their next drive, but turned the ball over on downs after Dion recorded a sack on fourth down. The offense could not muster another score in the last two minutes of the half and left the field with a 35-0 lead at the half.

Hayes Hunt looks for Garrett Weathers behind the defense.

Due to the big lead, the quarters were reduced to eight minutes for the second half which meant the half would not take long. Both teams only had the ball twice on offense over the final two quarters. ACA picked up a first down on its first drive, but punted the ball away with 4:15 left in the third quarter. Bullock County produced two first downs on their drive, but fumbled the ball away to end the possession. After one carry by Otasowie Dion, AC Walters came in and ran the ball on seven consecutive plays for 65 yards that ended with a 13-yard touchdown run. The defense subbed freely on the last drive for the Hornets and the backups kept Bullock County out of the end zone to preserve the shutout.

Donovan Emerson celebrates a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

Donovan Emerson and Jack Thomas led the defense as both recorded seven tackles. Preston Hicks and Trey Schlemmer each had five tackles on the night. Emerson, Otasowie Dion and Joshua Kreitz each had a sack for the defense. Hayes Hunt finished the night 12 of 18 for 123 yards and three scores. Hicks led the receivers with four receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown while Avery Stuart, Garrett Weathers and Schlemmer each had two catches. AC Walters led the team in rushing with 65 yards on seven carries with a touchdown while Corey Landers had 58 yards on eight attempts.

Otasowie Dion takes the handoff on his way to the end zone.

Alabama Christian finishes the regular season with a Thursday night contest at MA on October 28th.