After what seemed like the longest off-season imaginable, the Eagles finally kicked off the season earlier than any other in program history on Thursday night against long-time CCC rival Trinity Presbyterian. Although the Wildcats have dominated the series historically, Alabama Christian has split the last four contests and felt very good heading into the season opener. It was a wet and dreary night, but it was great to watch high school football.
The contest started as well as possible for the Eagles as Demari Moore took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to put ACA up 7-0, 16 seconds into the game. The Wildcats seemed rattled after the score as they had trouble getting eleven men on the field for the ensuing kickoff and quickly went three and out on their first offensive possession. To Trinity’s credit, they settled down and played a solid game after the bad start. Meanwhile, Alabama Christian seemed out of rhythm for the rest of the night after the opening play. The Eagles managed just 111 yards of offense and turned the ball over three times. Jalen Clark led the team with 38 yards on 13 carries and also threw for 57 yards completing five of eight passes. Preston Hicks was Clark’s top target with three receptions for 22 yards.
The Wildcats held a 17-7 lead going to the half and put the offense in low gear to chew up the clock in the second half. Trinity held the ball for 14 minutes in the half and added a score for a 24-7 cushion. Jack Thomas led the defensive effort with 11 tackles. Trey Schlemmer added eight tackles while Miller McCarthy contributed seven tackles.
Next week, ACA (0-1) travels to Highland Home to take on the Flying Squadron.