PV breaks through

Friday roundup: Raiders get first region win for Nix; also reports from Alexandria, Jacksonville, Ohatchee, Randolph County

By East Alabama Sports Today

JACKSONVILLE – A lot of things came together for Pleasant Valley to enjoy one of the best games of coach Jonathan Nix’ tenure.

The Raiders had an open week to prepare in which they acted like it was the first week of practice and focused on nothing but things that would make them better. And it was Homecoming. On top of that, Nix offered them a challenge.

It all added up to a record-setting 37-0 victory over Glencoe for their first region win in Nix’ three seasons and second overall win of the season. It snapped a 17-game losing streak in a region that is one of the toughest in the state.

The 37 points tied the season high, matching the output of their first win of the season over Gaston. They are the most they had scored in a region game since their last region victory, 41-19 over Ohatchee in October 2014.

The Raiders (2-4) hadn’t beaten Glencoe since 2008 and the most recent history of the series played a big part in the coach’s homecoming challenge.

“We posted some scores in the past with us and Glencoe,” Nix said. “The last four times we met our scores were 0, 6, 8 and 0. The last four games with them our offense has only scored only 14 points. The most they ever scored since they’ve been playing was 28.

“I set the goal that we want to score in every quarter and in one I want multiple touchdowns; I’m asking you do to something no team has done here. I think this group responded with a chip on their shoulder. I think they came out with the sense they can get that job done.”

The Raiders met every condition of the challenge. They scored in every quarter and put 17 on the board in the third.

Everybody contributed. Ethan Borders rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Reagan King rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, and Colton East rushed for 89 yards and a score. Brody Phillips completed five of seven passes for 62 yards. Dakota Parr and Caden Turner each caught two passes. Matisse Miller kicked a 40-yard field goal. All told, the Raiders had 338 yards of offense, 276 of it on the ground.

Defensively, they were all over the yard in shutting out the Yellow Jackets (2-4) for the first time since 1994 and handing them their fourth straight loss. Alex Parris had a team-high 11 tackles. East had eight tackles, Colby Nelson had 5.5 tackles and two hurries, and Nick Smith had five tackles, an interception and caused a fumble that Dalton Mize recovered.

“This is what we want our standard to be, but not just every now and then,” Nix said. “This is something are you working to be efficient at everything you do. We used that word a lot – efficient.

“Sometimes we had that mindset of being complacent and complacent is a nasty taste in your mouth that you want to get out. I thought our kids were more consistent tonight and not complacent. That’s really bright for the future.”

ALEXANDRIA 32, SCOTTSBORO 7

Grayson Chaffin returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and the Valley Cubs were off and running to a 20-point first quarter that was more than enough in this region game.

Chaffin scored touchdowns three different ways in the game – kick return, rushing and receiving.

All three of the Valley Cubs’ touchdowns in the quarter came off big plays. Chaffin gave them a 12-0 lead with a 58-yard run and Keenan Woodruff had the other score on a 64-yard burst.

Jacob Wells threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter to complete the scoring.

Chaffin finished with 93 yards rushing on nine carries. Woodruff had 87 yards on six carries.

The Alexandria defense held Scottsboro to 126 yards. The touchdown it scored came on a Christopher Manning punt return.

[table id=72 /]

Scottsboro 7 0 0 0 — 7
Alexandria 20 12 0 0 — 32

A – Grayson Chaffin 90 kickoff return (pass failed), 11:44 1Q
A – Grayson Chaffin 58 run (pass failed), 8:18 1Q
S – Christopher Manning punt return (kick good), 3:33 1Q
A – Keenan Woodruff 64 run (Jacob Wells run), 1:31 1Q
A – 80 Ponder 15 pass from Jacob Wells (pass failed), 10:19 2Q
A – Grayson Chaffin 47 pass from Jacob Wells (pass failed)

JACKSONVILLE 38, ASHVILLE 14

ASHVILLE – Colton Clark completed 12 of 16 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns as the Golden Eagles (4-3) won their fourth straight to get over .500 for the first time this season.

With the win, their fourth straight in the series with the Bulldogs, they moved to 3-1 in Class 4A Region 5 and tied for second with Hokes Bluff, the team they beat to start the winning streak.

Jakobie Dean-Calloway caught two of Clark’s touchdown passes and Jewels Gray caught seven balls for 65 yards. Macey Carr led the ground game with 132 yards on 19 carries. Tahj Kirkland rushed 15 times for 68 yards.

The Jacksonville defense, meanwhile, kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard in the first half and recorded 12 tackles for loss and five sacks, with Omarion Adams and Ben Patterson each getting two. Adams was their leading tackler with six.

Jacksonville 38, Ashville 14

Jacksonville 7 10 7 14 — 38
Ashville 0 0 6 8 — 14

J – Josh Glass 1 run (Preston Harvey kick), 1:17 1Q
J – Jakobie Dean-Calloway 5 pass from Colton Clark (Preston Harvey kick), 7:29 2Q
J – Preston Harvey 40 FG, 0:18 2Q
J – Steven Landers 4 pass from Colton Clark (Preston Harvey kick), 9:08 3Q
A – Landon Cornutt 53 run (pass failed), 7:05 3Q
J – Macey Carr 12 run (Preston Harvey kick), 11:08 4Q
J – Jakobie Dean-Calloway 54 pass from Colton Clark (Noah Sawyer kick), 7:46 4Q
A – Kolby Armstrong 27 run (Luke Harris run), 4:49 4Q

OHATCHEE 42, WELLBORN 0

It was the Grayson Alward Show as the Indians won their fourth straight with their second straight shutout and their second straight shutout of the Panthers.

Alward accounted for five touchdowns – two through the air and three on the ground – as the Indians (6-2) scored a season-high in points.

“It was the Grayson Alward Show,” Indians coach Scott Martin said. “Domonique (Thomas) had his yards and did his thing, but Grayson was a new dimension. He’s been coming into his own the last few weeks and he had a breakout night for sure.”

Going back to the end of the 2015 season, the Indians have won 19 of their last 22 games.

They haven’t posted consecutive shutouts since the final game of 1991 (White Plains) and the 1992 season opener (Ranburne), but they haven’t posted back-to-back shutouts in the same season since opening the 1987 season with back-to-back blankings of White Plains and Ashville.

RANDOLPH COUNTY 42, CLEBURNE COUNTY 14

WEDOWEE – The homestanding Tigers scored on all four of their first-half possessions and their first five of the game, which allowed coach Pat Prestridge plenty of time to exercise his depth. Five players scored as the Tigers (5-1) won their third straight game.

Brody Wortham capped the opening drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to EJ Clark. In the second quarter Trent Lane (15 yards) and Jai Wright (31) ran for scores and LaDarius Calloway returned an interception 32 yards for another – their fourth pick-six of the season — to give the Tigers a 28-0 halftime lead.

The Tigers’ efficiency went to 5-for-5 when Lane capped the first possession of the second half with a 5-yard touchdown run. Lane rushed for 40 yards on five carries. Aaron Knight was their leading rusher with 78 yards and he caught two passes for 33 more yards. Worth completed all six of his pass attempts for 82 yards.

Cleburne County (0-6) got on the board with a defensive touchdown late in the third quarter as Christopher Higgins scooped up a Randolph County fumble and dashed 83 yards down the sideline. Randolph County answered with Jagar Anthony punching into the end zone from five yards out to make it 42-7 with 8:21 to play. Cleburne County took its final possession and sustained the drive to produce the game’s final touchdown when Rustin Roberts scampered into the end zone on a 5-yard run. – Jeremy Wortham

[table id=73 /]

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