Oxford, AL – Oxford’s dynamic quarterback-receiver duo connects for four touchdowns, and the Yellow Jackets hold off Fort Payne to reach 6A semifinals.
Quarterfinal scores
FRIDAY, Nov. 22
CLASS 6A
Oxford 28, Fort Payne 26, FINAL
CLASS 5A
At Faulkner University
Catholic-Montgomery 21, Central-Clay 9, FINAL
CLASS 4A
Cherokee County 21, Brooks 14, FINAL
West Morgan 50, Anniston 20, FINAL
CLASS 3A
Piedmont 30, Fyffe 28, FINAL (OT)
CLASS 1A
Wadley 67, Berry 26, FINAL
Semifinal matchups
CLASS 6A
Oxford at Parker
CLASS 4A
West Morgan at Cherokee County
Class 3A
Piedmont at Mars Hill
CLASS 1A
Hackleburg at Wadley
By Mark Kelly
The combination of Oxford quarterback Mason Mims and wide receiver Jaylin Taylor came through Friday.
They hooked up for four touchdown passes, and unbeaten Oxford stayed that way, holding off Fort Payne 28-26 in a Class 6A quarterfinal on Lamar Field.
Oxford (13-0) advanced to the semifinals for the first time since their run to the 2019 state tit;e and will play at Parker (12-1) next week.
Parker beat Muscle Shoals 35-10 on Friday,
However, the pair of Mason Mims and Jaylin Taylor put the Yellow Jackets over the top.
Mims went 19-for-27 for 292 yards and four touchdowns, and Taylor’s eight receptions and 170 yards included catching all four Mims touchdown passes. The Mims-to-Taylor touchdowns covered 17, 19, 33 and 34 yards, accounting for all of Oxford’s scores.
Mims’ 34-yard connection with Taylor put the Yellow Jackets up 28-19 with 6:32 to play.
Fort Payne’s Dax Varnadore completed 11 of 23 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown and had a hand in all three touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Varnadore led the road team down the field on their first possession. Ryker Shankles grabbed a beautifully thrown Varnadore pass and raced inside the red zone, culminating with a one-yard touchdown run by the senior quarterback.
Connor Hughes added two field goals in the first half from 22 yards and 46 yards.
Varnadore later scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that cut Oxford’s lead to 21-19 and connected with Connor Kinsley for the second straight week on a 27-yard touchdown pass to once again cut the home team’s lead to two points. 28-26.
The Yellow Jackets put the game away by running for three first downs in the final 2:34 to walk away with the victory and advance to the Semifinals.
“Special group of young men on this team,” Fort Payne coach Chris Elmore said. “Proud of their toughness and competitive spirit.
“Most people outside Fort Payne thought we had less than a 10 percent chance of winning that game, but our community and our team believed we could win. We battled all four quarters, and Oxford made just a couple more plays than we did.”
This story will be updated.
