Weaver, AL – Bearcats handle Saks 41-24 to reach three wins, most since 2018, also score first victory over a region opponent from Calhoun County since 2018
Scoreboard
THURSDAY, Oct. 12
Handley 51, Talladega 13, FINAL
FRIDAY, Oct. 13
Leeds 48, Alexandria 14, FINAL
Central-Clay 48, Sylacauga 0, FINAL
Cherokee County 35, Fultondale 0, FINAL
Talladega County Central 23, Donoho 21, FINAL
Piedmont 58, Glencoe 12, FINAL
Hokes Bluff 35, Ohatchee 6, FINAL
Jacksonville 58, Munford 14, FINAL
Jax Christian 46, Cornerstone 7, FINAL
Springville 38, Lincoln 20, FINAL
Spring Garden 39, Pleasant Valley 14, FINAL
Isabella 29, Ranburne 25, FINAL
Wellborn 30, Randolph County 25, FINAL
Weaver 41, Saks 24, FINAL
Wadley 34, Victory Christian 0, FINAL
White Plains 41, Cleburne County 10, FINAL
Vincent 41, Woodland 7, FINAL
Open: Anniston, Oxford, Southside.
By Joe Medley
Weaver progress looked like Kaden Gooden hitting KeShawn Allen in stride for an 84-yard touchdown bomb Friday.
Progress looked like Harper Williams’ acrobatic touchdown catch and Gage King gashing Saks for big runs.
Progress looked like a 41-24 victory over a Calhoun County rival in Class 3A, Region 4 play to keep faint playoff hopes alive in mid-October.
It’s time for Weaver (3-4, 1-3) to have conversations not heard around Weaver football since 2018.
“It is big to get any win,” first-year Weaver coach Ken Cofer said. “It don’t matter who it is, but against a rival like Saks, and I’ve heard a lot about this rival and issues, it’ll blow up the heads of our kids a little bit and gives them some confidence going into Wellborn next week.”
The Bearcats finish region play at Wellborn next week then at home, against Beulah, Oct. 27. A 3-3 region finish with help could get them in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Speaking of 2018, Weaver’s victory Friday put the Bearcats over two wins in a season for the first time since then. They also scored their first region victory over a Calhoun County rival since beating Pleasant Valley in 2018.
Weaver had also lost its previous six games against Saks and 10 of the past 11 before Friday.
Both teams came into Friday’s game with first-year coaches, and Saks (0-7, 0-5) is off to its worst start since losing its first nine games in 2004.
Saks coach Alphonso Freeney turned to works from NBA standout Kevin Durrant.
“I always give them a little excerpt from guys like Kevin Durrant, or somebody that’s successful, and those type things,” Freeney said. “One of the things about Kevin Durrant is, somebody said he’s a scary player, and the reason he’s scary isn’t because of him running his mouth and talking. It’s because he’s quiet. He gets up, and he goes to work.
“My thing to them was like, we’ve got to learn how to just go to work and fight through adversity, and when adversity happens, stay together and keep fighting.”
Weaver brought the adversity on Friday and got rolling downhill on its second possession, Weaver driving 60 yards in six plays. Gooden finished it off with a 10-yard keeper for a touchdown.
Then came an 80-yard, seven-play drive that ended in Gooden’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Williams, who made a leaping catch in the back corner of the end zone.
“I can’t say enough about Harper,” Cofer said. “Everybody talks about KeShawn right there, but Harper Williams makes that touchdown catch down there in that end zone, and he’s a basketball player and track guy, finished top three in hurdles in the state. He’s a heck of an athlete.”
Allen’s conversion run made it 15-0 at 5:52 of the second quarter, and Gianluca Torres added a 21-yard field goal to make it 18-0 just before halftime.
Then came Weaver’s test.
Jamorris Young’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Lajuan Curry and a conversion pass to Dorrian Walker trimmed Weaver’s lead to 18-8 at 5:19 of the third quarter.
Weaver’s answer? Gooden launched a deep ball down the home sideline for Allen, hitting Allen in stride with a defender on his back. Allen broke free from Curry and finished off the 86-yard play.
Add a conversion pass to DeShawn Barnes, and Weaver leads 26-8.
“I called a check to Coach Cofer because I seen the DB couldn’t guard him,” Gooden said.
Add Gooden’s 22-yard touchdown run and a Torres extra point, and Weaver led 33-8 at 3:01 of the third quarter.
It wasn’t Weaver’s only answer to a challenge. Young scrambled 16 yards for a touchdown and completed a conversion pass to Mykese Gaffney to bring Saks within 33-16 with 36.7 seconds left in the third quarter, but King added a 23-yard touchdown run.
It was all in a night’s work for a program learning how to win again.
“It means everything,” Allen said. “It’s the next step to get into the playoffs. It’s making everybody better, the whole team better, and just looking forward to making the playoffs.”
