Calhoun County, AL – Area roundup: Ogle’s 3 TD passes in second quarter lift Jacksonville to third straight, Oxford closing in on 600, Ross has big night for Alexandria, Masters perfect for Hokes Bluff, and more
By Mark Everett Kelly
On homecoming night for Cleburne County, visiting Jacksonville won its third straight game 41-15 to improve to 5-2 on the season. The two teams entertained fans and lived up to the quote former University of Miami receiver Santana Moss made famous: “Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.” The home team inspired their fans early, forcing Jacksonville to a three and out, then going 99 yards on their opening drive to take a 6-0 lead. “We made mistakes, whether it be a penalty or something crazy, to help keep their drive going,” Jacksonville head coach Clint Smith said. “That was a great drive to open the game.”
Quarterback Kyler McGrinn, a big-time junior for the Tigers, totaled 85 of the 99 yards on that opening drive. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 57 yards and ran seven times for 35 yards. Bo Clay aided his quarterback with two catches for 44 yards. McGrinn’s one-yard touchdown completed the drive that saw the home team convert two third downs and one fourth down. The Tigers kept the momentum by recovering a squib kick Jacksonville could not scoop up, giving McGuinn the ball back on Jacksonville’s 34. However, this time the Golden Eagles defense responded, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 from the 26, and giving the visitors a reprieve. “The onside kick, this turf bounces funny, and they had all the momentum, but our defense settled in, and I was proud of how our guys responded,” Smith said. Jacksonville’s Jim Ogle and his talented core of wide receivers dominated the remainder of the first half with highlight play after highlight play. The junior quarterback threw touchdown passes of 35, 33 and 44 yards on the Golden Eagles’ next three drives.
Three different receivers – Damonte Sinclair (35 yards), Will Greenwood (33) and Kydric Fisher (44) with a leaping grab over a Tigers’ DB near the goal line, caught touchdown passes for Jacksonville. “We have some really good receivers who’ve been doing this for a long time together, and our line gave Jimmy some protection, so we were able to make some big plays,” said Smith, who improved to 86-37 since taking over in 2012. The Golden Eagles put the game away in the second half, depending on the run to close out their opponent for the second straight week. G Turner ran for 105 of his 131 yards in the second half, including a 23-yard touchdown run with 8.2 seconds left in the third quarter, extending the visitors’ lead to 28-9.
After yielding another touchdown run by McGrinn (8 yards) that cut the lead to 28-15 with 6:59 remaining,, Jacksonville put the game away when Dee Prothro scored on a 3-yard run against his former team. The Golden Eagles’ defense sealed it with interceptions on the Tigers’ final two possessions. Ogle finished 14-of-19 for 254 yards and three touchdowns for Jacksonville, which hosts Munford in a huge region matchup next week. Sinclair caught six balls for 100 yards and Kydric Fisher had three catches for 108. “We just gotta worry about ourselves and make sure we are getting better and doing the things we do,” Smith said. “Munford’s probably playing as well as anyone in the region. Coach (Michael) Easley’s done a tremendous job with those guys. They are doing a great job and playing really well right now.” [*** read more]
ALEXANDRIA 54, ST. CLAIR COUNTY 26: Antonio Ross rushed for 164 yards and four touchdowns and scored a fifth touchdown on an 80-yard kickoff return to get the Valley Cubs back on the winning track. Alexandria has never lost a regular-season game to the Saints. Ross scored on runs of 4, 2, 18 and 9 yards. He also caught four passes for 50 yards. Among the other highlights, Ty Barker completed 10 of 12 passes for 132 yards and the game’s first touchdown to TK Downey and Cleat Forrest kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
WELLBORN 46, CHILDERSBURG 26: Xavier Parker rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Grayson Johnson rushed for 71 yards and two scores as the Panthers won for the third time in four games since its open week. All of the Panthers’ 366 yards in the game came on the ground.
OXFORD 38, PELL CITY 13: The Yellow Jackets scored the 599th victory in the history of their program. They can become the 33rd team in state history to reach 600 with a win at Clay-Chalkville Oct. 14.
RANDOLPH COUNTY 42, SAKS 41: The Wildcats had a 34-18 lead, but lost in overtime.
