ACA Opens Season at St James Tip Off Classic

The new look Lady Eagles opened the season with three games at the St. James Tip Off Classic, winning one of the three contests. ACA returns only one starter from last year’s squad and only three current players saw significant time last year. The Eagles defeated Prattville and lost to Pell City and Loachapoaka over the two day event.

ACA opened the season Friday afternoon with a 29-56 loss to Pell City. The Lady Eagles looked nervous to start the game and fell behind early as the Lady Panthers scored the first 18 points of the game. For the remainder of the game, Pell City only outscored ACA 38-29, but the Eagles had already dug too deep a hole for themselves. Rose Costanza scored the first bucket of the season midway through the first quarter to start the scoring for the Lady Eagles. Michaelyn Manning led the offense with ten points and four rebounds. Sarah Johnson added seven points with three rebounds while Rose Costanza had six points and four rebounds.

On Saturday morning, game two of the weekend against Prattville had an unusual start as ACA was assessed a technical foul for a scorebook violation. The Lady Lions hit one of the two free throws to start play with a 1-0 iead. With two minutes left to go in the first quarter, ACA turned up the heat on defense by pressing Prattville and scored the final nine points of the period. During the run, Katie Chappell scored a basket and made her free throw to complete a three point play that gave ACA an 11-10 lead. The Eagles would not trail for the rest of the contest and won by a sore of 53-42. Michaelyn Manning and Sarah Johnson led the offense as Manning scored 14 points and Johnson had 13 points with seven rebounds, six assists and six steals. Katie Chappell added nine points and six rebounds.

In the final game of the weekend, ACA opened the game with cold shooting, as they missed their first 14 shots of the game. Despite the struggle to score the ball, the Eagles only trailed Loachapoaka 2-7 at the end of the first quarter. Both offenses scuffled on the afternoon as each team shot less than 25% from the field and combined for just 44 points, as the Indians prevailed 30-14. Michaelyn Manning had four points to lead the Eagle offense while Rose Costanza and Mary Hall each had three points.

Eagles Open Season with Road Win Over Thorsby

Alabama Christian visited Thorsby Friday night and defeated the Rebels 57-50 in the first game of the season. Coach Scott Galloway was pleased with the way his Eagles neutralized the size of Thorsby with their work in the transition game. Avery Stuart scored nine consecutive points in the second quarter to help stretch the lead to 11 which gave ACA a little breathing room. The Eagles took a 31-20 into the locker room at the half. Alabama Christian played even in the second half with Thorsby to win by seven points. In his first varsity game, Stuart scored 19 points to lead the team in scoring along with Braden Alford. Caden Perry scored nine points and had a team high six rebounds.

ACA’s (1-0) next game is Tuesday at home against Booker T Washington.

Kyndall Foley Named ACA Athlete of the Week for Second Time

Kyndall Foley earned her second Athlete of the Week in her senior season with a Top 10 finish at the 4A State Championship in Oakville on Saturday. Foley finished ninth with a career best time of 20:35.73. The performance was the third fastest in school history, only 9.8 seconds off the school record. Foley was one of only two runners, boys or girls, that ran in every race this season. Her ninth place finish was her sixth Top 10 finish of her career, second most in program history.

Kyndall Foley Caps Career with Top 10 Finish at State

Kyndall Foley ended her senior season with a 9th place finish at the 4A State Championship in Oakville. Foley recorded a personal best time of 20:35.73, the third fastest time in school history, on the day. The senior owns four of the ten fastest times in program history and her 9th place finish was the sixth Top 10 finish of her career. Marlo Duggan placed 78th with a season best time of 23:24.41.

In the boys division, Connor Strowbridge turned in a time of 19:28.18 to finish 111th out of 169 racers. Lane Kilpatrick finished 119th with a time of 19:31.35. Both runners produced season best times in the last race of the year.

ACA Defeated in Playoff Thriller

The Alabama Christian football team gave Hillcrest-Evergreen all they could handle Friday night, but in the end the Jaguars were able to hold off the Eagles, 28-21. The Eagles took the lead with 3:11 remaining in the game, but were unable to stop Hillcrest from responding with the game winning score with less than a minute to play. Several times during the game, ACA could have given up against the more talented Jaguar squad, but instead fought to the very end.

The big play Jaguars struck quickly to open the game and scored in just four plays to take a 7-0 lead. Despite no functioning play clock, the Eagles slowed the pace of the game to keep the explosive Hillcrest offense on the sidelines. ACA’s first drive lasted 11 plays and ate up 5:39 of the first quarter clock. Although the drive ended with a missed field goal, the tone for the game was established.

Midway through the second quarter the Eagles scored on a seven play 51 yard drive to tie the game. The drive was a mixture of runs and passes and ended on an eight yard touchdown pass from Jalen Clark to Preston Hicks. Clark would finish the night completing 12 passes on 18 attempts for 113 yards and one touchdown. Hillcrest responded in only three plays with a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Alabama Christian continued to shorten the game, but were unable to put points on the board. The Eagles held the ball for almost nine minutes in the quarter. However, the Jaguar offense struck quickly late in the quarter using three plays to take a 20-7 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

ACA cut the lead to six points with a touchdown midway through the final quarter. The key play of the drive was a 37 yard run up the middle by Jalen Clark on a 4th and 3 on the 40 yard line. Three plays later, Clark punched it in to make the score 14-20. The offense needed the ball back and the defense gave it to them as Hillcrest punted the ball after three plays. With 6:17 remaining in the game, ACA’s go ahead drive began. On 3rd and 13, Preston Hicks caught a pass from a deflection and raced 53 yards to the Jaguar 15 yard line. The catch was Hicks’ eighth of the game covering 79 yards and the second quarter touchdown. With momentum on the Eagle’s side, Jalen Clark scored his second touchdown of the night to give ACA the lead, 21-20. Clark rushed for 160 yards on 32 carries, the fourth most carries in school history, and two touchdowns in the game. Hillcrest scored the winning touchdown with 46.7 seconds left in the game to advance to the second round next week.

Miller McCarthy led the defense with six tackles while Otasowie Dion added five tackles.Bryan Farrington, Khalil Jackson and Jack Thomas each recorded four tackles and a sack.

Jack Thomas Named ACA Athlete of the Week

Despite only playing one half of football Friday night, Jack Thomas recorded ten total tackles and had one and a half sacks to lead the Eagle defense against Weaver. With Miller McCarthy sitting out against the Wildcats, Thomas shouldered more of the load on defense and responded with a stellar performance. The junior linebacker leads the team in tackles on the season with 89.

ACA Finishes Regular Season with Blowout of Weaver

Alabama Christian dominated the Weaver Wildcats Friday night in a 52-0 rout. Coach Sanford was able to play his reserves in the second half and rest key starters as the Eagles prepare for the playoffs. ACA finished the regular season winning five of their last six games.

The night started with the defense giving up two first downs with penalties, but ACA would regroup and not allow another first down for the remainder of the half. The defense pressured the Wildcat quarterback seemingly every time he dropped back to pass and recorded three sacks in the first half. the Eagles added an interception in the second half to help keep Weaver scoreless. The defense was led by Jack Thomas with nine tackles and one and a half sacks. Sanders Manning had six tackles while Donovan Emerson, McLeod Missildine and Preston Perry each contributed five tackles.

The offense scored on all five possessions of the first half. Corey Landers paced the offense with 120 yards in the half on eight carries with two touchdowns. Landers delivered the play of the night with a 42 yard touchdown run as he broke tackles and refused to go down late in the second quarter. The freshman back finished the night with 133 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.

The reserves continued the strong play in the second half as they scored touchdowns on all three possessions. Noah Silmon paced the offense over the final two quarters with eight rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Silmon led the Eagles in rushing on the night with 170 yards gained on 13 attempts and two touchdowns. Hayes Hunt passed to Grant Sutton for a seven yard touchdown in the third quarter, which was a first for each player. Hunt also caught his first career touchdown pass in the first half. The biggest cheer of the night might have been on the game’s final score as senior Preston Perry ran for a 10 yard touchdown.

ACA (6-4) will take on Hillcrest-Evergreen in the first round of the playoffs next Friday night.

Four Runners Earn Spot in State Meet

After being delayed for a day due to weather, the 4A Sectional meet was run Friday in Montgomery at AUM. Four runners qualified to compete in the State Championship with their performance at the Sectional.

In the girls division, four seniors raced with Kyndall Foley and Marlo Duggan qualifying for State. Foley finished fifth with a time of 22:26.74 while Duggan recorded a season best time of 24:25.34 and placed 18th in the race. Payton DeCapite placed 46th with a time of 29:47.98 and Timia Nelson finished 51st with a season best time of 32:52.29.

In the boys division, sophomore Connor Strowbridge finished 33rd with a time of 20:24.91 and junior Lane Kilpatrick placed 36th in 20:45.12. Both Strowbridge and Kilpatrick qualified for the State Championships. James Davis finished 43rd with a time of 21:10.44 while Bryan Burleson finished 57th in 23:70.72. All four participants will return to race next year.

Corey Landers' Steady Play Earns Him Athlete of the Week Honor

The Eagle offense depends on Corey Landers a little more each week. The freshman running back has proven to be a valuable weapon for ACA. Landers and Jalen Clark provide a potent 1-2 punch for the Alabama Christian ground game. This week, against Ashford, the Eagles depended on Landers in the fourth quarter after Clark left the game with an injury. He responded by carrying the ball on five straight plays and scoring the team’s last touchdown of the night. Landers finished the night with a career high 17 rushes for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Emily Thornton Finishes Career as One of ACA's Best Ever

October 21, 2019 marked the end of an amazing career for Emily Thornton. She recorded the most assists in ACA history with 3,223 and ranks 16th in the state of Alabama and one of only four players in the Montgomery area to accomplish the feat. Thornton also ranks in the Top 20 in program history in career aces and kills, joining Carlie Ainsworth, Sarah Ford and Katie Sanderson as the only four players to rank in the Top 20 in all three categories.

Thornton began her volleyball career at Alabama Christian as a seventh grader playing on the middle school team. Emily gravitated to volleyball due to the team aspect and the speed of the game. Volleyball, unlike other sports, can’t be dominated by one player or position, but takes a total team effort to affect the outcome of a game. Every play and every point depends on several members of the team and not just one position or player controlling the game.

As a freshman, Emily joined the varsity team and has remained a fixture for the past four years. When asked about that first year, Emily stated, “My first year on varsity, Carli Schofield took me under her wing and always made sure I felt included and would invite me to go places and eat with her and some of the older girls. That meant a lot to me because I didn’t really know any of the other girls, but she made sure I felt a part of the group.”

Emily and Carli with their favorite coach.

Manuel Guice has been Emily’s head coach for the past four seasons and has been a major influence through her high school years. Besides being her coach, Guice also taught Emily for two years and showed her the importance to think for herself and not continue thinking the same way she had always been taught. on the floor, Guice helped Emily become more confident in her abilities and in herself in general. He also pushed her to be the best and taught her to push herself which has helped her to become a better leader on and off the court. Thornton’s favorite memory from Coach Guice was at practice on the day that Guice had heard that Tom Petty had passed away. Guice, a classic rock connoisseur, stopped practice, told his team the news and played “Free Fallin” for the girls in tribute to the singer.

Emily and Coach Guice on Senior Night.

Coach Guice had this to say about Emily, “I am so thankful to have had Emily as a part of my team the past four years. I brought her up as a freshman in 2016 and she was a part of the rotation as a setter.She handled that extremely well, especially considering how young she was. I told her from day one that I would not treat her like a freshman, and I didn’t. I have loved getting to see her grow and develop as a person and a player. Emily has been a presence for us the last four years that we all could depend on. You can’t break a record like that without being consistent and reliable. She is a hard worker and extremely competitive. As great a player as she has been, she is even a better person. She is a great example to her teammates as well as her fellow students at ACA. I am going to miss having her on my team, but am excited to see what the future holds for her.”

Emily and Alyson prepare for the next point.

This season marked a first for Thornton, as she was able to play with her younger sister Alyson, a freshman, on the varsity squad. Emily and Alyson have been able to make many memories this season and have enjoyed playing together on the floor and not just watching each other from the sidelines. They also have been able to help each other on the court since they played the same position.

This season is also the end of an era for Thornton as she played her last season with longtime teammate Savannah Fonville. The two have played volleyball together for the past ten years and have always enjoyed being on the same team. From their first year at the YMCA in third grade until this year, the duo always had fun together on the court and kept each other loose even in tense situations.

Emily and Savannah on Senior Night.

Thornton knows she will miss being on the floor next year and it will be strange watching from the bleachers and not having a part in the outcome of the match. She will also miss her teammates and being around them doing something she loves. Thornton will not pursue a collegiate volleyball career, but plans to concentrate on her degree in the fields of physical therapy or pharmacy.

ACA Overpowers Ashford in Area Clash

Alabama Christian clinched a playoff berth for the fourth year in a row as Headland lost to Catholic Thursday night. This marks just the second time in school history for ACA to reach the playoffs in four consecutive years. With a playoff spot locked up, the Eagles looked for a victory over Ashford to secure the third seed in the region. On a muggy night in south Alabama, ACA prevailed 24-6 over the Yellow Jackets and will travel to Hillcrest Evergreen for a first round match up in two weeks.

From the outset, ACA shortened the game with runs and short passes while letting the play clock run down between each play and kept the Ashford offense on the sidelines. The Eagles were able to hold the ball for just over 32 minutes in the contest, which left the Yellow Jackets offense less than 16 minutes to try and put points on the board. Alabama Christian finished the night with 334 yards on offense, 236 on the ground and 98 through the air.

After the Eagle defense forced a three and out on the opening possession of the game, the offense took the field and covered 45 yards in six plays for the first score of the night. Jalen Clark hit Bryan Farrington for an 11 yard touchdown for the early 7-0 lead. Clark would finish the night with an efficient performance, completing 9 of 12 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The defense put the ball back in the offense’s hands with a second consecutive three and out. From there, ACA proceeded to take 7:56 off the clock as they drove 88 yards over 12 plays to take a 14-0 lead. Clark was 3 for 3 for 35 yards on the drive, while Corey Landers completed the march with a 10 yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 14-0. Neither team scored for the remainder of the second quarter and the half ended with the Eagle defense turning the Yellow Jackets away inside its own 10 yard line. Ashford made it as far as ACA’s five yard line, but the defense allowed no yards on the final three plays of the drive to keep the Yellow Jackets scoreless.

Alabama Christian looked to put the game away in the third quarter, hoping to score and take a three score lead. The offense controlled the ball for 4:40 and Cobi Keel delivered a 31 yard field goal to stretch the lead to 17-0. Ashford responded and drove the field, but the Eagles turned them over and downs for the second time. However, just two plays later, the offense coughed the ball up and gave the Yellow Jackets a short field to work with. Ashford scored its lone touchdown of the night in two plays and cut the score to 17-6.

After a second Eagle turnover and another three and out from the defense, ACA scored its last touchdown of the night with a drive that covered 53 yards in six plays and took 3:13 off the fourth quarter clock. Corey Landers carried the ball on the last five plays of the drive and scored his second touchdown of the night on a four yard run to extend the lead to 24-6. Landers would finish the night with 67 yards rushing on 17 attempts and two touchdowns.

The defensive unit was strong all night led by Miller McCarthy with eight tackles. Jack Thomas added six tackles and Kyle Jackson had six tackles with a sack. Jalen Clark led the ground game with 146 yards on 20 carries. Preston Hicks had four receptions for 56 yards and Bryan Farrington had three catches for 22 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles (5-4) finish the regular season with a trip to Weaver next Friday night.

Alabama Christian's Season Ends with Loss to Catholic

The Lady Eagles season came to an end, Monday afternoon, with a loss to Catholic in the opening round of the 4A Area 4 tournament by a score of 14-25, 17-25, 16-25. In the final game of the year, Monica Willingham and Alyson Thornton led the offense with eight kills each and Thornton added 10 assists. Emily Thornton had six kills and a team high 17 assists. Savannah Fonville added 11 digs.

For the season, freshman Alyson Thornton led the team in kills (252) and aces (50). Senior co-captain Savannah Fonville was the team leader in digs (391) while senior Mary Hall had the most blocks (32). Emily Thornton, also a senior co-captain, led the team in assists (689).

Jalen Clark Named ACA Athlete of the Week

For the second week in a row a record setting performance earns a player Athlete of the Week honors. Quarterback Jalen Clark set a single game record when he rushed for 320 yards against BTW-Tuskegee Friday night. Clark broke Alden Stroud’s mark of 305 yards set in 2017. The junior also helped on defense to try and neutralize the athleticism of BTW and contributed four tackles. Clark’s effort against BTW moved him past 1,000 yards rushing for the season and he leads the Eagles with 11 rushing touchdowns.

ACA Wins Two of Four Matches in Prattville Tournament

Alabama Christian played in the final weekend tournament of the season in Prattville on Saturday and came away with two wins in four matches. The Lady Eagles won their first two games of the day by defeating PCA 26-24, 25-21 and St. James 25-12, 25-17. ACA lost the last two matches to Pelham 17-25, 11-25 and LAMP 25-21, 12-25, 10-15 to end the day.

For the tournament, Jordan Smithee led the offense with 23 kills with Alyson Thornton recording 22 kills, 30 assists and a team high six aces. Mary Hall and Monica Willingham each had 16 kills with Willingham tying Alyson Thornton with a team best six aces. Emily Thornton led the team with 47 assists on the day.

The Eagles compete in the Area Tournament at Catholic against the top seeded Knights on Monday with a spot in the super regional at stake.

ACA Loses Shootout on Homecoming

ACA let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers as BTW upset the Eagles 42-37 on Homecoming Friday night. The Golden Eagles faced a fourth and goal from the 21 yard line, but managed to complete a pass and score the game winner with 5.8 seconds remaining on the clock for their first win of the season. Alabama Christian could have clinched a playoff berth with a win, but now will have to beat Ashford on the road next week to qualify.

Even though ACA’s passing game struggled, the ground attack more than made up for it. The Eagles rushed for over 400 yards including Jalen Clark’s school record 320 yards on 23 attempts and two touchdowns. Corey Landers also scored twice and rushed for 88 yards on 16 carries. Noah Silmon, who filled in for injured Demari Moore, added 31 yards on four carries and a touchdown.

The defense had difficulty matching up with the skill players for the Golden Eagles. BTW racked up more than 400 yards of offense and kept the Eagles off balance all night. The defense was led by Khalil Jackson with eight tackles and a sack and Preston Perry who ended with seven tackles and a sack. Jack Thomas added six tackles while Kyle Jackson and Jae Nelson both had sacks.

After Alabama Christian turned the ball over to open the game, the contest saw six touchdowns scored on the next seven possessions, with each team scoring three times. BTW scored on drives of 82, 38 and 59 yards for their three first half touchdowns and ACA responded each time with drives of 64, 67 and 57 to match the Golden Eagles touchdown for touchdown. The first half ended with ACA leading 23-22.

In the third quarter the pace of the game slowed a bit as each team handled the ball only twice and just one touchdown was scored by BTW. The score came after a fourth down stop that seemed to ignite the Golden Eagle team. ACA had driven the ball to BTW’s 10 yard line and decided to go for the touchdown instead of the field goal, but the Golden Eagles sniffed out the trick play and stopped the Eagles five yards short of the end zone. In response, BTW took the field and raced through the defense to go 95 yards in only four plays to retake the lead, 28-23.

The fourth quarter started with a great opportunity for BTW to score after their second interception of the night. However, on this occasion, the Alabama Christian defense stood tall and stopped the Golden Eagle effort inside the 10 yard line. ACA’s offense responded with a six play 94 yard march capped off with a Corey Landers 16 yard run to make the score 30-28 in favor of Alabama Christian. Jalen Clark set up the score with runs of 38, 12, 20 and seven yards before Landers punched it into the end zone. BTW answered back in just four plays to once again retake the lead, 36-30. The first play of the drive was the key play as BTW completed a 56 yard pass because the Golden Eagle receiver was able to get behind the defense.

With 5:44 remaining in the game, ACA took the field and Jalen Clark took over the offense. The drive lasted only two plays and 39 seconds as Clark opened up with a 41 yard run and then scored on a 23 yard play to give the Eagles their final lead of the game. Unfortunately, this left plenty of time for BTW to set up the game winning score. Several times during the final drive it looked as if the Eagles were going to stop the BTW drive, but the Golden Eagles made just enough plays to keep the drive going. The final play came on a fourth and goal and covered 21 yards to give BTW the victory.

Next week the Eagles (4-4) travel to Ashford in a key area match up to determine their playoff future.

Lady Eagles Split Tri-Match on Senior Night

Six seniors, Bailey DiNunzio, Savannah Fonville, Mary Hall, Aniya Jackson, Emily Thornton and Monica Willingham, won the last game played on their home floor with a 23-25, 25-18, 15-13 defeat of Wetumpka in the second game of a tri-match Thursday night. ACA lost to PCA in the first match of the night by scores of 13-25, 25-22, 13-15.

The Lady Eagles started slowly against PCA and never led in the game, except 1-0 on the first point of the match. In game two, the Eagles again started slowly and trailed 11-19 before scoring 14 of the next 17 points to even the match 1-1. Alyson Thornton and Savannah Fonville served the last 12 points to clinch the game. In game three, momentum was in the Eagle’s corner after Mary Reagan Hilyer made two saves during a rally and helped ACA take a 12-11 lead. The Lady Panthers withstood the scare and finished off the Eagles 15-13. Alyson Thornton led the offense with eight kills and three aces while Mary Hall, Jordan Smithee and Monica Willingham each added four kills. Emily Thornton had 21 assists and three aces with Savannah Fonville contributing 11 digs.

Against Wetumpka, the Eagles led game one 17-13, but let the lead slip away losing 23-25. With game two tied 7-7, ACA pulled away and evened the match to force a third game. The third game was close throughout, but the Eagles prevailed 15-13 to send the seniors home winners. Jordan Smithee hit the ball as well as she had all year and had 15 kills in the match. Monica Willingham added four kills. Emily Thornton had 16 assists while her sister, Alyson had eleven. Savannah Fonville, who spent most of the night diving on the floor for balls had nine digs.

The cross country seniors were also recognized on Thursday night. The five runners were Payton DeCapite, Marlo Duggan, Kyndall Foley, Judd Hardin and Timia Nelson.

Emily Thornton's Record Setting Week Earns Her Athlete of the Week

Emily Thornton had a week to remember as she broke the all time assists mark in Alabama Christian history. Thornton passed the 3,000 assist plateau against Catholic on Tuesday, becoming just the 21st player in the state to ever break that mark and only the fourth player from the Montgomery area. On Saturday, at the Shrimp Fest Invitational in Gulf Shores, Thornton broke the school record with her 3,099th assist against Fairhope and finished the day with 3,122 assists. Thornton is currently ranked 17th in state history for career assists.

Lady Eagles Split Six Matches in Shrimp Fest Invitational

Alabama Christian finished 3-3 in six games at the Shrimp Festival Invitational in Gulf Shores. The Lady Eagles defeated Guntersville 25-17, 25-17 and Saraland 25-22, 23-25, 15-12 on Friday night. On Saturday, ACA lost to Carbon Hill 22-25, 17-25 and Our Lady Academy 16-25, 19-25 before beating Fairhope 25-12, 25-18. The Eagles ended the day with a loss in a rematch with Guntersville 25-18, 19-25, 10-15.

ACA was led by Alyson Thornton with 34 kills with 23 digs and four aces. Jordan Smithee contributed 31 kills and had a team best seven aces. Emily Thornton added 19 kills and a team high 106 kills. Against Fairhope, Emily Thornton became the all time leader in assists at ACA passing Blair Brendle.

Alabama Christian Runs in MA Invitational

Kyndall Foley continued her strong senior season with a second place finish out of 82 runners at the MA Invitational in Grady, AL. Foley produced a season best time of 20:36.61 and continues to move closer to the school record of 20:25.93 set in 2014. Marlo Duggan finished 23rd with a time of 25:14.38 and Payton DeCapite finished 43rd with a time of 28:17.81 on the afternoon. Timia Nelson turned in a season best time of 34:37.70.

Connor Strowbridge led the Eagles in the boys division with a 40th place finish out of 120 runners and a time of 20:48.91. Bryan Burleson had a season best run of 22:54.67.

Eagles Win Third in a Row in Mistake Filled Game

ACA extended its winning streak Friday night with a 14-7 defeat of LaFayette. The victory was the third in a row for the Eagles and marked the first win against the Bulldogs since 2002. The game was filled with penalties and mistakes as both teams combined for 20 penalties on the night. Coach Nate Sanford commented, “Good thing there are no style points in football. Even though we had five turnovers and lots of penalties, I was proud of the mental toughness of our guys to only give up seven points against a very fast team.”

The five Eagle turnovers put pressure on their own defense throughout the contest. Four Bulldog drives started in Eagle territory yet ACA’s defense only allowed one touchdown despite being on the field for 73 plays. Inside linebackers Jackson Thomas and Miller McCarthy led the defensive effort with ten and nine tackles, respectively. Preston Perry added seven tackles and Khalil Jackson had three tackles and a sack. As a team, the defense had tackles for a loss on 12 different plays.

After a great kickoff return by Demari Moore to the LaFayette 40 yard line, the Eagles scored a touchdown in seven plays to take an early 7-0 lead. Demari Moore ran the last 19 yards of the drive on two carries with the touchdown run covering 12 yards. Late in the first quarter, the Eagles muffed a punt return and set up LaFayette for its only score of the game. Despite committing three penalties in four plays, the Bulldogs were able to tie the game 7-7. ACA would turn the ball over two more times in the first half, but kept LaFayette from scoring again. The first half ended with a Khalil Jackson sack and the teams went to the locker room tied, 7-7.

LaFayette controlled the ball for 7:58 of the 12 minutes of the third quarter. The winning march for Alabama Christian started at the end of the third quarter and concluded in the fourth quarter. The drive lasted 14 plays over 70 yards and took 6:37 off the clock. ACA converted a third and a fourth down on Jalen Clark runs on the drive. Corey Landers’ 18 yard carry set the offense up inside the Bulldog 20 yard line. Clark finished off the game clinching drive with a one yard run with 8:10 remaining in the game. As the Eagles tried to put the game away late in the contest, LaFayette intercepted an ill advised pass and appeared to be ready to return it for a score that would tie the game. Demari Moore raced across the field and stopped the Bulldog defender at the 20 yard line for the game saving tackle. The defense allowed only three yards and took the ball back on downs allowing ACA to run out the clock to seal the victory.

Although the air attack struggled during the game, the ground game was solid as the Eagles averaged 5.7 yards per carry as a team. Jalen Clark led the rushing attack with 88 yards on 17 attempts while Corey Landers ran for 86 yards on 15 rushes. Demari Moore added 53 yards on 8 carries.

Next week, ACA (4-3) plays host to Booker T Washington for Homecoming.