Thirty-two teams began the quest for the 4A State crown Friday night and Alabama Christian’s journey began at Wade Black Norton Field in a first round matchup with West Blocton. This was the first ever meeting between ACA, the top seed from Region 2, and the fourth seeded Tigers out of Region 3. The Eagles advanced to the round of 16 while scoring the most points ever in a playoff game with an easy 56-14 victory. ACA scored on seven of eight possessions in the first half and made sure the outcome was never in doubt.
ACA got the ball first and wasted no time for the first score of the game with a possession that covered 67 yards over five plays. The Eagles faced a 3rd and 14 from the West Blocton 40 yard line when Jalen Clark found Garrett Weathers behind the defense for the score and a 6-0 lead with 9:03 left in the first quarter. After giving up a first down with an offsides penalty, the defense buckled down as Otasowie Dion was in on three straight plays including a third down sack that forced a Tiger punt. The offense scored quickly with a drive that lasted only 43 seconds. The key play was a 41 yard pass from Clark to Hayes Hunt down to the Tiger 10 yard line. Once again, a receiver got behind the defense for a big gain, which continued all night. Otasowie Dion scored on the next play to increase the lead to 14-0 with 5:04 remaining in the quarter. Jack Thomas recovered a fumble on the first play of the next West Blocton drive to give the ball right back to the offense on the Tiger 34 yard line. Jalen Clark covered all 34 yards with his legs to stretch the lead to 21-0. Clark’s three yard scoring run broke the career record for rushing touchdowns in ACA history. The Eagles next possession was the only one of the half that did not produce points, at least not for Alabama Christian. The drive ended as the Tiger defense alertly picked up a backwards pass and ran it in for the score. With a successful two point conversion the lead was cut to 21-8. However, the Eagles squashed any potential momentum for West Blocton as the first quarter ended with the offense knocking on the door for another score.
Jalen Clark looks for a hole against the Tiger defense.
Jalen Clark scored on the first play of the second quarter from two yards out to make the score 28-8. West Blocton’s first drive of the quarter consisted of three runs with a false start mixed in that netted the Tigers just four yards. ACA took over on their own 40 yard line after the ball was punted back to them. Demari Moore made a diving catch at the two yard line that covered 42 yards to help set up the next score. After a delay of game infraction, Hayes Hunt caught a seven yard pass from Clark for a 35-8 lead with 7:23 left in the half. West Blocton picked up a couple of first downs before Miller McCarthy stopped the next drive with an interception to give the ball back to the offense at midfield. Three plays later, Clark hooked up with Garrett Weathers for the second time on a 26 yard scoring pass to make the score 42-8. On the first play of the Tiger’s next drive, Khalil Jackson and Miller McCarthy combined for the stop. With the tackle, McCarthy set a new mark for most career tackles in program history. The defense finished the possession forcing the third turnover of the half with a Demari Moore interception with just 1:00 left in the quarter. On the next play, Clark froze the defensive back on the right side with a pump fake and hit Avery Stuart up the sideline for a 54 yard score and a 49-8 lead heading to the half.
The defense celebrates a West Blocton turnover.
West Blocton opened the second half with a sustained drive that moved the ball to the Eagle 29 yard line and took over six minutes off the clock. The drive ended as Miller McCarthy and Jack Thomas sniffed out a fake punt attempt and stopped the runner five yards short of a first down. ACA’s final score of the night was a 73 yard slip screen to Preston Hicks from Clark. The toss was the fifth touchdown thrown on the night by the senior quarterback, which is a new single game record. West Blocton scored early in the final quarter to close out the scoring for the game and cut the Eagle lead to 56-14. Each team would have the ball one more time in the fourth, but neither team was able to score.
Preston Hicks is off to the races on a 73 yard scoring reception.
Jalen Clark completed 10 of his 12 passes on the night for a career high 307 yards and five touchdowns. Clark also ran for 106 yards on eight attempts and two touchdowns. The captain now has 38 rushing touchdowns for his career. Otasowie Dion added 50 yards on six carries and a touchdown. Preston Hicks led the receivers with four catches for 96 yards and a score. Both of Garrett Weathers’ receptions went for touchdowns that totaled 66 yards. Hayes Hunt had two catches for 48 yards and a touchdown while Avery Stuart’s lone catch of the night went for 54 yards and a score.
Preston Hicks and Hayes Hunt celebrate Hunt’s touchdown catch.
On defense, Miller McCarthy had 14 tackles and an interception to lead the defense. The senior linebacker now has 294 tackles for his career. Jack Thomas had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. Otasowie Dion had six tackles and two sacks while Donovan Emerson and Grant Sutton each had six tackles.
Jack Thomas and a gang of Eagles stop the Tiger runner.
Next week, in round two of the playoffs, the Eagles (9-2) will face Jacksonville for a chance to move to the quarterfinals.