Anniston, AL – Sandlin keys Anniston’s fourth-quarter comeback over Jacksonville after leaving the game with an ankle injury
FRIDAY’S CALHOUN COUNTY GAMES
Alexandria 28, Lincoln 21
Anniston 30, Jacksonville 23
Dadeville 27, Saks 10
Handley 48, White Plains 0
By Al Muskewitz
An eerie silence fell over Lott-Mosby Stadium when Anniston quarterback Kam Sandlin gingerly limped to the bench late in the third quarter of Friday night’s showdown with Jacksonville. The way he tried to walk he looked to be seriously hurt, and that would’ve been a serious blow to the Bulldogs’ region title hopes and the SEC program he’s expected to sign with in December. Or, he could’ve be only kidding. Sandlin doesn’t play when it comes that kind of thing, so it had to be something serious to force him from the game. But what he did when he returned made you think it wasn’t that big a deal after all.
The South Carolina commitment missed only two plays. When he reentered the game he rallied the Bulldogs to three fourth-quarter touchdowns that lifted them over the Golden Eagles 30-23 in a clash of Top 10 region rivals. “I was (worried) a little bit, but going through my head I was like, ‘never give up, never give up,’” Sandlin said. “I just had to get that through my head. I never gave up.” The Bulldogs came from nine points down after three quarters to take the lead, then fell behind again with less than four minutes to play. Jaylon Cunningham went 62 yards down the right sideline for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:54 to play and Sandlin added a bone-crushing two-point conversion to cap the comeback.
The win helped the sixth-ranked Bulldogs (4-0) keep pace with No. 2 Handley (4-0) and set up a presumptive showdown for the Class 4A Region 4 championship at Lott-Mosby in three weeks. The loss likely sends No. 7 Jacksonville on the long road in the first round of the playoffs provided the Golden Eagles (2-2) take care of business the rest of the way after losing to the region’s top two contenders in their first two region games. “We’ve got to get on the region map and we’ve got to get some wins and give ourselves a chance to get in the playoffs,” Jacksonville coach Clint Smith said. “You just don’t know where it’s going to end. We’ve got a lot of games we need to win.” [*** read more]
