Calhoun County, AL – Jacksonville, Ohatchee, Piedmont, Saks score victories during six-team jamboree at White Plains. Oxford, Cherokee County victorious. JCA falls in regular-season opener
By Joe Medley
WHITE PLAINS — Jacksonville, Ohatchee, Piedmont, Saks, Sand Rock and White Plains took turns in Friday’s jamboree at White Plains.
Each of six games involved a varsity quarter and a 10-minute junior-varsity period with a running clock. Here’s a look at how each coverage-area team fared with thoughts from their coaches:
Jacksonville
The Golden Eagles opened with a 23-0 victory over Ohatchee then fell 7-0 to Piedmont.
In the victory over Ohatchee, Jacksonville got Tylen Ellis’ 1-yard touchdown run, Bryce Allen’s 44-yard interception return and Jayden Jones’ 24-yard touchdown run. John Ducar hit a 26-yard field goal.
“We made some plays,” Jacksonville coach Clint Smith said. “There were some really good things that came out of it.
“The best thing is we’ve got film now of us against somebody else. We’d gotten to the point in practice where we really need to see somebody else, and tonight was really good.”
Ohatchee
The Indians beat Sand Rock 27-7, scoring all 27 of their points in the varsity period, then fell to Jacksonville 23-0.
Against Sand Rock, Jayden Heard broke touchdown runs of 28 and 43 yards and caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from.Jake Roberson. Brayden Collins added a 32-yard touchdown run.
Sand Rock’s highlight was Brendon Lindsey’s 5-yard touchdown run at 1:39.
“We needed to learn,” Ohatchee coach Chris Findley said. “We played two really different football teams in Sand Rock and then Jacksonville. We need to get in a little bit better shape, but the biggest thing is learning about our guys, and our guys learned about themselves.
“They learned that, if you don’t do your job, somebody’s going to make you pay for it.”
Saks
The Wildcats beat White Plains 7-0 on Juelz McClellan’s 5-yard touchdown run at 3:43 of the JV period and played Sand Rock to a scoreless tie.
“Offensively, we were a little slow, and that was expected,” second-year Saks coach Alphonso Freeney said. “We started doing some different things on offense, but I felt like our playmakers made plays in both games.
“The second game, the heat kind of got on us a little bit, but we’ll work into game shape. That’s why we do this. I was really proud of our defense. Defensively, that’s the best we’ve done since I’ve been here.”
Piedmont
The Bulldogs beat Jacksonville 7-0 and White Plains 7-0 on the strength of Aliandre Wright touchdown runs of nine yards against Jacksonville and seven yards against White Plains.
“I thought we played well defensively all night, and that was exciting to see,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said. “Our guys got around the football and did a good job tacking, for the most part.
“Offensively, we had too many mistakes, which you expect in something like this. Against Jacksonville, we didn’t pick up the blitz a couple of times, and that led to some big plays by them. Overall, it’s good to get out here and play somebody else.”
White Plains
The host team fell to Saks 7-0 in the day’s first game then fell to Piedmont 7-0 in the nightcap.
“The first game, I thought we played pretty well,” White Plains coach Blake Jennings said. “We just didn’t take good care of the ball.
“You get a little time off in this thing, three or four hours off, and we had a chance to go in there and watch some film and try to correct some things, Second game we had a little bit of not doing our job on offense and not blocking some guys on the perimeter that we’ve got to get fixed on film, but this is practice against a really good team in Piedmont. I’m proud of our kids.”
Elsewhere
—OXFORD 13, OAK MOUNTAIN 2: Caleb Wynn had a 5-yard touchdown run, and Mason Mims threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Taylor as Oxford won in Lamar Field.
—CHEROKEE COUNTY 14, NORTH JACKSON 0: In a game that started at 8:18 p.m. and ended with 3:44 left in the second quarterback because of lightning, Cherokee County’s Tae Diamond rushed for touchdowns of two and six yards. Tyson Wood’s interception punctuated the final play from scrimmage.
—JEMISON 6, LINCOLN 0: Jemison led 6-0 when lightning struck with seven minutes left in the second quarter, ending the varsity portion. After a 90-minute delay, the junior varsity teams played, with Jemison winning the second half 7-6.
—RANBURNE 26, SPRING GARDEN 20: Led by Aiden Whitman’s 85 yards on for rushes with one touchdown, Ranburne rushed for 294 yards and four scores. Curtis Daniel rushed for 55 yards, and Crimson Champion rushed for 52. Brody Morgan had 42 yards and a score, and Kalon Smith’s 34 total yards included 12 rushing yards and a touchdown. Aiden Hanson led the defense with six tackles and a forced fumble. Sawyer Freed had six tackles and two sacks. Aiden Jackson and Logan Nolen each had four tackles, and Nolen had a fumble recovery.
Regular season
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN 54, JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 29: JCA’s Noah Lee completed 20 of 43 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and Jesse Gannaway had 13 receptions for 259 and three scores. Skylar Crider had two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown.
JCA’s originally scheduled opponent, Meadowview, cancelled.
