ACA Falls in Super Regionals

Alabama Christian had a tough draw in the 3A South Sub-Regionals as they faced the top ranked team in their classification, St. Luke’s. The Lady Eagles fell in three straight games, 11-25, 10-25, 19-25, to end the year. The season was highlighted by Amber Hogan’s first win as head coach against Tallassee, Alyson Thornton’s 1000th career assist against Providence Christian at the Mayor’s Cup, and qualifying for sub-regionals for the first time in four years with a win over Beulah in the Area tournament. As the team looks ahead to next year, there is much optimism with just two players leaving to graduation. 

This season’s statistical leaders were:

Kills – Alyson Thornton (166), Teagan Scott (146), Paige Henry (145)

Aces – Alyson Thornton (57), Savannah Dorman (41), Ava Oates (40)

Blocks – Teagan Scott (50), Jaide Newkirk (28), Erin Simmons (20)

Digs – Annabelle Pugh (160), Paige Henry (106), Ava Oates (103)

Assists – Alyson Thornton (387), Anna Prempramot (111), Savannah Dorman (31)

Alabama Christian Crushes Greensboro on Homecoming Night

The Eagles clinched a playoff berth for a record seventh year in a row with a blowout win over Greensboro, 56-6, on Friday night in a pink-out game recognizing breast cancer awareness month. With a win over Southside-Selma next week, ACA will secure the number three seed in the Region and will play the number two seed from Region 4 in the first round of the playoffs.

The weather was perfect for Homecoming night.

The Eagle defense made an impact on the game in the very first series as they drove Greensboro back 13 yards on their first three plays thanks to two Raider penalties and a sack by Brady Smith. The punt was kicked in a crowd and barely cleared the line of scrimmage which allowed Gerrod Green to alertly scoop the ball up and run 22 yards for a score to put ACA up 7-0. Like PCA the week before, Greensboro had trouble with the squib kick as William Milner pounced on the ball at the Raider 36-yard line. Corey Landers carried the ball for three consecutive plays and scored from seven yards out to increase the lead to 14-0 with 7:18 left in the first period.

Gerrod Green scooped up a first quarter punt and scored the first points of the game.

After another Raider punt, ACA marched forty yards in three plays for its third straight scoring drive and a 21-0 advantage. Otasowie Dion carried twice for 27 yards and Hayes Hunt found Gerrod Green in the back of the end zone for the score. The teams swapped turnovers late in the first quarter as Preston Hicks forced the ball out of the running back’s grip and Dion recovered for the defense. However, Alabama Christian fumbled the ball back on the next play to give Greensboro another opportunity. Once again the Raiders were unable to produce a first down and gave the ball back to ACA. After two incomplete passes, the only two in the whole game, Corey Landers ran for 13 yards to pick up the first down and caught two passes from Hunt that covered 47 yards and a score. WIth 32.2 seconds left in the first, Alabama Christian led 28-0. Landers’ touchdown was the 40th of his career as he became only the third player in program history to score at least that many touchdowns.

Corey Landers headed for the end zone after a first period catch.

Greensboro picked up its first first down of the game on the last play of the opening period, but punted the ball three plays later to the home team. ACA scored in six plays, four Otasowie Dion runs and two Preston Hicks receptions, with a drive that covered 48 yards and lasted just under three minutes. Dion capped the drive with a three-yard plunge which gave ACA a 35-0 cushion. Hicks’ two catches on the drive moved him into first place on the career receptions list in school history. AC Walters ended the next Greensboro drive with an interception and was rewarded by carrying the ball the next four plays for 35 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles headed to the half with a whopping 42-0 lead.

Preston Hicks runs after his record breaking catch in the second quarter.

After last week’s five-minute, running clock quarters, no one knew exactly how the clock would be handled in the second half. The clock was set to 12 minutes, but it was a running clock. Sophomore Kaiden Green got the call in the second half at quarterback and made the most of his playing time. Green threw a quick screen to Mac Moorer on the left sideline on the second play of the opening drive of the half and Moorer weaved his way across the field and through the defense for a 48-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 49-0. As the defense began to sub freely, the Raiders finally mounted a drive that produced points on the last play of the third quarter.

Mac Moorer works his way towards the end zone.

The Eagles final possession of the night put points on the board even though it had a rough start. After a false start penalty and a bad snap that led to an eleven-yard loss, the offense faced a 3rd and 23 from its own 39-yard line. Kaiden Green bootlegged to the right and found Bryant Swindle by himself behind the defense. The duo hooked up for a 61-yard scoring play to make the score 56-6 with 6:20 left in the contest. Remarkably, because of the running clock, Greensboro managed just three more offensive plays before time expired.

Bryant Swindle outruns the defense for a score.

The QB combination of Hayes Hunt and Kaiden Green completed seven passes in nine attempts for 204 yards and four touchdowns. Hunt finished 5 for 7 for 95 yards and two scores while both of Green’s passes were completed for touchdowns that covered 109 yards. Corey Landers and Preston Hicks led the team with two catches each while Landers, Gerrod Green, Mac Moorer and Bryant Swindle each had touchdown receptions. 

Brady Smith tracks down the Raider quarterback for a first quarter sack.

AC Walters led the backs with 56 yards on seven attempts followed by Corey Landers with  52 yards on five carries and Otasowie Dion with 45 yards on six rushes. All three backs had a rushing touchdown. On defense, Dion and William Milner both recovered fumbles while Walters and David Ortiz-Ramirez both had interceptions. Milner led the team with four tackles while Brady Smith, Preston Hicks and Wes Peake each had three tackles.

Next week, the number three seed in the Region is on the line as ACA travels to Southside-Selma in the first-ever matchup between the schools. 

Alabama Christian Advances to Super Regionals with Runner-up Finish at Area Tournament

For the first time since 2018, the Lady Eagles will advance to the Super Regionals in postseason action. ACA defeated Beulah in three straight, 25-20, 25-11, 25-16, in the opener to clinch their spot in the next round. Senior Alyson Thornton sparked the team with twelve assists, eight kills and three aces. Taegan Scott matched Thornton with a team-high eight kills. Paige Henry led the team with six aces while Ava Oates added three aces. Annabelle Pugh led the team with twelve digs while Anna Prempramot had nine assists.

in the championship match, ACA faced host PCA and fell in three straight games. Alyson Thornton and Taegan Scott once led the attack with six and five kills, respectively. Anna Prempramot led the team with six assists while Jaide Newkirk had a team-high three blocks while Ava Oates finished with five digs. Alyson Thornton and Annabelle Pugh were named to the all-tournament team.

Alabama Christian next plays in the Super Regionals on Thursday, October 20, against the #1 ranked team in 3A, St. Luke’s.

Alabama Christian Overpowers PCA in Region Contest

Friday night began a very important three-game stretch of the season for Alabama Christian. If ACA could win all three games, against Region opponents, they would secure the number three seed and earn a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive year, a school record. The Eagles started the trio of games against PCA on Senior Night. The seventeen seniors honored have never played anywhere else besides ACA, which is rare in this age of rampant transferring.

All of the bounces went ACA’s way early and the game was never really in doubt. The Eagles kicked off to start the game and while no Panther seem to want to jump on the ball, Otasowie Dion darted past the opponents and recovered the kickoff for ACA at the PCA 21-yard line. The offense scored in two plays as Corey Landers carried both times, scoring on a 19-yard run to put the first points on the board with just over a minute gone in the game. The second kickoff was a line drive that caromed off a PCA up-man and returned to kicker Tyson Summers, who recovered the ball on the ACA 48-yard line. The drive started with the Panthers jumping offsides on two straight plays to give Alabama Christian a first down. From there, Dion ran the ball on three of the next four plays and scored from one yard out to increase the lead to 14-0 with 8:38 left in the opening period.

Coach Summers congratulates Preston Hicks on his record breaking catch.

A bronx cheer went up from the Panther faithful as PCA was able to cover the next Eagle kickoff. The visitors were running their first play from scrimmage in the game, already down by two scores. AC Walters broke up a third down pass to force a quick punt back to ACA. The Eagles moved 64 yards in seven plays to extend the lead to 20-0. Hayes Hunt, coming back from injury last week, hit David Ortiz-Ramirez on a five-yard completion for the touchdown. As the first quarter neared its conclusion, PCA showed a little life on offense, but turned the ball over on downs at the Eagle 43-yard line. To squash any hope of the Panthers keeping the momentum, Avery Stuart caught a slip screen from Hunt and raced 57 yards past the defense for a score and a 27-0 lead on the last play of the quarter.

Avery Stuart runs past the PCA defender on the way to the end zone.

PCA finally got on the board to start the second period, aided by four Eagle penalties on the drive. The Panthers drove 76 yards in 13 plays and ate up almost half of the quarter to cut the ACA lead to 27-7. Once again, to make sure PCA did not capitalize on the positive scoring drive, Corey Landers took the ensuing kickoff 77 yards down the left sideline to stretch the lead back to 33-7. Alabama Christian closed out the half with one final score as Hayes Hunt found Preston Hicks on a 33-yard score to extend the lead to 40-7. The touchdown reception was Hicks’ 15th of his career and moves him to the top of the list in career touchdown receptions.

Corey Landers returns the kick for a score in the second quarter.

The second half went by in a blink as it was decided to have five-minute quarters, with a running clock, to finish the game. ACA kept the ball for the entire second half as they ran eleven straight times and had three penalties called against them. The game ended in victory formation at the Panther 20-yard line.

A convincing win over PCA.

Hayes Hunt had a perfect night in the pocket as he completed all six passes he threw for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Avery Stuart caught two for 67 yards while Preston Hicks had two for 50 yards as both receivers had a touchdown catch. Corey Lander rushed for 62 yards on six attempts and a touchdown. An eleven yard run by Landers in the first quarter pushed him past the 3,000 yard mark for his career. The senior is only the third Eagle ever to run for that many yards. Since PCA’s offense only ran 29 plays in the entire game, defensive opportunities were scarce on the night. Blake Shaw led the team with six tackles followed by Preston Hicks with five. William Milner, Taylor Thompson and Brady Smith each added four tackles. Smith and Otasowie Dion both had sacks while Dion and Tyson Summers both recovered fumbles on kickoffs.

Next week, Alabama Christian hosts Greensboro for Homecoming in another crucial Region contest.

Eagles Fall to St James in Hard Fought Contest

For the past two seasons the winner of the ACA/St James game won the 4A Region 3 title. This year the combatants are 3A schools and, along with Trinity, are the favorites in the Region. A loss for the Eagles would all but assure a road game in the first round of the playoffs, but a win over the Trojans would keep Alabama Christian in the mix to host a first round game. Starting quarterback, Hayes Hunt was unable to play due to injury and the Eagles came up short, 20-35. Despite the loss, ACA showed its toughness and moxie as they kept the game close throughout the second half.

The Trojans won the toss and took the ball down the field on the opening drive to take an early 7-0 lead. ACA’s first possession was a three and out, as it would take the Eagles some time to find its rhythm on offense. St James marched down the field again on its second drive and with 3:08 remaining in the first period scored to take a 14-0 lead. ACA picked up a first down on its second possession as Otasowie Dion ran 12 yards on a 3rd and 1 from ACA’s 35-yard line. The Eagles would eventually punt it back to St James and the opening quarter ended with the home team ahead by two touchdowns.

William Milner brings down the running back.

The ACA defense forced a punt from the Trojans as Otasowie Dion pressured the quarterback on third down to force an incompletion. Alabama Christian picked up a couple of first downs on the next drive as the offense slowly began to gel. As the Eagles punted back to St James one last time in the half, the home team made the most of the opportunity and scored for the third time in four possessions to take a 21-0 lead to the locker room.

The defense gangs up to stop the ball carrier.

The second half began with a bang as Otasowie Dion bolted 65 yards for a score on the third play of the quarter to put the the Eagles on the board. The Trojans were able to answer back on the very next drive with a six-play 55-yard march to stretch the lead back to three touchdowns, 28-7. On the ensuing kickoff it became apparent the official on the ACA sideline was new to the game of football as he missed the kick returner being run into by the opponent before he could catch the ball. The man in stripes had several flags picked up the rest of the half by the head official and seemed to bungle multiple calls. After both teams traded punts, the Eagles scored as Corey Landers found Avery Stuart on a fly pattern for a 23-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 14-28. As the third period came to a close, ACA trailed by just two scores.

Otasowie Dion looks for an open field against the Trojans.

The Trojans scored to open the final stanza and stretched the advantage back to three scores, 35-14. Alabama Christian responded with its best drive of the night as the offense marched 69 yards in eight plays. The touchdown came on a 4th and 3 at the Trojan 25-yard line as Corey Landers hooked up with Preston Hicks for the score and cut the lead to 20-35. Two plays later, Landers intercepted the Trojan QB to give the ball right back to the Eagles with 5:21 left to play. The offense drove it to the St James 45-yard line, but could go no further and turned the ball over on downs with 2:34 left in the game. St James was able to run out the clock and take home the Region win.

Preston Hicks celebrates with teammates after a score.

Corey Landers played a heroic game as he finished with 114 yards passing with two touchdowns, 72 yards on the ground on 12 carries and added four tackles and an interception on defense. Landers became the first player in school history to reach 500 career rushes on the night. Otasowie Dion led the team in rushing with 118 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Avery Stuart led the receivers with four catches for 56 yards and a score while Preston Hicks had three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, William Milner led the charge with ten tackles followed by Otasowie Dion with seven. Blake Shaw had six tackles and a sack while AC Walters and Avery Stuart both had five tackles.

Next week, Alabama Christian hosts PCA on Senior Night in an important Region tilt.

Lady Eagles Sweep Dadeville in Area Play

Alabama Christian began and ended their week with Area victories over Dadeville and in between split a tri-match at home by defeating Brew Tech and falling to Catholic. ACA moved to 3-1 in the Area with a showdown looming with PCA next week for the top spot in the standings.

On Monday, the Eagles dominated Dadeville in three straight, 25-15, 25-3, 25-6. Alyson Thornton, Paige Henry and Taegan Scott each had four kills to lead the team. Eight different players recorded kills in the contest. Thornton also contributed seven aces and sixteen assists to lead the squad in both categories while Annabelle Pugh had a team-high eight digs.

ACA hosted a tri-match on Tuesday as they fell in two to Catholic, but bounced back to defeat Brew Tech, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11, in three to earn the split. Paige Henry led the team with eight kills followed by Elizabeth Belcher with seven while Alyson Thornton and Taegan Scott finished with six apiece. Once again, Thornton led the team in aces and assists with four and nineteen, respectively. Annabelle Pugh had eleven digs.

The week ended with the second defeat over Dadeville to sweep the season series. ACA prevailed 25-15, 25-7, 25-12. Elizabeth Belcher and Alyson Thornton sparked the attack with seven kills each. Four players, Anna Prempromat, Paige Henry, Sydney Jones and Erin Simmons, each produced three kills. Thornton’s seven aces led the squad while Henry and Tori Keller each had three. Prempromat led the team with 15 assists with Annabelle Pugh recording a team-high eight digs.

Alabama Christian Beats MA in Last Minute Thriller

Alabama Christian and MA were coming off very different weeks as they renewed their rivalry Friday night. ACA blew out Sumter Central, 62-14, in a Region tilt while MA was manhandled by, perennial power, Andalusia, 49-7. The old foes squared off for the fortieth time in the series and ACA was hoping to win its second in a row over the visiting Eagles for just the second time in program history. Those hopes turned to reality as Hayes Hunt led his team to a riveting 33-27 victory, with a heroic performance despite being injured.

Hayes Hunt looks for Preston Hicks on ACA’s first score of the night.

MA received the opening kick and marched 70 yards in six plays, all runs, to take a 7-0 lead with 9:18 left in the first. ACA responded and looked very impressive on its opening drive and tied the game, 7-7. The home-standing Eagles moved 80 yards in five plays, highlighted by a 16-yard run by Otasowie Dion and a 21-yard reception by Avery Stuart (remember 21 yards and Avery Stuart for later). Hayes Hunt bought time as he moved up in the pocket to find Preston Hicks for 33 yards and a touchdown to cap the drive. Hunt’s 39th career touchdown pass moved him into the top spot in program history. 

Preston Hicks races to the end zone in the first quarter.

William Milner stopped the next MA drive as he ripped the ball away from the back and Hayes Hunt fell on it to give ACA the ball at MA’s 25-yard line. Three quick plays, an eleven yard run by Corey Landers, an eleven yard pass to Preston Hicks and a three yard run by Otasowie Dion, produced a touchdown in just over a minute to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead. MA responded with three plays of their own that covered 62 yards and took the lead back, 14-13, with still 3:12 left in the first period. As the first quarter was coming to a close, Hunt ripped off three runs that covered 32 yards, mixed with a pass interference call against MA and ACA ended the period at the MA 27-yard line. One of Hunt’s runs was a fake punt around the end for 24 yards as the return team lost any resemblance of containment on the left side of the field. The last run of the quarter brought great concern to the ACA faithful as the senior quaretrback was visibly struggling to put weight on his foot.

Defense helps the stripes know who has the ball.

Hunt started the second on the bench as the offense ran a direct-snap play to Corey Landers, but labored to get back to the huddle on the second play. Amazingly, he connected with Hicks for a 15-yard gain to the opponent’s 10-yard line on his first play back. However, two plays later a bad exchange on the handoff ended up on the ground and MA ended the threat with the recovery. The defense did not allow MA to gain momentum after the turnover although a terrible roughing the passer call did allow them to continue the drive. Josh Kreitz ended the possession as he recovered a fumble at the MA 42-yard line with 6:02 left in the half. Neither team scored for the rest of the half, but there was plenty of drama as we just knew that Hunt would not be on the field for the next drive, but he kept coming back every time for his team. MA led 14-13 as the team’s headed to the locker room.

Josh Kreitz celebrates ending another MA possession.

As the bell rang to start the third period, the Eagles were ready to fight with and for their leader as Hunt led the offense on to the field. Otasowie Dion had two big runs of 35 and 12 yards in the opening drive to help spur the offense. On 4th and 5 from the MA 15-yard line, Hunt found a wide-open David Ortiz-Ramirez in the end zone for the score. Corey Landers pass to a diving Preston Hicks netted ACA two points and the lead was 21-14 with 8:58 left in the third. Once again, MA answered with a five-play, 54-yard drive to tie the score, 21-21. After an ACA turnover on downs, MA took the ball and drove to the Alabama Chrsitian three-yard line as the third quarter ended.

Otasowie Dion helped set the tone for the second half with a 35-yard run on the first play of the third quarter.

MA scored on the first play of the fourth period to retake the lead, but a missed extra point kept the score 27-21. The next ACA drive ended with an interception with 9:05 left in the game and it felt as if the momentum had tilted in the visitors favor. After one first down for MA, a trio of Eagles, Preston Hicks, AC Walters and William Milner, stopped the running back on 3rd and 6 and forced a punt, that was downed on ACA’s own 10-yard line. With 4:49 on the clock and 90 yards away from the end zone, one wondered if ACA had enough time to tie the game, much less win it. Fifty seconds was all that was needed as Hunt connected with Hicks on an 85-yard bomb up the right sideline on the second play of the drive to tie the score, 27-27. As Hicks caught the ball his defender fell down and the senior receiver was off to the races on the longest play of the year.

Special teams enjoy the game-preserving fumble recovery by Jaylan McCovery.

The defense again was asked to stop the potent ground attack of MA and give the offense one last shot at the victory. The unit rose to the occasion as AC Walters ran the quarterback out of bounds two yards short on third down, despite the emphatic first down signal given by the runner, and forced another punt. ACA took the field with 2:32 remaining, 70 yards from the end zone. Dion and Landers combined for three rushes for 43 yards to take the ball to the MA 27-yard line. After no gain on first down, ACA called time with 1:16 left to go. After an incomplete pass, Corey Landers ran for 6 yards to set up a 4th and 4 at the 21-yard line with less than a minute left to play. On the crucial play, Hunt hit Avery Stuart on a slant, but the senior receiver pivoted immediately, after the catch, to the outside and outran three defenders to the end zone for the winning 21-yard reception with just 40.1 seconds remaining. Any fears of a last gasp effort from MA evaporated as the visitors could not secure the squib kick and Jaylan McCovery jumped on the loose ball to secure the win. Hunt and the offense trotted out one last time for the victory formation, the best play in football.

Hayes Hunt getting some love from his coach.

Hayes Hunt finished the night with a career-high 264 yards with four touchdowns and ran for 32 more to lead the offense. Five different Eagles had receptions in the contest led by Preston Hicks and Corey Landers with four catches apiece. Hicks’ catches covered 144 yards and two scores. David Ortiz-Ramirez had two catches for 55 yards and a score while Avery Stuart had two for 42 yards and a touchdown. Otasowie Dion led the backs with 118 yards on 13 carries and a score followed by Landers with 53 yards on 13 attempts.

The team runs onto the field as the clock runs out.

Defensively, William Millner led the attack with nine tackles. Corey Landers and AC Walters both had five tackles followed by Josh Kreitz and Jalen Flowers with four each. Kreitz, Hayes Hunt and McCovery all had fumble recoveries in the contest.

A night to remember for players and fans alike.

Alabama Chrsitian resumes Region play next week as they travel to St James. 

ACA Dominates in First Region Win of the Season

Alabama Christian looked to even its Region record to 1-1 on Friday as they played Sumter Central for the first time in program history. The visiting Jaguars had lost 26 games in a row and ACA hoped to continue the streak. Columbia, a 6A school from Huntsville, holds the current longest losing streak in the state at 66 games in a row. The Eagles scored early and often in the 62-14 win.

William Milner recovers the opening kickoff for the Eagles.

The Eagles won the coin toss and deferred until the second half, but wound up with the ball anyway as Sumter Central could not handle the squib kick. This was the first of three times ACA recovered a mishandled kickoff in the game. In a break from the norm, the offense threw five plays in a row, all completions, to start the game and opened the scoring with a 20-yard pass from Hayes Hunt to Otasowie Dion for a 7-0 lead. Hunt would connect on his first ten passes of the evening. After a three and out from the Jaguars, the offense drove sixty-nine yards in four plays capped by an eight-yard scramble from Hunt to stretch the lead to 14-0. Preston Hicks forced a fumble which was recovered by AC Walters to end Sumter’s second drive. Four plays later, Hunt rolled out to the left and hit a wide-open Dion who coasted to the end zone on a 23-yard pass play for a 21-0 lead. The first quarter ended with the visitors preparing to punt to the Eagles, trailing by twenty-one points.

Hunt and Dion have the left side of the field to themselves as they connect for a score.

David Ortiz-Ramirez opened the scoring in the second with a 40-yard dash to paydirt and a 28-0 cushion. Blake Shaw tackled the punter after he couldn’t catch the snap to give Alabama Christian the ball on the Jaguar 35-yard line with 8:50 remaining in the half. Corey Landers moved the ball to the five-yard line with one carry and Otasowie Dion scored on the next play for his third touchdown of the night and a 35-0 lead. Sumter Central put together a scoring drive aided by two big plays to get on the scoreboard. On 2nd and 16, the Jags completed a 40-yard pass to the ACA 39-yard line and ran 35 more yards on the next play to the four-yard line. Sumter finally scored on fourth and goal to make the score 35-6. The Eagles responded with a two-play drive that covered sixty yards to move the score to 42-6. The scoring play was a 37-yard bomb from Hayes Hunt to Avery Stuart. After recovering a botched kick return, ACA scored again as Hayes found Preston Hicks in traffic in the end zone on an eight-yard play for a 49-6 advantage. Neither team scored on its final possession of the half and Alabama Christian left the field with a commanding lead.

David Ortiz-Ramirez outraces the defense to the end zone.

A running clock was called for in the second half and after the starters scored on the first drive, the backups were able to play the rest of the way. Hayes Hunt tied the school record with his fifth scoring pass of the night as he hit David Ortiz-Ramirez for a three-yard touchdown and a 56-6 lead. After recovering yet another kickoff, the second team was able to drive for a score. Although the drive was dominated by Jordan Frazier’s running, Kaiden Grenn completed his first varsity pass to Mac Moorer, with his first varsity reception, on the drive. Frazier carried three times for 20 yards and his touchdown run extended the lead to 62-6. Sumter Central closed out the scoring with an 18-yard pass to cut the score to 62-14 in the fourth period.

Corey Landers moves the ball close to the goal line for the Eagles.

Hayes Hunt completed 11 of 14 passes on the night for 133 yards and five touchdowns and also ran two times for 35 yards and a score. Otasowie Dion led all receivers with five catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Avery Stuart caught two for 44 yards and a score while Preston Hicks had two for 21 yards and a touchdown. Corey Landers led all rushers with 137 yards on eight carries while Jordan Frazier finished with 72 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. Both Otasowie Dion and David Ortiz-Ramirez rushed for over 60 yards and scored a TD in the game. With Sumter Central only running 29 offensive plays on the night, the defensive chances were not as numerous as past games. Blake Shaw, Gerrod Green and AC Walters led the team with four tackles apiece. Preston Hicks, Brady Smith and Avery Stuart each had three tackles.

Brady Smith and Avery Stuart combine for the stop.

Alabama Christian hosts MA next Friday, September 23rd, in its next contest.  

Alabama Christian Splits Area Games on the Week

ACA opened Area play on Tuesday as they hosted area-favorite, PCA. The Eagles fell 17-25, 13-25, 14-25 to the Lady Panthers. Taegan Scott led the team with five kills while Alyson Thornton and Elizabeth Belcher both had three kills. Savannah Dorman had two aces while Ava Oates finished with eight digs to lead the team. Thornton recorded ten assists.

The Lady Eagles bounced back to even their Area record to 1-1 on Thursday with a three-game sweep of Beulah, 25-10, 25-20, 25-17. Alyson Thornton led the squad with fourteen assists, twelve kills and three aces. Taegan Scott finished with seven kills while Paige Henry added six kills. Annabelle Pugh led the team with eight digs and Savannah Dorman added nine assists in the victory.

Alabama Christian will next compete in a tournament at Elmore County on Saturday.

Eagles Lose Region Opener at Trinity

Although it was just the first Region game of the year, ACA had a chance to gain the inside track of hosting in the first round of the playoffs with an upset victory at Trinity. The contest was tight and the outcome was decided in the final seconds, but in the end, the Wildcats walked away with the victory as they have so many times before. Trinity moves to 2-0 in the Region with the 20-14 defeat of Alabama Christian. The Eagles fall to 0-1 and leave themselves no margin for error in future Region games.

The Wildcats opened the game with three straight passes, resulting in two incompletions and an Otasowie Dion sack, on their initial possession and punted on fourth down. The Eagle offense fared no better on its first drive and punted back to Trinity. Corey Landers forced a fumble recovered by Dion to end the Wildcat’s second drive and set up the offense on their opponent’s 33-yard line. ACA could not capitalize as they gained just two yards on four plays and turned it over on downs. Trinity drove the field and was on the Eagle 26-yard line as the first quarter ended tied 0-0. ACA had gained ten yards on seven offensive plays in the period.

The home team continued its drive in the second quarter and took the lead with 9:20 left in the half. The drive took 13 plays, covered 69 yards and lasted almost eight minutes. Alabama Christian picked up a first down on the next drive and was ready to go for it on a 4th and 3 from the Wildcat 46-yard line, but a false start penalty cost them five yards and ended the possession. Trinity’s next drive did not produce points, but it did eat up 4 and a half more minutes of clock and it looked like they would take a 7-0 lead to the locker room. However, with 1:49 left in the half, the passing game made an appearance and the Eagles tied the game with 2.3 seconds left in the half as Hayes Hunt rolled left and threw across the field to Corey Landers near the goal line for a 30-yard scoring play to tie the contest, 7-7.

Neither team scored on its first drive of the second half, but the Eagles found a rhythm in their second drive. The squad marched 76 yards in eight plays to take a 14-7 lead. The drive was highlighted by an eighteen-yard run by Corey Landers and an eight-yard touchdown scamper by Otasowie Dion. Trinity answered as they scored on a 38-yard pass play on 3rd and 7 to knot the score, 14-14, early in the fourth period.

After a three and out from ACA, the Wildcats struck again and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:37 left in the contest. Trinity drove 89 yards in nine plays to take the lead. The Trinity kicker hit one of his linemen with the extra point to keep the lead at six points, 20-14. The next Eagle possession had the feel of the last chance for the visitors to pull off the win. Facing a 3rd and 12 from their own 18, David Ortiz-Ramirez picked up 15 yards on a reverse to give the Eagles hope. On the next play, Otasowie Dion raced 36 yards to the Wildcat 33 and the offense was in business with just over three minutes to play. The first touchdown of the drive was called back on a 2nd and 1 from the 12-yard line as quarterback Hayes Hunt tried to run up the middle and bounced it around the left end for an apparent score, but the referee had thrown a flag for holding on the offense. This was the first holding call of the night against either team. Eventually, the Eagles wound up with a 2nd and goal from the 2-yard line and looked poised to score. Corey Landers gained one yard on second down. Otasowie Dion looked to be trapped in the backfield on third down but lateraled to his quarterback who again ran around left end for an apparent score, but the referee had blown the play dead before the lateral ruling forward progress had been stopped. On the Eagles’ last play, Hunt was pressured and threw an interception in traffic to seal the win for the Wildcats.

Hunt finished the night with ten completions in seventeen attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown. The senior also ran for 29 yards on five carries and made four tackles on defense. Otasowie Dion led the backs with 85 yards on 11 carries and a score while Corey Landers had 45 yards on 14 rushes. Landers was the team’s leading receiver with four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown while Avery Stuart and Dion both had three receptions. William Milner led the defense with eight tackles while Dion, Landers and Stuart each had five tackles.

ACA Week in Review - Lady Eagles beat Elmore County at MAC Attack Tournament

Alabama Chrsitian won one of four games on the week as the Eagles lost to MA during the week before beating Elmore County and losing to Briarwood and Central-Phenix City at the MAC Attack on Saturday. Against MA, Paige Henry led the squad with 10 kills and seven digs. Alyson Thornton finished with four kills and a team-high 15 assists.

At the MAC Attack tournament, Paige Henry again led the team with nine kills while Alyson Thornton had eight and Taegan Scott and Ella Weed both hads seven kills. Scott had a team-high five blocks followed by Thornton and Erin Simmons with four each. Savannah Dorman had three aces while Thornton had 28 assists.

ACA Sets Scoring Record in Blowout Win Over Lynn

For the third year in a row, the Eagles bounced back after a season opening loss and dominated their week two opponent for the first win of the year. This year the opponent was Lynn, the first of five schools Alabama Christian has never faced in football, and the Eagles dominated from the beginning in a 64-26 victory. The point total broke a forty-one year old record as the 1981 squad defeated Landmark Christian, 62-0.

The ACA captains head to midfield for the coin toss.

ACA should have scored on the first play from scrimmage, but Corey Landers was called out of bounds at the Lynn 41-yard line and had to settle for a 12 yard gain. Five plays later, Alabama Christian faced the closest thing to a stressful situation on the night with a 4th and 9 at the thirty. However, Preston Hicks got behind the defense and Hayes Hunt hit him for a touchdown and the rout was on. Lynn’s first offensive play showed some promise until Landers jarred the ball away from the receiver and Blake Shaw recovered to give the ball right back to the offense. Hunt found Avery Stuart on the next play on a 43-yard bomb for a 14-0 advantage with 9:31 left in the first.

Blake Shaw celebrates a first quarter fumble recovery.

The home team picked up a couple of first downs on their second drive, but failed to convert a fourth down as William Milner tackled the receiver well short of the marker. Hunt and Stuart connected again from 47 yards away on the third play of the possession to stretch the lead to 21-0. On the next series, Otasowie Dion picked off a pass and raced 26 yards for a score and a 28-0 lead with 5:03 still left in the first. Preston Hicks and Dion both had sacks to halt the next Bear drive and the quarter ended with ACA back on offense.

Hayes Hunt winds up for a bomb to Avery Stuart.

Alabama Christian scored again to start the second period as Hayes Hunt flipped the ball to Corey Landers on a jet-sweep around the right end for an 18-yard score and a 35-0 lead. Lynn’s offense came to life and put together a four-play 59-yard drive, highlighted by a 45-yard keeper by the quarterback, to get on the board and cut the lead to 35-6. Otasowie Dion made sure the momentum stopped there as he returned the kickoff 52 yards to the Lynn 22-yard line and scored after a penalty from 25 yards out to extend the lead to 42-6 with 9:13 left in the half. 

Otasowie Dion looks for daylight against Lynn.

The defense held Lynn to a three and out and set up the offense for another possession and score. AC Walters was the workhorse on the drive as he carried the ball on all four plays that covered 67 yards and scored on a 25-yard run for a 49-6 lead. The last score of the half was set up by a Gerrod Green interception. Jordan Frazier, the fourth tailback of the night, toted the ball five plays in a row and scored on an eight-yard run with 1:10 left in the half for a 56-6 lead.

Jordan Frazier outruns the defense to the end zone.

In the second half, the members of the JV squad played the rest of the way and gained valuable experience at the varsity level. Lynn controlled the ball for nine and a half minutes of the third quarter. The home team drove the field to start the half to cut the lead to 56-14. Lynn recovered the onsides kick, but after the officials conferred, the Eagles were awarded possession. ACA ran three plays and gained no yards and would not see the field again until the fourth quarter as they punted with 7:27 left in the third. The Bears drove and scored again with 31 seconds left in the period to cut the margin to 56-20. This time, the onsides kick was successful as the Eagles touched the ball and Lynn recovered to end the third.

Jaylan McCovery ended the Bear threat as he intercepted the team’s third pass on the night. After an extended absence, the offense took the field and again lasted only three plays before punting back to its opponent. Lynn scored for the final time in the contest with a six-play, 52-yard drive to make the score 56-26. Alabama Christian’s final score came on 3rd and 28 from their own 36-yard line as David Ortiz-Ramirez weaved through the defense on a 64-yard run to tie the all-time point total for a game in program history. The extra point would give them the record, but the snap was low and Hayes Hunt was unable to place it for kicker Tyson Summers. Hunt stood and calmly ran around the left end into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the record.

Tyson Summers ties the school record with eight made PATs.

AC Walters led all rushers with 76 yards on four carries while David Ortiz-Ramirez had 63 yards on three attempts. Otasowie Dion had 45 yards on two carries and Jordan Frazier finished with 44 yards on 11 carries. All four backs scored touchdowns on the night. Hayes Hunt went 6 for 8 for 159 yards and four scores hitting three different receiver for scores. Avery Stuart had two catches for 90 yards and two scores while Corey Landers had two for 30 yards and a touchdown and Preston Hicks had one for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Corey Landers goes down the sideline on the first play from scrimmage.

Josh Kreitz and Christian Snipes led the defense with seven tackles apiece while Blake Shaw added four tackles. Otasowie Dion, Preston Hicks, and Jake Hunt each had three tackles. In all, twenty-six different Eagles recorded tackles in the contest. Tyson Summers tied the school record for made extra points with eight in the contest.

Josh Kreitz and friends look to stop the Lynn runner.

Region play opens next week as ACA visits Trinity on Friday, September 9th.

ACA Week in Review - Thornton Milestone Highlights Busy Week in Volleyball

Senior Alyson Thornton became the eighth Lady Eagle to reach 1,000 career assists in program history. She reached the mark on Friday in the opening game of the Mayor’s Cup against Providence Christian. Alabama Christian won three of eight games played on the week. The week began with a loss to Trinity on Monday, but the team bounced back and split a tri-match at Catholic on Thursday by beating Carver and losing to the Lady Knights. Taegan Scott paced the offense in the trio of games with 12 kills and a team-high four blocks. Paige Henry added 10 kills while Anna Prempramot had two aces and Thornton finished with 37 assists.

ACA participated in the Mayor’s Cup over the weekend and finished 2-2 in pool play before being eliminated by Houston Academy in bracket play. The Eagles defeated Providence Christian 19-25, 25-13, 15-8 on Friday as Thornton reached the assist milestone. On Saturday, ACA defeated Prattville before losing to St Pauls, PCA and Houston Academy. Paige Henry finished with 26 kills, in the five games, to lead the squad while Taegan Scott had 20 kills and a team-leading 14 blocks. Alyson Thornton led the team with 66 assists and added 17 kills and seven aces. Anna Prempramot led the team with eight aces while Ava Oates had six and Annabelle Pugh had five.

Cross Country

The 2022 cross country season opened Saturday at the MA Cross Country Invitational in Grady. Kate Finch carried the torch as the only girl’s varsity runner as she finished third out of eight-five runners with a time of 21:32.65. Four other runners participated in the JV race.

Eagles Steamrolled by Catholic in Season Opener

After decades of playing their home games at Wade Black Norton Field, Alabama Christian Academy posted a surprising and unexplained message, on August 2nd, telling of plans to move its home games to the campus of Faulkner University. Seventeen seniors began their final year on a new field and although the surroundings were different, the opponent was very familiar. The Eagles began playing Catholic in 1974, the program’s first year, and the two schools were meeting for the forty-second time Friday night. Although ACA led the all-time series 23-18, the Knights had won the last four meetings.

Once the visitors got their offense clicking, Catholic scored the most points ever in the series in a 61-7 dismantling of the Eagles. After being kept off the board on their first drive, the Knights scored touchdowns on all nine remaining drives. ACA’s lone score came after the game was decided as Corey Landers raced down the left sideline on a 78-yard romp with 7:37 remaining in the contest.

Landers turned in a solid performance despite a tough night for the offense as he finished the game with 146 yards on 17 attempts and had the team’s only reception. Otasowie Dion finished with 46 yards on nine carries. On defense, William Milner led the team with seven tackles while Preston Hicks added five of his own. Dion and Avery Stuart both had three tackles.  

Lady Eagles Split Season Opening Tri-Match in Coach Amber Hogan's Debut

Alabama Christian opened the season with a win and a loss as Amber Hogan began her tenure leading the volleyball prgram. ACA defeated Tallassee handily in two straight, 25-20, 25-9 in the first match of the year. The Eagles closed out the night in a tightly contested loss as St James won the third and deciding game, 17-15.

Taegan Scott led the attack with 15 kills, two blocks and an ace. Elizabeth Belcher and Paige Henry each had 13 kills while Ella Weed finished with 11 kills and a team-high four blocks. Alyson Thornton led the team with 43 asisists and seven aces. ACA’s next contest is against Trinity on Monday, August 22nd.

Lady Eagles Keep Regional Streak Alive

Alabama Christian qualified for Regional play for the 25th consecutive time with two wins to open the Area tournament. There was a sense of deja vu for ACA as they struggled during the regular season against local Area competition, but turned the tables in the postseason. Last year, the Lady Eagles lost all five contests to LAMP and St James, but beat the two teams in all four postseason meetings. This year, ACA went 1-3 in the regular season against the two in-town Area rivals, but beat each team once to advance to the Area finals and secure a spot in the Regional tournament.

The Eagles jumped on St James early in the tournament opener with two first-inning runs on just one hit. A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases with one out. Diana Blackburn hit a grounder to second to drive in the first run and Annabelle Pugh singled in the second run for the 2-0 lead. ACA scored two more in the second as Anna Williams drove in both runs for a commanding 4-0 lead. Izzy Warrick took it from there and scattered six hits over seven innings to earn the win. The freshman struck out four and dealt with base runners in five of the seven innings, but held the Trojans to a single run. Campbell Hammett and Annabelle Pugh collected the team’s only two hits in the 4-1 triumph.

Alabama Christian faced the host school, LAMP, in the winner bracket finals and defeated the Golden Tigers, 2-1. ACA struck first again as Izzy Warrick scored on an Anna Williams sacrifice aided by an infield error. Annabelle Pugh knocked in the second run with a fourth-inning single that scored Williams. LAMP scored its only run in the bottom half but could manage no more. Warrick was spectacular in the circle again with nine strikeouts and no walks over seven innings. Warrick, Pugh and Maddie Traywick had the hits for the victors.

Despite only five hits in the first two games, Alabama Christian sits alone as the only undefeated team in the tournament. The defense which struggled with errors all year committed only one in the first two games in support of Warrick.

Boys Qualify for State Tournament

ACA followed up winning the Sectional tournament last week with a second place finish at Sub-State to qualify for the State tournament at Hampton Cove in Owens Cross Roads. The Eagles shot 337 as a team finishing behind Haleyville and beating third place Jackson by twenty-one strokes. Andrew Whang led Alabama Christian as he tied for second with a 74. Brigg Matildo shot an 82 to finish in the top ten. Eighth grader Julie Waldo continued to carry the torch for the girls as the lone female competitor for ACA won with a 66.

ACA Ends Season with Playoff Loss to Gordo

Alabama Christian opened the playoffs at Gordo on Friday and lost two games, 4-6 and 1-12, to bring the year to a close. The Green Wave scored the first three runs of the game and led 3-0 after four innings. With two outs in the fifth, the Eagles scored two runs on back-to-back singles from Hayes Hunt and Preston Hicks to close the deficit to one run. Gordo responded with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth for a 6-2 cushion headed to the seventh inning. ACA fought back with two runs in the seventh and had the tying runs on base before the final out was recorded.

Isaac Warrick started for the Eagles and took the loss as he pitched five innings with eleven strikeouts. Hunter Barfoot pitched the final inning in relief. Hayes Hunt went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI to lead the offense while Barfoot and Warrick both delivered two hits.

In game two, the Green Wave scored in every inning and won easily, 12-1. Trey Schlemmer scored the lone run for the Eagles on a wild pitch in the second inning. Isaac Warrick and Schlemmer collected the only two hits for the offense. JT Moorer started and took the loss with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings while Hayes Hunt pitched the last 2 2/3 innings with four strikeouts to finish the game.

ACA Split Two Games on the Week

The boys soccer team played two games this week defeating Brew Tech in overtime before falling to Tallassee. On Tuesday, the Eagles hosted Brew Tech. The match was tied 2-2 at the half and 3-3 at the end of regulation. In overtime, Tyson Summers scored the game winner assisted by Baillie Johnson for the 4-3 triumph. Tommy Sutterfield scored two goals and Aiden Lee scored once while Summers had two assists. Emmett Sanford recorded nine saves in goal.

On Thursday, ACA traveled to Tallassee and were defeated on a penalty kick, 2-1. Tommy Sutterfield scored the team’s only goal, assisted by Tyson Summers. Emmett Sanford had eleven saves in defeat.

Boys Place Third and Girls Finish Fifth at MA Meet

Over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, Alabama Christian competed in the Monday MAdness 4 meet on the campus of MA. The boys team placed third out of eleven teams finishing behind MA and Prattville. The girls team finished fifth out of ten teams.

Four different boys finished first in their events as Gerrod Green won the triple jump (35’4”), D’Andre Sneed won the high jump (5’4”), Avery Stuart won the 110m hurdles (17.88 seconds) and AC Walters won the long jump (18’2”). Walters also finished fourth in the 100m dash as David Ortiz-Ramirez finished fourth in the 400m dash and Jaylen McCovery finished fourth in the long jump.

The girls team also had several winning performances as Kate Finch won the 3200m run (13:05.81), Autumn Jackson won the triple jump (30’9”) and Tabby Thompson won the discus (80’10”). Rachel Rine had two second place finishes in the 100m and 300m hurdles. Finch finished fourth in the 1600m run, Rine finished fourth in the 800m run and Abby Zenor finished fourth in the 3200m run.

ACA will compete in the Glenn Copeland Hornet Invitational at Beauregard High School on Saturday as they prepare for Sectionals next week.