Short work
- Updated: October 24, 2024
Undefeated Oxford rolls up big first half against struggling Huffman, wins 49-0 to finish region play 6-0 headed into regular-season finale at Florence.
This week’s area schedule
THURSDAY, Oct. 24
Oxford 49, Huffman 0
FRIDAY, Oct. 25
Etowah at Alexandria
Anniston at White Plains
Pell City at Central-Clay
Ashville at Cherokee County
Cleburne County at Bullock County
Tuscaloosa Academy at Coosa Christian
Donoho at Woodland
Glencoe at Locust Fork
Booker T. Washington at Handley
Oneonta at Hokes Bluff
St. Clair County at Jacksonville
Cornerstone at Jacksonville Christian (playoffs)
Lincoln at Moody
St. James at Munford
Saks at Ohatchee
Wellborn at Piedmont
Section at Pleasant Valley
Ranburne at Lanett
Beulah at Randolph County
Hazel Green at Southside
Talladega at Tallassee
Wadley at Winterboro
Weaver at Westbrook Christian
Oxford 49, Huffman 0
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD — Third-ranked Oxford enjoyed short drives in the first half of its game with Huffman on Friday and, thanks a running clock, a short second half.
Two blocked punts helped the Yellow Jackets build a 49-0 lead by halftime, and that’s how it ended up Thursday on Lamar Field.
Oxford upped to 9-0 overall and finished 6-0 in Class 6A, Region 6 play. The Yellow Jackets will finish the regular season next week with a playoff preparation game at Class 7A Florence.
Oxford seeks its first unbeaten regular season since going 10-0 in the 2017 regular season. The 2019 Class 6A state championship team lost to Clay-Chalkville in the eighth game.
“It does mean something,” Oxford coach Sam Adams said. “In the big picture, they don’t give out ‘blue maps’ (state-title trophies) for going 10-0.
“I don’t know the number off the top of my head, but there’s not a lot of teams in the roughly a hundred years of football that they’ve played at Oxford that have done 10-0.”
Against Huffman (1-8, 0-6), Oxford had no trouble reaching 9-0 against Huffman (1-8, 0-6).
Thanks to two blocked punts and a muffed kickoff, Oxford went up 21-0 by 4:14 of the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets capitalized with Mason Mims’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Nick Richardson, D.K. Wilson’s 1-yard touchdown run and Wilson’s 23-yard, catch-and-run touchdoown.
Caleb Wynn’s 27-yard touchdown run made it 28-0 at 2:54.
Oxford’s starters played the first half and ran one play on Oxford’s side of midfield, that after Jiyez Fleming’s interception spotted the Yellow Jackets at their 49-yard line. Mims completed a 12-yard pass to Wilson on the next play, and a roughing-the-passer call moved Oxford to the Huffman 22.
Mims through a 12-yard touchdown mass to Kainen Bozeman to cap that drive and make it 35-0 by 10:57 of the second quarter.
Add Wilson’s 4-yard touchdown and Wynn’s 19-yard touchdown run, and Oxford led 49-0 at halftime.
Backups played the second half on a running clock.
Oxford’s starters put on a good show for University of South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, who came to visit Oxford defensive end and South Carolina commit Keenan Britt. Beamer watched from the Huffman sideline.
So did former Anniston High coach Rodney Bivens. The defensive coordinator for Anniston’s 1989 Class 6A state title team and head coach for the Bulldogs’ 1994 6A title team came to watch son Rodney Jr., now Huffman’s second-year head coach.
Huffman, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2005, went winless and scoreless in 2023. The Vikings beat Columbia 54-13 earlier this season and averages 13.4 points, scoring in all but three games.
“We’ve definitely seen some improvement,” the young Bivens said. “The kids have gotten older and gotten a little stronger. The next phase is, we’ve got to have another complete offseason this time around. Last year, we had kind of a shortened offseason.
“We’re looking forward to finishing strong and getting right back in that weight room.”
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