Mountain Brook – Conversion pass lifts unbeaten Oxford over Mountain Brook (video). Austin steps in a QB to help Piedmont roll past Westbrook Christian. Newton’s big night pushes Wellborn past Saks. Pleasant Valley gets region win at Sand Rock. Wheeler deals in Alexandria victory, and Ohatchee rolls for 67 points in victory. Cherokee County, Spring Garden, Handley and Ranburne victorious.
This week’s area scores
FRIDAY, Sept. 20
Alexandria 38, Oneonta 21, FINAL
Hokes Bluff 37, Anniston 18, FINAL
Central-Clay 48, Sylacauga 9, FINAL
Cherokee County 47, White Plains 0, FINAL
Booker T. Washington 41, Cleburne County 14, FINAL
Coosa Christian 59, Susan Moore 0, FINAL
Winterboro 42, Donoho 7, FINAL
Handley 63, Munford 21, FINAL
Leeds 42, Jacksonville 13, FINAL
Jacksonville Christian 49, Russell 16, FINAL
Springville 31, Lincoln 15, FINAL
Ohatchee 64, Weaver 37, FINAL
Oxford 29, Mountain Brook 28, FINAL
Piedmont 38, Westbrook Christian 10, FINAL
Pleasant Valley 20, Sand Rock 13, FINAL
Ranburne 50, Central-Coosa 32, FINAL
Randolph County 44, Lee-Scott 21, FINAL
Wellborn 26, Saks 14, FINAL
Spring Garden 32, Valley Head 13, FINAL
St. James 35, Talladega 12, FINAL
Wadley 62, Victory Christian 7, FINAL
Open: Glencoe, Southside, Woodland.
Editor’s note: WEIS radio sports director Shannon Fagan contributed to this report.
Oxford coach made the most critical call of fifth-ranked Oxford’s key Class 6A, Region 6 game at No. 8 Mountain Brook before kickoff.
It paid off with 21 seconds to play.
Mason Mims’ conversion pass to Nich Richardson made the difference as undefeated Oxford came back from 14-point deficits twice to beat Mountain Brook 29-28.
Video of the conversion play, posted to the Oxford Yellow Jackets Athletics Facebook page, can be found on this link.
The Yellow Jackets upped to 5-0 overall, 3-0 in region play after trailing 14-0 and 28-14.
“I’m so proud of our guys for staying the course after we were down 14 in each half,” Adams said.
Mims completed 30 of 43 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns, with most of it split between Richardson, Jaylin Taylor and running back D.K. Wilson.
Taylor caught 10 passes for 115 yards. Wilson had eight catches for 103 yards, and Richardson had seven catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Richardson’s biggest catch, the decisive two-point conversion, gave Oxford its first and only lead.
‘They gave Nick one-on-one coverage, and he ran a quick double-move route inside the front line of the end zone,” Adams said.
The decision to go for two was made before the two teams took the field for Friday’s game.
“I decided before the game started that we would go for two if the opportunity arose,” Adams said. “I didn’t want to get in a 10-yard overtime game against Mountain Brook’s running game.”
PIEDMONT 38, WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN 10: Rollie Pinto accounted for 195 total yards and three touchdowns, and Piedmont upped to 4-0 overall, 3-0 in Class 3A, Region 6.
Pinto caught Cole Austin touchdown passes of 36 and 52 yards. Pinto also broke an 89-yard touchdown run.
Austin played for injured starter Cole Wilson, who “wll be back soon,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said. Austin completed nine of 12 passes for 146 yafds and two touchdowns and rushed for 101 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown run.
Hayes Gunn rushed for 73 yards with a 6-yard touchdown run.
Piedmont rushed for 271 yards.
For Westbrook (2-2, 2-2), Brody Blevins rushed for 103 yards and hit on three of 13 passes for 37 yards and an interception.
Sam Sollie completed six of nine passes for 68 yards, including a 12-yard pass to Bo Kilgo for the Warriors’ lone touchdown.
Read Barber’s 34-yard field goal at 7:06 of the first quarter gave Westbrook a 3-0 lead, but Piedmont scored 38 unanswered points.
WELLBORN 26, SAKS 14: Jackson Newton rushed for 192 yards on 17 carries with touchdown runs of 28 and 59 yards, and Wellborn improved to 4-0, with all four wins coming in Class 3A, Region 6 play.
Aziah Amberson completed four of seven passes for 80 yard, including a touchdown pass to Justus Williams, and Christian Williams added a 29-yard touchdown run.
Wellborn rushed for 331 yards and overcame 135 penalty yards, 125 in the first half.
Saks (1-4, 1-3) rushed for 190 yards and had 236 total yards.
Saks’ Lajuan Curry rushed for 65 yards and completed all four of his passes for 50 yards. Nick Mixson rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Shannon Noel had 13 tackles, and Jacory Avery added five tackles and a sack.
ALEXANDRIA 38, ONEONTA 21: Cole Wheeler completed nine of 17 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and the Valley Cubs outscored Oneonta 21-0 in the second half while improving to 2-2 overall, 2-1 in Class 4A, Region 6.
Wheeler threw two of his touchdown passes to M.J. Morris, covering 48 and 38 yards. Wheeler also found Quendavion McDowell for a 28-yard touchdown pass.
Elijah Hunter rushed 15 times for 101 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run,
Cleat Forrest hit a 51-yard field goal.
PLEASANT VALLEY 20, SAND ROCK 13: Braxton Salster’s 83-yard touchdown run with 1:19 to play gave the Raiders breathing room, and they improved to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in Class 2A, Region 7.
Pleasant Valley built a 14-0 lead on Jaden Sparks’ 13-yard touchdown run at 10:49 of the seond quarter and his 24-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Sparks and.conversion run at 6:18 of the second.
Sand Rock rallied to within 14-13 on Kane Robison touchdown runs of six and five yards, the last coming at 2:03 of the fourth quarter.
OHATCHEE 64, WEAVER 37: Ohatchee’s high-scoring offense hit high gear again, and the Indians broke a three-game losing stream to improve to 2-3 overall, 1-3 in Class 3A, Region 6.
Ohatchee, which beat New Hope 76-71 to open the season, posted its second-highest points total and upped to 229 points this season, an average of 45.8.
Statistics were not immediately available, but Ohatchee coach Chris Findley saw positive signs.
“I thought we had a good week of practice and, at times, looked really good tonight,” he said. “We just still have problems getting off the field on third and fourth down when we have a chance to start pulling away.
“I do think we’re improving, but we have a long way to go.”
Nate Jones rushed for 172 yards and four touchdowns, three in the first half, and a two-point conversion.
Jake Roberson hit on 15 of 20 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns. Brayden Collins caught six passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
Jayden Heard had 166 yards and total offense, with 123 rushing yards, 43 receiving and two total touchdowns.
Roberson also threw two conversion passes to Colby Hester, and Drake Kay had two conversion runs.
CHEROKEE COUNTY 47, WHITE PLAINS 0: At White Plains, Cherokee County posted its second straight shutout of the season..
Tae Diamond led the Warriors (4-1, 3-0 Class 4A Region 6) with 104 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. Keyshawn Woods also had 12 carries for 73 yards and three scores. Jayshawn Stroup added 30 yards on three carries with a touchdown.
Woods and Diamond gave the Warriors a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on their touchdown runs of 2 and 8 yards. Woods added his second score in the second quarter, on a 22-yard run, giving Cherokee County a 20-0 leada at halftime.
Diamond opened the third quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run. Woods added an 8-yard score followed by Stroup’s 22-yard touchdown run.
Keshawn Thomas scored the Warriors’ final touchdown on a 67-yard punt return in fourt.
SPRING GARDEN 32, VALLEY HEAD 13: Spring Garden’s Connor Bates churned out 269 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, and John Welsh added 150 yards and a score on
six totes to lead the Panthers to a victory on the road.in Class 1A Region 8 play.
Bates got Spring Garden (5-0, 3-0) on the scoreboard first with his 54-yard touchdown run at the 10:42 mark of the first quarter.
Valley Head (4-1, 2-1) answered with a touchdown of its own at the 7:08 mark of the first to tie the game.
The Panthers regained the lead at 13-7 on Noah Barber’s 1-yard run with 3:50 to go in the opening quarter, but Valley Head responded to tie the game again at 13 with another score with 8:15 remaining in the first half.
Spring Garden responded just 14 seconds later with Welsh’s 80-yard score. The 2-point try was no good, but the Panthers led at halftime, 19-13.
It remained 19-13 until the fourth quarter. Bates scored on a 42-yard run with 10:28 remaining. Clayton Sadler put the game away with just less than five minutes to go with his 2-yard touchdown run.
Colton Driskell led the Panther defense with nine tackles. Barber, Tanner Ruark and Zane Edwards had eight tackles each.
HANDLEY 63, MUNFORD 21: Jamarcus Daniel rushed for 96 yards and touchdown runs of 33 and nine yards, and Handley improved to 3-2, 2-1 in Class 4A, Region 3.
Cordan Patterson completed eight of 13 passes for 123 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sregall.
Deundrea Gray added 40 rushing yards with touchdown runs of five and four yards.
Handley’s Alex Busbin returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown, and Taevion Houston returned a kickoff 82 yards for a score.
Munford’s Tank Edmondson rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, seven and 59 yards. The Lions are 1-3, 0-3.
RANBURNE 50, CENTRAL-COOSA 32: Aiden Witman rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns, and Ranburne upped to 3-2, 2-1 in Class 2A, Region 4.
Brody Morgan added 125 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Crimson Champion added 92 yards and two touchdowns. Kalon Smith added 77 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs rushed for 424 yards, averaging 10.4 a carry.
On defense, Creed Young had an interception and fumble recovery to go with seven tackles, and Champion had an interception.
LEEDS 42, JACKSONVILLE 13: Zay English rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns, but Jacksonville (2-3) suffered its third consecutive loss and fell to 0-3 in Class 5A, Region 6.
