Eagles Season Ends in Second Round of Playoffs

Alabama Christian’s season ended Friday night as they fell to Bayside Academy, 23-7. The game was close until the very end and the Eagles had opportunities to trim the Bayside lead, but could not finish drives. ACA was intercepted three times in the second half in Admiral territory.

The Eagles received the opening kickoff and marched methodically to Bayside’s 27-yard line. However, the drive stalled with consecutive negative plays to force a long fourth down from the 32-yard line. Out of field goal range and not wanting to give Bayside any momentum, ACA elected to take a delay penalty to back themselves up five more yards and punt the ball. The strategy worked as the Admiral offense did nothing with its first opportunity and punted the ball back after just three plays. Alabama Christian’s second drive of the night was its best. Christian Snipes hit Bryant Swindle and AC Walters on consecutive plays to move the ball onto Bayside’s side of the field. Next, a 15-yard run by David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball to the 29-yard line. The drive ended on a quick screen on the right side to Walters who ran past the defenders on his way to the end zone. With 3:49 left in the first ACA led 7-0.

Bayside would show their tenacity and lack of discipline on the next drive as they overcame five penalties, including one on the bench, to kick a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. The Admirals held the ball for over five minutes and 13 plays that counted. After sitting for that long, the offense did not look sharp as two quarterback runs and an incomplete pass gave the ball right back to Bayside. Gaining momentum, the Admirals drove 65 yards in 10 plays to take the lead for good, 9-7 with 4:42 left in the half. ACA tried to get back on track as AC Walters ran back to back plays from the QB spot to move the ball into Bayside territory. A 14-yard pass to Jackson Burton moved the ball to the 32-yard line, but that is far as the drive would go. The next three plays combined for a loss of three yards and an incomplete pass on a fake punt turned the ball over on downs. Luckily, Bayside was unable to take advantage and the score remained 9-7 at the half.

Bayside opened the second half by driving to ACA’s 23-yard line, but would end up punting two plays later after a tackle for loss by Micah Merritt and a false start penalty. The punt was shanked badly and only traveled six yards to give ACA the ball at their own 27-yard line. The Eagles were able to move the ball on the ground on their first drive of the half and drove to Bayside’s 30-yard line. On 3rd and 8, ACA tried to set up a screen on the right side, but #13 for Bayside read it all the way and picked the pass off and might have had a pick-six if David Ortiz-Ramirez hadn’t caught him. Three plays later Bayside did score to extend the lead to 16-7 with 4:03 left in the third period. For the past two weeks this is the point of the game where ACA flipped the switch and made a furious comeback. Once again the offense moved the ball and had just made it to the plus side of the field as the third period ended.

The offense moved the ball deep into Admiral territory and faced a 2nd and 4 from the 11-yard line. A score here with ten-plus minutes left in the game would give ACA a fighting chance to win this thing. Unfortunately, #13 made another incredible play for the Bayside defense as he picked off an attempted swing pass to end the Eagle threat. ACA would have the ball three more times in the game, but were unable to put up any points. The only serious threat ended with an all too familiar theme of interception. Bayside ran out the clock after the last pick for the win.

Micah Merritt led the defense with nine tackles and a sack while Broderick Williams and Jackson Burton each had seven tackles. Levi Summers finished with six tackles followed by Cooper Milner with five. AC Walters had 50 yards rushing on 10 carries and 59 yards receiving on five catches. David Ortiz-Ramirez had 48 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Jackson Burton led the team with six receptions for 69 yards. Christian Snipes was 16 of 27 for 136 yards and a touchdown.

We thank Coach Summers and his staff along with the players for a spectacular season. You brought the Eagle nation a lot of thrills and memories. We also appreciate the sportsmanship and class you showed during the season even when your opponent may not have been. Special thanks to Cathy Moorer for allowing me to use her pictures in the articles.

Eagles Drain the Swamp in Playoff Win Over Glenwood

For the second week in a row Alabama Christian walked the tightrope between losing and winning and lived to tell the tale. Last week ACA fell behind by 13 points early before fighting their way back for a victory. This week the Eagles spotted Glenwood 20 points and trailed 13-35 just a minute into the second quarter before producing one of the greatest comebacks in program history. The final score was 46-42 as the defense allowed just seven points over the last 35 minutes of the game.

Glenwood, who is new to AHSAA this year, came into the game undefeated, but as the game progressed chinks started to show in the armor. Before the game, the quality of their Region was questioned and as all four of their playoff teams were beaten in the first round, rightfully so. Only one other Region in all of the playoffs was swept out in the first round this year. During the game, the Gators seemed more concerned with trash talking and extracurricular activity after the whistle than finishing the game. As the game wore on their defense looked gassed and you could see the pressure of the game affecting them. Since the first week of the season, the closest margin of victory was 21 points exposing the fact they had not been pushed in the fourth for much of the season. We could write a book about their PA announcer, but all I will say is no self respecting Eagles fan will ever darken the doors of Tires First.

The home-standing Gators took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in five plays for a quick score and a 7-0 lead. ACA turned the ball over on its first possession to give the ball back to Glenwood around the middle of the field. Two plays later the lead was extended to 14-0 with 8:23 left in the first. With a two score lead the chirping picked up as Alabama Christian continued to struggle on offense. ACA turned the ball over on downs after a failed fourth down halfback pass attempt. The Gators scored again in what seemed like the longest first period ever and led 20-0 with 3:37 still left in the quarter. Teilan Long sparked the team with a 35-yard kick return to set up the offense deep in Glenwood territory. However, after consecutive holding calls ACA was backed up to the 40-yard line facing a 1st and 22. Two plays later, the offense handed the ball off to David Ortiz-Ramirez who raced through the defense on a 39-yard touchdown run for the Eagles first points of the night. The Gator defense had absolutely no answer for #21 as he ran around, over, through, and past them the rest of the night.

Although the offense had figured some things out late in the first, the defense was not quite there yet. Glenwood responded with a touchdown and added a two-point conversion to move the score to 28-7 with 1:34 still left in the opening quarter. Alabama Christian only needed a minute, as they fed Oriz-Ramirez on three straight plays, to match the Glenwood touchdown. The senior back’s second touchdown covered 40 yards and cut the score to 13-28 after a missed extra point. One more offensive play by the Gators brought the first period to an end. The teams combined to run 43 plays and score six touchdowns in the opening stanza.

The Glenwood offense must have felt like it would be more of the same in the second as they scored less than a minute into the quarter for their biggest lead of the game, 35-13. Little did they know the Eagle defense would stand strong for the rest of the game. Over the remaining 11 Glenwood possessions, the home team would score one touchdown and turn the ball over four times, including the last three times they had the ball. Both teams traded punts on the next two drives as Micah Merritt ended Glenwood’s drive with a third down sack. With 9:08 left in the half, Ortiz-Ramirez struck again as he took a screen pass and ran 51 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, after a long conference between the officials, one of many on the night, offsetting penalties were called and the play was nullified. It must have felt even sweeter the second time as Ortiz-Ramirez took the hand off up the middle and broke to the left sideline for another 51-yard scoring play, except this one counted, on the very next play. After two 50-yard dashes in a row and no time to catch his breath, the offense gave it to #21 again but the two-point conversion failed.

Micah Merritt ended the second drive in a row with a sack of the Glenwood quarterback. This time it was on fourth down and gave the ball back to the offense on its own 39-yard line with 6:49 left in the half. ACA opened the possession with a 26-yard pass completion to Jackson Burton and three plays later the junior tight end helped the team pick up another first down with a 16-yard reception from the arm of AC Walters. Three plays later, Christian Snipes hit David Ortiz-Ramirez on a swing pass out of the backfield for a 13-yard scoring strike along the left sideline. After another failed 2-point attempt, ACA trailed 25-35 with 4:10 left in the half. The Glenwood offense looked to be back on track, but a TJ Meritt interception of a ball that caromed off the receiver ended the threat with 3:16 on the clock. The Eagles looked poised to score and make the contest a one-score game as they had a first down on the Glenwood 16-yard line. However, a personal foul and an intentional grounding moved the ball back to the 37-yard line and forced a punt. Glenwood was content to run the clock out and leave the field with a 10-point lead at the half.

After all of the offensive fireworks in the first half, the last thing anyone expected was a scoreless quarter, but that is exactly what happened as neither offense was able to put anything together. ACA was able to move the ball as all three of their drives made it to Glenwood territory. The Gator’s offense produced two three and outs to start the quarter and turned the ball over on downs on the first play of the fourth.

Down by ten to start the final period was right where ACA wanted them. The offense moved the ball eighteen yards in two plays to set up a 2nd and 2 from the ACA 39-yard line. The next play was a thing of beauty. As Ladarius Walters went in motion to the right side, Christian Snipes threw a quick pass to AC Walters. Ladarius wiped out one defender while AC put a vaporizing move (one second he was there, the next he was gone) on a second and he was off to the races on a 61-yard scoring play to cut the lead to three points. The eerie silence in the stadium was the Glenwood faithful who nervously squirmed in their seats. Even the PA man implored the fans to cheer louder. To Glenwood’s credit, they did respond while on the ropes and scored on a 34-yard heave that the defender lost track of in the air. With 10:04 left the lead was back to ten, 42-32.

AC Walters returned the next kickoff on to Glenwood’s side of the field. Three straight runs by David Ortiz-Ramirez and a horse collar penalty set up a 1st and goal at the 9-yard line. From the QB spot, Walters covered the last nine yards in two carries to cut the lead back to three with 8:08 left. You could feel momentum heading over to the ACA sidelines and a growing belief that this was about to happen. Glenwood ran the ball twice to start their next drive to move the ball out to their own 45-yard line. On first down, Cooper Milner stepped in front of the receiver and picked off the Gator QB to get the ball back. Now, momentum was sitting on the ACA bench and getting comfortable because he was staying. The defensive memo for Glenwood at halftime had to be stop #21, but they couldn’t. A 44-yard run by the star of the game and two after the play personal fouls on Glenwood set up a 1st and goal at the one-yard line. On first down, Walters set up at quarterback and ran the ball in for Alabama Christian’s first lead of the game, 46-42, with 5:50 left.

At this point, things were starting to unravel for Glenwood. A receiver fumbled on the first play of the next drive after a Levi Summers tackle and ACA recovered. The Eagles picked up one first down and although they missed a 38-yard field goal attempt to end the drive, they did manage to take just over three minutes off the clock. The Gators got the ball on their own 20-yard line with 2:43 remaining. They moved quickly down the field and faced a 3rd and 17 from the ACA 34-yard line with just under two minutes to go. Glenwood went for it all, but the QB slipped as he threw and the receiver slipped as he went for the ball. The only one standing was Bryson Dabney who intercepted the ball at the 2-yard line for the Eagles. A penalty after the play against Glenwood moved the ball out to the 18-yard line to give Alabama Christian some breathing room. With 1:45 left and Glenwood with two timeouts, a first down would seal the win. On a 3rd and 5, and Glenwood out of timeouts, a Gator defender jumped offside to help give ACA the first down they needed for the win. Two victory formation plays later, the Eagles were headed to the second round.

This win was a total team effort and many players shined bright, but David Ortiz-Ramirez turned in a performance for the ages and will haunt the dreams of Gator defenders for years to come. The senior finished with 282 yards rushing on 27 carries and 21 yards receiving on two catches and four total touchdowns. The 282 yards rushing in a single game was the second best night in the playoffs and third best overall total in program history and he became just the fourth player in ACA history to have over 300 all-purpose yards in a game. AC Walters finished with five catches for 108 yards and 49 tough rushing yards on 16 carries and three total touchdowns. He also completed a pass for 16 yards on three attempts. Jackson Burton caught three passes for 61 yards. Christian Snipes went 9 of 21 for 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

On defense, TJ Merritt, Cooper Milner, and Bryson Dabney each had an interception. Micah Merritt had eight tackles and two sacks while Levi Summers matched him with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Jordan Sanders, Mekhi Gardner, and Jaydon McElrath each finished with five tackles.

Next week, Alabama Christian will host Bayside Academy in the secound round of the playoffs.

ACA Shocks Maplesville with Win on Last Play of Game

You know you’ve just witnessed something stunning, something spectacular, something special when the home team’s press box doesn’t put the last points you scored up on the board and turns the scoreboard off before the handshake line has finished. That’s exactly what happened in a 32-29 thriller as Alabama Christian defeated Maplesville in dramatic fashion on the last play of the game. With 5.7 seconds left in the game and on the far edge of field goal range, the decision was made to go for the win. Christian Snipes dropped back to pass and moved to his right to avoid the pass rush. As he rolled out, the junior quarterback spotted two receivers in the right corner of the end zone along with three defenders. Snipes heaved the ball and although AC Walters was unable to reach the ball, Bryant Swindle was standing right behind him and was able to corral the game winner. Bedlam ensued on the ACA side of the field as the miracle finish was celebrated.

The contest wasn’t nearly as exciting at the start as the Eagles looked flat and Maplesville seized control of the game. On the opening drive, the Red Devils methodically drove 74 yards in 11 plays to score the first points of the game. The scoring march took half of the quarter as ACA’s offense hit the field for the first time with 5:56 left in the period. The offense converted one third down opportunity with an eight yard completion to David Ortiz-Ramirez, but couldn’t convert a second time and turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt attempt. The Devils put their offense in low gear and kept the ball on the ground for the remainder of the first. The quarter ended with the ball on the ACA 13-yard line after six consecutive runs.

Four snaps into the second Maplesville scored again on a 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line on the only pass of the drive. The score remained 13-0 as Jackson Burton blocked the extra point. The special teams excellence seemed to pump some life into the team. After a running play to start the team’s second drive, Christian Snipes hit AC Walters on a go for a 76-yard touchdown beauty which trimmed the lead to six points. Taking advantage of the momentum, ACA squib kicked looking to steal a possession. Like a missile, David Ortiz-Ramirez came in hot and beat the Maplesville player to the ball to give the ball back to the offense. Unfortunately, the offense turned the ball over on the next play as Snipes was intercepted as he was hit while he threw. The Red Devils were given a gift by the official on their sideline on the third play of the next drive as a ball that clearly looked like it bounced was ruled a completion after several seconds of indecision. The home team drove to ACA’s 29-yard line where they faced a 3rd and 5. The defense stood firm on back to back plays to turn the ball over on downs. On third down, O’Kevion Suggs tackled the Maplesville back for a loss and on fourth down Micah Merritt and Jaydo McElrath met at the quarterback for a ten yard loss.

With 3:50 left in the half, Alabama Christian looked to score before intermission. The drive started with a 21-yard gain on a pass from Snipes to Ortiz-Ramirez which moved the ball to the Red Devil 39-yard line. AC Walters scored on the next play, but a holding call nullified the touchdown. After a defensive offside moved the ball up five yards, Snipes and Ortiz-Ramirez struck again on a 40 yard completion that set up a 1st and goal on the 2-yard line. On second down, Walters ran it in from three yards out to give ACA the lead 14-13 with 1:46 left in the half. The Maplesville coaching staff seemed content to go to the locker room despite the time left on the clock. The offense ran the ball on three straight plays and took their time between plays much to the dissatisfaction of the home fans. The Eagles left the field with a one point lead at the half and would receive the ball to begin the third quarter.

The second half started with Christian Snipes being sacked on first down and under heavy pressure drawing an intentional grounding call two plays later. After a punt, Maplesville’s offense took the field for the first time in the second half. Two plays later, a 64-yard run up the middle vaulted the Devils back into the lead. A two-point conversion made the score 21-14. Not to be outdone, Snipes pitched the ball to David Ortiz-Ramirez on the first play of the next possession and watched the senior race 63 yards for a score. A failed two-point conversion made the score 20-21 with 10:02 left in the third. Despite both teams scoring a touchdown early in the quarter, Maplesville was able to flip the one-point advantage due to the results of both team’s two-point conversions. The home team added to its slim lead with a 6-play, 60-yard drive in just under three minutes. Another successful two-point try made the score 29-20 in favor of Maplesville.

ACA needed to respond as momentum seemed to be moving across the field. After three plays netted just four yards the Eagles lined up to punt which surprised a few folks. However, the fake was on as AC Walters hit Jackson Burton on a 33-yard gain down to the Maplesville 18-yard line. Facing another fourth down, special teams were called on again as Tyson Summers connected on a 31-yard field goal to make it a one score game at 23-29. The Red Devils moved the ball on its next drive to ACA’s 9-yard line as they tried to regain control of the game. Over the next four plays, the defense began a series of important stops over the final quarter. On first down, Jaydon McElrath pressured the passer and Levi Summers broke up the attempt for an incompletion. On second down, Cam Sutton and Summers stopped the runner at the 6-yard line. Third down saw Ladarrius Walters throw the Maplesville back for a three yard loss to set up fourth down. The home team let the third quarter clock run out to talk about the call on fourth down.

The Devils decided to forego the field goal and go for the end zone. However, they ran the ball from nine yards out hoping to catch the defense unprepared. Just like third down, Ladarrius Walters made the stop and helped turn the ball over on downs. Despite being 95 yards away from the end zone, the Eagles still had life. Back to back runs by AC Walters moved the ball out to the 23-yard line. David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball into enemy territory with a 44-yard run that ended as he absolutely trucked a Maplesville defender. Walters added 25 more yards two plays later to move the ball to the 18-yard line. Facing a fourth down on the 14-yard line, Tyson Summers hit another 31-yarder with 8:58 left to cut the score to 26-29. Maplesville’s plan was to use as much clock as possible no matter the outcome of the next drive. Their offense kept the ball on the ground and moved the chains four times to eat up precious time. All of the coaches in the stands were getting nervous and implored the sidelines to start using their timeouts to save time. The game looked to be over as The Red Devils scored an apparent touchdown, but a personal foul brought it back. Once again, the defense stiffened and ACA got the ball back with 2:04 left without having used any of their timeouts.

Disaster struck on the second play of the drive as Snipes was intercepted as he was once again hit while throwing. The home team had the ball back with 1:39 left in the game and felt good about the outcome. The timeouts that had not been used earlier were like gold at this point of the game. ACA called timeouts after stops on first and second down to set up a 3rd and 8 for the game. The dilemma on the Maplesville sideline was whether to run the ball to force their opponent to use its final timeout or try a pass in hopes of getting a first down and ending it. The Devils opted for a safe throw to a back coming out of the backfield, but Jaydon McElarath got up and swatted the ball out of the air for the incompletion. It was fourth down and the Eagles still had one timeout.

After a punt, Alabama Christian took over on its own 12-yard line with 1:15 left in the game. A 15-yard completion to AC Walters on a crossing route moved the ball to the 27-yard line with 1:08 left. Christian Snipes scrambled for three yards on the next play, but most importantly got out of bounds with 1:00 remaining. A penalty on ACA negated a gain for the Eagles, but at least the clock stopped on the play. Snipes found Jackson Burton for 22 yards to the 47-yard line, but the clock was running. ACA tried to spike the ball to stop the clock, but the snap wasn’t handled and Snipes went to his knees before he spiked the ball which kept the clock winding. As the coaches argued it was a spike and the clock should have stopped, it kept running. Finally, with 32 seconds left ACA called the timeout when they realized they would not win the argument with the officials. However, no one told the clock operator and the clock made it to 21 seconds before it was stopped. After a discussion the officials put 25 seconds on the clock. David Ortiz-Ramirez moved the ball to Maplesville 24-yard line after catching a pass from Snipes. The offense lined up quickly and stopped the clock with 5.7 seconds left setting up the game winning play. The fantastic finish will go down as one of the greatest moments in program history.

Christian Snipes finished the game 12 of 24 for 247 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite receivers were AC Walters and David Ortiz-Ramirez who both finished with five catches. Walters had 107 yards receiving and a touchdown while Ortiz-Ramirez had 97 receiving yards. Jackson Burton had two receptions for 55 yards and Bryant Swindle’s game winner was his lone catch of the game. On the ground, Ortiz-Ramirez had 115 yards on just five rushes and a touchdown while Walters finished with 54 yards on nine carries and a score. On defense, Ladarrius Walters and Jaydon McElrath led the way with eight tackles apiece followed closely by a trio of Eagles, Cam Sutton, Levi Summers, and Burton, who had seven tackles each.

The playoffs start next week as Alabama Christian travels to Phenix City to take on Glenwood next Friday night.

Eagles Fall Short in Shoot Out with MA

Alabama Christian came into Friday night’s contest against MA looking for its fourth consecutive win against its cross town rival. The two armies of Eagles traded blows for three quarters, but in the end MA pulled away for the 57-36 triumph. The visitors took advantage of their gigantic receiving corps and the girth on their lines to wear the home team down.

MA received the ball to start the game and moved to ACA’s 25-yard line, but the drive stalled. MA went for it on 4th and 8, but turned the ball over on downs as Cooper Milner broke up the pass attempt. ACA’s offense came out firing as MA’s defense looked a step slow. Four running plays and two defensive offsides moved the ball to MA’s seven-yard line. The first pass of the possession brought six points as Christian Snipes rolled out to his right and found AC Walters at the pylon. With Tyson Summers not available, the chance of creativity on the extra point attempts was increased. Walters pitched a pop pass to David Ortiz-Ramirez who went around right end for an 8-0 lead. MA tied the game in just one play with a 59-yard run right through the middle of the defense and two-point conversion. With 3:36 left in the first, the game was tied 8-8.

Last week’s first quarter totaled 43 points as both offenses scored at will. The last few minutes of Friday night’s opening period had that same track meet feel. David Ortiz-Ramirez set up the offense with great field position at the visitor’s 45-yard line after his 39-yard kick return and horse collar penalty on the tackle. On the second play of the drive, AC Walters caught a quick pass on the left side, made a defender miss, and was off to the races for a 44-yard score. After Broderick Williams ran in the two-point conversion, the Eagles led 16-8 late in the first. MA matched its host with a two-play drive of its own to cut the lead to 16-15 with 2:23 left. A busted coverage left an MA receiver wide open for the easy score. The first ended with ACA in MA territory after six straight plays of the ball in Walters or Ortiz-Ramirez’s hands.

The offense would get no closer to the MA goal line as the ball was turned over on downs two plays into the second. The defense stiffened and forced a three and out aided by a third down sack by Jaydon McElrath. ACA opened up the passing game on its fourth drive of the night as Christian Snipes found AC Walters and Jackson Burton to help move the ball to MA’s 21-yard line. However, an interception in the end zone ended the threat with 7:46 left in the half. On the next play, MA hit one of their mammoth receivers on a slant that turned into an 80-yard score for a 22-16 lead. ACA responded impressively with an 11-play, 67-yard drive that took almost five minutes to tie the contest, 22-22. Snipes hit Burton and Walters on big gainers and used his own legs on runs of 18 and 10 yards. On 2nd and goal from the four, disaster was averted as Walters was able to recover a fumbled handoff exchange. On third down, the Troy commit covered the final eight yards himself to tie it. Both teams had the ball one more time before halftime, but neither were able to put any points on the board. The half ended with a tie game.

ACA started the second half with a bang as Christian Snipes hit Jackson Burton on a slant on the way to a 59-yard touchdown. After the catch, Burton made a cut straight up the field that was a thing of beauty and was so good it broke the ankles of the defender's family members. Subbing for Tyson Summers, David Johnson hit the first of two extra points for the first points of his career. Once again, MA answered immediately as their QB bought time and found another wide open receiver for a 42-yard score to tie the game up, 29-29. Forty-nine seconds into the second half both teams had already scored a touchdown. For the first time all night, the Alabama Christian offense was ineffective which led to a punt after just three plays. MA took advantage of the momentum swing and scored another long touchdown on a slant pass on the third play of the ensuing drive to take the lead for good with 7:30 left in the third. A second straight three and out gave the ball back to an offense that was finding its rhythm. MA extended the lead as their QB once again extended a play and hit a receiver who had gotten behind the defense for a 62-yard touchdown. The visitors led 43-29 with 2:00 left in the third. The home standing Eagles had to respond or the game would get out of reach. To the offense’s credit, after two three and outs, they regrouped and scored when they had to. An AC Walters 42-yard run moved the ball to MA’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, Snipes found Burton for the second time in the quarter to cut the deficit to seven points.

Despite the touchdown and being down just one score, the MA offense was hitting its stride and proved too much to handle. MA marched 64 yards in eight plays to move the lead back to two scores with 9:26 remaining. Knowing they had to score, ACA went for a fourth down on its own 40-yard line, but could not convert. MA scored with 5:35 left in the game to make the score 57-36 and end any hope of a comeback. ACA again turned the ball over on downs and MA ran the remaining clock out to end it.

Christian Snipes finished the night completing 17 passes on 24 attempts for 248 yards and four touchdowns. AC Walters was Snipes favorite target with seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Burton had five receptions for 107 yards and two scores while David Ortiz-Ramirez had five catches for 35 yards. Walter finished with 63 yards rushing and a touchdown on six carries while Ortiz-Ramirez and Snipes had 48 and 44 yards rushing respectively. Burton led the defense with eight tackles followed by Levi Summers with seven. Mekhi Gardner and Jordan Sanders both had six tackles while Jaydon McElrath and Micah Merritt both had five. McElrath had two sacks on the night.

Alabama Christian closes out the regular season next week at Maplesville.

ACA Enjoys Record Setting Night Against Slocomb

After tying the record for most points in a game with 64 last week against Wicksburg, the Eagles outdid themselves and hung 71 on Slocomb Friday night in a high scoring 71-38 contest. The victory coupled with a Wicksburg loss to Trinity, secured Alabama Christian a playoff spot for the ninth year in a row. Tyson Summers set a new record with nine extra points made on the night while David Ortiz-Ramirez tied Courtney Moss’ mark of five rushing touchdowns in a game, all in the first half. The senior back had a sixth to start the second half, but it was called back on a holding penalty. Without the running clock for the entire second half, there is no telling what other records might have been set.

Slocomb started the game with the ball and tried to throw on three consecutive plays. A third down sack by Micah Merritt put the Red Tops in a 4th and 25 predicament on their own 12-yard line. A good punt return by Jackson Burton gave the offense great field position on Slocomb’s 27-yard line. David Ortiz-Ramirez gave a glimpse of the kind of night he was about to have as he raced for a score on the first play of the drive (one carry, one touchdown) and a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The home team picked up a first down on its second drive, but could not sustain the drive. On fourth down, Slocomb lined up like they would go for it, but the quarterback punted out of the formation and almost had it blocked. The second drive was the AC Walters show as he moved the Eagles 58 yards in three plays on one rush and two receptions. At the Red Top 28-yard line, it was time for Ortiz-Ramirez again as he scored his second touchdown of the period (two carries, two touchdowns) to extend the lead to 14-0 midway through the first. The home team got on track in its third drive as they scored on a two-play, 74-yard drive to cut the score to 14-8 with 5:22 left in the quarter.

Despite the quick score by the offense, Slocomb still had no answer for the ACA offense and you know who, David Ortiz-Ramirez. On a 3rd and 4 from the Red Tops 43-yard line, the senior struck again (four carries, three touchdowns) as he outraced the defense for the touchdown and a 22-8 lead with still 3:49 left in the opening quarter. The game was getting the feel of a shootout as Slocomb scored on a long third down play to cut the lead to 22-14. If you thought the scoring was over for the first period with just 1:27 left, you would be wrong. That man struck again for a fourth time (five carries, four touchdowns) on a 53-yard jaunt on the second play of the possession to make the score 29-14 at the end of the first.

The action in the second period started just as frantically as the first had been. On the second play of the quarter, Ty’Darius Moore blocked another quarterback punt attempt and the ball was scooped up by Micah Merritt and returned 24 yards for a score and a 36-14 cushion. Not to be outdone, Slocomb scored on its first play of the next possession on a 75-yard run by the quarterback to make the score 36-22. Both teams had already scored in the quarter just 38 seconds in. Teilan Long’s 24 yard kick return set up ACA on Slocomb’s side of the field. On the second play of the drive Christian Snipes and AC Walters hooked up on a 34-yard touchdown pass for a 43-22 lead with 10:27 left in the half. As Slocomb faced a fourth down, they lined up in a more conventional punt formation, but decided to fake the punt and try for the first down. Micah Merritt chased the punter for what seemed like forever, but the pass fell incomplete to give the ball back to ACA. After a 17-yard pass to Walters, David Ortiz-Ramirez took center stage again. The back’s fifth touchdown of the night (six carries, five touchdowns) came from 39 yards out and gave the Eagles a 50-22 lead with 6:57 left in the half. The defense got the ball back quickly with a three and out, highlighted by a tackle for loss on third down by Micah Merritt. With a big lead, the offense throttled down and the Eagles marched to the Red Tops 21-yard line, but came up empty after a missed field goal. On the very next play, Levi Summers intercepted a pass to give the offense one last chance to score. Alabama Christian was unable to score on their final drive and went to the locker room with a 50-22 lead.

To the surprise of the fans, a running clock was agreed to for the entire second half. On the first play of the half, David Ortiz-Ramirez ran 50 yards for the apparent record breaking score, but a flag at the line of scrimmage squelched the moment. A holding call nullified the score and the record. Undeterred, the offense scored on the next play as Snipes to Walters struck again on a 60-yard score and a 57-22 lead. On the very next play for Slocomb, TJ Merritt stepped in front of a receiver for an interception and returned it 15 yards for a score that tied the school mark for most points in a game. Now, the question became would ACA score at least one more time with a running clock and a huge lead. The Eagles started to substitute freely at this point to allow some younger players some game experience. Slocomb drove the field and scored to cut the score to 64-30. The clock continued to run during the two-point conversion attempt by the home team. In fact, everytime the clock operator stopped it, the white hat would signal for him to keep it running.

ACA kept the ball on the ground with a steady dose of Ethan Dabney who gained 23 yards on four carries to set the ball on the Eagles 42-yard line. Teilan Long came in to spell Dabney on third down and help set the new scoring record as he went around right end on a 58-yard touchdown run and a 71-30 lead. With a game almost entirely of backups, Slocomb scored one last time with 3:32 left in the game for the final margin of 71-38. Because the clock ran during the conversion and before the kickoff, Alabama Christian only had to kneel one time in Victory formation before the final horn went off.

David Ortiz-Ramirez’s outstanding night was the highlight of the game as he finished with 197 yards on seven carries and five touchdowns. Teilan Long was the second leading rusher as he had 58 yards on one carry and a score. Christian Snipes was 10 of 16 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite receiver of the night was AC Walters who had 6 receptions for 172 yards and two scores. On defense, Jackson Burton and Levi Summers led with six tackles apiece. Mekhi Gardner finished with five tackles. Summer and TJ Merritt both had interceptions.

Alabama Christian takes on MA next week in the final home game of the regular season.

Shorthanded Eagles Drop Decision at Trinity in Region Action

A match up that was already difficult became even more of an uphill battle as four starters missed the game Friday night at Trinity. Christian Snipes and Broderick Williams on offense and Bryson Dabney and TJ Merritt on defense. The Eagles could have phoned it in amidst the circumstances they faced, but to their credit fought all the way to the end in a 41-19 loss to the Wildcats.

The weather was predicted to be meddlesome all night, but besides a lightning delay before the game started, the weather held off and not a drop of rain fell during the game. Neither team scored in the first period as both defenses dominated. ACA’s first two drives started inside their own 10-yard line which made play calling very difficult. The Eagles longest play of the quarter was an eight-yard run by AC Walters.

Trinity scored on the first play of the second quarter for the night’s initial points. Alabama Christian tried to answer as Teilan Long returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards into Wildcat territory. ACA drove to the Trinity 26, but a bad snap sailed over the head of David Ortiz-Ramirez on second down which cost the offense 19 yards. AC Walters was intercepted two plays later to end the drive. The Wildcats struck quickly with a 4-play, 90-yard drive to extend the lead to 13-0 with 6:12 left in the half. For the fourth straight game ACA allowed a late first half score as Trinity scored with just 57.4 seconds left and took a 21-0 lead into the half.

The second half started in good fashion as David Ortiz-Ramirez returned the kick 23 yards to start the drive on the ACA 40-yard line and Teilan Long ran a reverse 19 yards down to the Wildcat 41-yard line on the first offensive snap. Unfortunately, the drive stalled and ACA punted away to Trinity. The Wildcats scored on the next play on a 74-yard pass play for a 28-0 lead. The offense finally put together a drive and marched 65 yards in eight plays for a score. The pass was mixed in more often and was effective. On 4th and goal from the one AC Walters used the jump pass to Jackson Burton to cut the lead to 6-28. The score breathed some life into the team as the defense stopped the home team in three plays to force a punt. A terrible snap on the punt and a personal foul against the Wildcats gave the Eagles the ball on the Trinity 26-yard line. The period ended with ACA back on the one poised to score.

On the first play of the final quarter, AC Walters had a one-yard plunge to make the score 12-28. Trinity responded with a score to stretch the lead back to 34-12 with 9:03 left. The Wildcats got the ball back again and methodically drove the field to score again with just 1:15 left in the game. ACA took over on its own 32-yard line on its next possession. Ethan Dabney produced the highlight of the night as he broke out of the pack and raced down the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown for the Eagles. Jordan Sanders helped get the ball right back as ACA recovered the onside kick. On the next play, a frustrated Wildcat defender had a dirty, gutless play that cost his team 15 yards and got him immediately pulled from the game by his coaches. The white hat pulled the team together before the next snap to make sure there were no more cheap shots thrown. ACA ran one more play and the game was over.

Jackson Burton led the team with 11 tackles followed by Jordan Sanders with eight and Teilan Long with six. AC Walters finished the night completing six of nine passes for 75 yards and a touchdown and also had a rushing touchdown. Ethan Dabney finished with three carries for 75 yards and a score to finish as the team's leading rusher.

Next week, Alabama Christian is back at home as they face PCA for Homecoming.

ACA Dominates Northside Methodist in Region Action

After a disappointing result the previous week against Goshen, Northside Methodist was the tonic to cure the Eagles ailments. ACA controlled the game from the outset in a crushing 56-7 defeat of the home standing Knights. The whole organization deserved congratulations for the bounce back win. The players had a good week of practice and both coordinators called great games for their respective units.

Jackson Burton-Elahiyan leaves the Northside defensive back helpless.

The offense was on a mission to feature the pass on Thursday night and the first series was just a taste of the success Christian Snipes would have through the air. ACA took the opening kickoff and marched 68 yards in 10 plays while taking almost half of the quarter. Snipes completed all seven passes on the drive that ended with Jackson Burton-Elahiyan “Mossing” a defensive back for the touchdown. Northside picked up a first down on their first possession, but Mekhi Gardner and Micah Merritt combined on a third down tackle to make sure they didn’t get a second one. The second series for Alabama Christian didn’t appear to be anything special as they faced a 3rd and 9 from their own 28-yard line, but looks can be deceiving. Snipes uncorked a bomb down the right sideline to a streaking AC Walters for a 72-yard bolt of lightning and a 14-0 lead with just 26 seconds left in the first period. What we didn’t know at the time is that this would be the first of many lightning strikes.

The offense prepares for the snap on the first drive of the game.

On the first play of the second quarter, Jaydon McElrath took the ball from the Northside Methodist running back and raced 30 yards for a score and a three touchdown lead. Micah Merritt’s sack on the next Knight drive forced a punt and gave the ball back to the quick strike ACA offense. On the second play of the drive, Christian Snipes went deep again and connected with David Ortiz-Ramirez for a 60-yard score and a 28-0 advantage with 9:32 left in the half. With such a large deficit the Knight offense tried to pass the ball, but had no success and took very little time off the clock as well. Alabama Christian stretched the lead to 35-0 on an 18-yard touchdown reception by Bryant Swindle.

Bryson Dabney makes an open field tackle.

The Eagles got the ball back with 3:58 left in the second and once again struck quickly. It took just 50 seconds to make it 42-0 as Christian Snipes and David Ortiz-Ramirez hooked up again on a 71-yard bomb. Northside Methodist finally found some success and scored on a short pass that turned into a 56-yard score. With 51 seconds left in the half, it looked as if the Knights had slowed the momentum of the visitors. Ortiz-Ramirez made any positive vibes disappear as he raced 80 yards for another touchdown to end the scoring in the half. ACA led 49-7 at the break.

AC Walters outraces the defense to the end zone.

Alabama Christian started to substitute freely in the second half and the Knights moved the ball to the ACA side of the field. However, TJ Merritt intercepted a pressured quarterback and raced 70 yards for the second defensive touchdown of the night. The Eagles continued to substitute heavily and many young players gained valuable experience in the impressive win.

David Ortiz-Ramirez end the first half in style.

Although he did not play in the second half, Christian Snipes had one of the best halves by a quarterback in program history as he finished 14 of 17 for 292 yards and five touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez became the first back with over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game as he finished with 117 and 144, respectively. Jackson Burton led all receivers with five receptions for 43 yards while Bryant Swindle had 3 catches for 40 yards and AC Walters had 2 catches for 65 yards. All four receivers who caught a pass had touchdown receptions. On defense, Mekhi Gardner and Micah Merritt led the way with seven tackles each while three Eagles, Jordan Sanders, Cam Sutton, and Bryson Dabney, each had four tackles.

Next week, ACA travels across town to visit Trinity in an important Region game.

Eagles Beaten Soundly by Goshen

Alabama Christian (1-1) intentionally scheduled tough non-Region games to start the season. Both games could have gone either way, so it was not a surprise that the Eagles lost to Goshen on Friday night. The part that was surprising was the margin of defeat for the visiting team in a 40-7 lopsided loss.

David Ortiz-Ramirez runs past the defense on the longest play of the night.

The game started innocently enough as the ACA defense produced a three and out to force a punt. The sequence was highlighted by a Jaydon McElrath third down sack. On Alabama Christian’s second offensive play, David Ortiz-Ramirez took a pop pass from Christian Snipes and raced around the left end for 74 yards and an apparent score, but a holding penalty brought it back. The infraction stopped any momentum and the offense punted two plays later. Goshen scored on its second possession as they converted a 3rd and 18 into a 35-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 4:33 left in the first. ACA moved the ball on its second possession for one of its best drives of the night. Ortiz-Ramirez had another huge play as he turned a short pass into a 50-yard gain to the Goshen seven yard line. Unfortunately, ACA was unable to punch it in as Snipes ran up the middle four plays in a row to no avail. The first period ended with Goshen backed up in their own territory, but leading 7-0.

The defense readies for the next Goshen snap.

Goshen took the ball in the second and marched 98 yards in eight plays while eating up over five minutes of clock to take a 14-0 lead. The score came on another explosive play, a 40-yard run. The Eagles avoided disaster as they recovered their own fumble on the ensuing kickoff. After converting one first down, ACA faced a 4th and 6 at their own 48-yard line. As they lined up to go for it, Goshen called timeout to make sure they were in the correct alignment. As the Eagles came back out they lined up to punt as it looked like the extra time to think about it had changed the coaches minds. However, the fake was on and AC Walters hit Jackson Burton-Elahiyan for a 34-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, another holding penalty brought back a touchdown for the visitors, but this time the Eagles would overcome. On the next play Christian Snipes hit Walters down the middle for a 16-yard touchdown and ACA was on the board trailing, 7-14. The Eagles liked where they were at this point, only down seven with just 2:10 left in the half and they would get the ball to start the second half. Like last week, the defense was unable to keep its opponent off the board late in the first half. Goshen drove 36 yards and kicked a 38-yard field goal with just five seconds left for a 17-7 lead at the intermission.

The defense sacks the quarterback.

The mindset coming into the third period had to be to drive the length of the field and score to cut the margin to three and get back in the game. The mind might have been willing, but the execution was not there. The offense was flagged for a holding penalty on the first play of the half. To make matters worse, AC Walters left the game with an injury after a reception on the next play. The drive ended with a blocked punt and the wind was starting to leave the sails. It took Goshen one play to score to extend the lead to 23-7. Cam Sutton blocked the extra point for one of the few second half highlights. After another Alabama Christian punt, the home standing Eagles scored again on an eight-play, 43-yard drive for a 30-7 lead. After a third straight ACA three and out, Goshen looked to finish the game strong as the game entered the final period.

An ACA defender takes on the block.

Goshen’s offense slowed it down and ran the clock as they continued to pound away at the ACA defense. As they extended the lead to 37-7, the home team took over six minutes off the clock. On the next kickoff, the Goshen kicker hit a line drive right at an unsuspecting up-man. The ball caromed off the ACA player right back to Goshen who recovered the accidental onsides kick. Once again, Goshen took its time and drove to the ACA 11-yard line where they kicked a 28-yard field goal for the last score of the night. Alabama Christian’s last possession of the half was just like the other three as they turned the ball back over to Goshen after four plays. In the second half, the Eagle offense mustered just 10 yards on 13 plays. Goshen ran the final 2:35 off the clock and walked away with a convincing 40-7 victory.

The offense lines up for the next play.

Micah Merritt led the defense with nine tackles while three players, Mekhi Gardner, TJ Merritt, and Bryson Dabney, each had seven tackles. Jaydon McElrath, Cooper Knapp, Ty’Darius Moore, and Levi Summers were all in on sacks on the night. Offensively, Christian Snipes finished with 52 yards rushing on 10 carries and threw for 70 yards on three completions and a touchdown. AC Walters had two catches for 20 yards and a score. David Ortiz-Ramirez had one catch for 50 yards while Jackson Burton-Elahiyan’s lone catch covered 34 yards.

Region play starts next week as ACA travels to Dothan on Thursday night to play Northside Methodist.

Football's 50th Season Starts with a Victory

The 50th edition of Alabama Christian football started in grand fashion with a thrilling 30-26 defeat of Escambia County. The program’s first coach, Mike Lusk and a few of his players from the first team were the honorary captains in the season opener. At times the outcome looked bleak, but the Blue Devils left the door open time and again as they committed 19 penalties on the night. In the end, the Eagles found a way as a young defense made stops at the end of the game when it was needed most.

The honorary captains are introduced before the game.

The start of the game couldn’t have been better for the home team. After David Ortiz-Ramirez returned the opening kickoff 21 yards to the Eagle 45-yard line, the offense put together a 10-play drive for the first points of the game. On 3rd and goal from the two-yard line, ACA lost two yards and looked ready to take the sure points with a 21-yard field goal attempt. Instead, the snap went directly to Christian Snipes who powered in with a four-yard touchdown. It worked so well, they did it again on the extra point and took an 8-0 lead. Little did anyone know, the Eagles would not score again until the fourth quarter. After giving up a first down, the defense stopped the first Blue Devil drive aided by a Jaydon McElrath sack. The first period ended with ACA on the march at their opponent’s 35-yard line with its second drive of the game.

Christian Snipes scrambles for a first down.

Unfortunately, on the second play of the quarter Escambia County intercepted a pass and returned it to the ACA 48-yard line. The defense looked to be off the field again, but a fourth down roughing the passer call kept the Blue Devil drive alive. The visitors drove all the way to the ACA 4-yard line, but a fourth down incomplete pass stopped the drive with 6:32 left in the half. The teams traded punts over the next three possessions and it looked as if the score would still be 8-0 as Escambia took the ball on their own 25-yard line with 1:06 left in the half. Two straight false start penalties put them 85 yards away from the end zone. In two plays, it all changed. First, the Blue Devils raced around the right side for a 50-yard gain followed by a 35-yard jaunt to the end zone. ACA went to the locker room at the half with an 8-6 lead, but Escambia County had to be feeling good about the close score.

Jaydon McElrath makes a tackle in the open field.

The Blue Devils were not fooled by the pooch kick to start the second half as they returned it to the Eagle 25-yard line. Despite the great field position, Jackson Burton and TJ Merritt combined on a fourth down stop to turn Escambia County away. ACA did nothing with their first drive of the half and inexplicably tried a fake punt at their own 13-yard line. The punter must have thought he saw something, but nothing was there and the Blue Devils took over deep in ACA territory for the second drive in a row. The defense could not hold the visitors out this time and the Blue Devils took a 12-8 lead with 7:42 left in the third. ACA missed a 37-yard field goal attempt on its next drive and the third quarter ended with Escambia County facing a 1st and 25 after a personal foul. Who knew what was in store heading into the final period?

The defense looks ready to be bring some pressure.

Seemingly backed up and in a bad spot, the Blue Devils scored on the first play of the quarter on a 72-yard pass play to extend the lead to 20-8. The Eagles were not in full panic mode just yet, but there was an uneasiness in the crowd as the Eagles were down two scores. The spark the team had been lacking was provided by David Ortiz-Ramirez as he returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to the 19-yard line. It was the only time the Blue Devils kicked deep all night. The ball got over the heads of the returners, but once #21 scooped it up, he turned on the burners. ACA cashed in the excellent field position with a five-play scoring drive to cut the score to 15-20. More adventure on the next kickoff as the Escambia County returner first thought about fielding the kick, then decided to let it roll into the end zone. The only problem was, the ball stopped at the two-yard line. As he stood there staring at the ball it looked as if the Eagles were going to get a gift from its opponent. At the last instance, the returner realized what was happening and jumped on the ball. The good news was he didn’t turn the ball over, the bad news was the drive would start at their own two. The defense stiffened and forced a punt from the one-yard line. The kicking game was a struggle for the Blue Devils and the Eagles took advantage at just the right time. Jackson Burton blocked the punt and TJ Merritt picked the ball up and stepped into the end zone for the score. Just like that, ACA led 23-20 with 8:47 left in the game.

TJ Merritt celebrates with teammates after a special teams touchdown.

Escambia County answered with an eight-play drive to retake the lead, 26-23. The score came on a 38-yard run around the right end. With plenty of time, ACA could run their regular offense and not feel hurried. Two David Ortiz-Ramirez runs moved the team to their own 49-yard line. On 2nd and 11, Christian Snipes dropped back to pass and hit Bryant Swindle on a 51-yard scoring play to vault the Eagles back into the lead, 30-26. On the play, Snipes delivered a pump fake that fooled the Blue Devil defensive back badly and proceeded to loft a beautiful pass for the score. Swindle was so wide open when he caught the ball, it looked like social distancing was being practiced on the play. A well designed and executed play at just the right time. With 4:41 still left in the game, the defense would be called on once again. Tyson Summers put the ball in the end zone to force the Devils to start at their own 20. The defense stopped them in four plays and gave the ball back to the offense to close it out. ACA needed just one first down to take all of the time off the clock. Snipes picked it up on a 4th and 1 to ice the game. There is always work to be done to get better and although Friday’s game wasn’t perfect, 1-0 sounds good.

Bryant Swindle races to the end zone for the go ahead score.

Christian Snipes finished the day with 86 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, and accounted for three touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez had 62 yards on 15 carries and added 117 yards in kickoff returns. AC Walters had four catches for 24 yards while Bryant Swindle finished with two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Mekhi Gardner led the team with nine tackles while Levi Summers added seven. Jaydon McElrath had six tackles with two sacks followed by Jackson Burton with five tackles and a blocked punt and Micah Merritt with five tackles and a sack.

Alabama Christian travels to Goshen next week in its next contest.

ACA Season Ends at Houston Academy

Alabama Christian’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs after losing to Houston Academy, 49-18. The Raiders handled everything ACA had planned and took control of the game from the outset. It’s easy to focus on the negative after a loss, but the Eagles can hold their heads high at the results of the season. The program made the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year led by Coach Michael Summers. Summers’ twenty-one victories over the past three seasons is more than any other coach’s first three years in program history. Individually, William Milner became the eighth player in history with at least 200 career tackles and David Ortiz-Ramirez and AC Walters both rank in the Top 15 in career rushing yards. Tyson Summers added to his school record of career extra points and now ranks 15th in career points in program history.

The first two series of the night set the tone for the contest and gave a preview of how the night would progress. ACA got the ball first and gained just three yards in three plays and was forced to punt. An awful punt gave the Raiders the ball at ACA’s 38-yard line. Houston Academy scored in just two plays on a 28-yard run up the middle for the early lead. The second set of series produced the same results as Alabama Christian punted after three plays and Houston Academy scored again on a 6-play, 52-yard drive for a 14-0 first period lead. A fake punt by AC Walters brought about the team’s first first down at the end of the opening period. The quarter ended with the home team driving towards its third score of the night.

Three plays into the second, Houston Academy made it 21-0 as the hopes of the Eagles started to slip away. A pick six on the next possession cemented the outcome as the Raiders led 28-0 with 7:48 left in the half. The next Eagle drive finally brought the first points of the game for the visitors. AC Walters was featured prominently in the drive as he carried five times for 45 yards. Facing a 3rd and 8 from the Raider 31-yard line, ACA crossed up the defense with a misdirection handoff to William Milner. The senior raced around the left side and reached the end zone to cut the score to 6-28 (the extra point was blocked). With a little momentum could the defense stop the opponent late in the first half? The unit has struggled in the area all year and Friday night was no exception. After a great kick return and a penalty against Alabama Christian, Houston Academy scored on the next play to make the score 35-6 with 2:25 left in the second. ACA picked up a couple of first downs on the last drive of the half, but the quarter ended at midfield.

The Raiders opened the second half on offense and immediately added to their lead with a 28-yard scoring pass for a 42-6 advantage. To the team’s credit, ACA continued to fight despite the lopsided score. Christian Snipes connected with David Ortiz-Ramirez on a 58-yard bomb to the Raider’s 1-yard line to start the next possession. It was the first time this season, at least to this writer’s memory, the offense took a deep shot like that. Snipes scored on the next play for the team’s second score of the night. After a failed two-point attempt the score was 12-42 with 7:20 left in the third period. Houston Academy slowed the pace on the last drive for their starters. The drive took over six minutes and the Raiders extended the lead to 49-12.

For the first time all night, ACA’s defense stopped the Raiders and forced a punt to start the fourth period. On the second play of the Eagles drive, AC Walters ran through the defense and then outraced them for an 85-yard run to cut the score to 18-49. Both teams had one more drive to finish the game with no points scored. On ACA’s last drive, William Milner was featured in the running game as the staff wanted to let the senior warrior play as many snaps as he could as his ACA career came to a close.

The top six tacklers on the night were all seniors as they left it all on the field. Jaylan McCovery and William Milner, who shared a touching moment at the end of the game, led the team in tackles with ten and nine, respectively. Spencer Meeks finished with five tackles while Ari Bowman, Lane Smith, and Jalen Flowers each had four tackles.

AC Walters finished the night with 167 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. William Milner had 78 yards on 6 attempts while Christian Snipes had 67 yards on 19 rushes. Both backs scored a touchdown. Snipes threw for 86 yards with David Ortiz-Ramirez leading the receivers with two ended at midfield.

ACA will find out which Region they will play in next year after reclassification in December. Hopefully the AHSAA can figure where the Eagles should be without having to appeal the ruling.

Eagles Drop Final Home Game to Bayside Academy

Bayside Academy was looking for a little payback after a 25-point loss to ACA last year. The Admirals dominated from start to finish in a convincing 35-7 defeat of the Eagles on Senior Night. ACA will have to forget this loss quickly as they prepare for postseason play next week. As for Bayside, they will have to clean up the undisciplined play that brought five personal fouls against them on the night.

After a long kick return set them up with great field position, the visitors marched down the field for a touchdown to open the scoring Friday night. Bayside must have seen something on the left side of the Alabama Christian defense as they ran to the right on six of the eight plays on the drive. ACA started their first drive deep in their own territory after a block in the back call on the kick return. The Eagles managed one first down on a ten-yard run by Christian Snipes, but punted three plays later. After an incomplete pass, a Bayside back produced a 66-yard run down to the Eagle’s five-yard line. Ari Bowman never gave up on the play to make the tackle after the long run. Two plays later, the Admirals scored to extend the lead to 14-0. Once again, the offense managed one first down, on a fourth down conversion, but had to punt the ball away. It’s not often a player is penalized for two different infractions on the same play, but a Bayside lineman pulled it off on the first play of their third drive. After being called for holding during the play a personal foul was tacked on as he shoved the ACA defender to the ground well after the whistle. The result was a 1st and 34 hole for the Admiral’s offense. The extra curricular activity seemed to wake up the Eagle defense as Blake Shaw and Jalen Flowers combined on a sack on the next play to push Bayside even further back. The first period ended with a punt to ACA and hopes that some momentum was swinging the way of the home team.

An 11-yard run by David Ortiz-Ramirez took the ball to the Bayside 31-yard line and the Eagles looked ready to take advantage of their opponents' mistakes. On a 4th and 7 from the 28-yard line, Alabama Christian went for it, but an Admiral defender picked off the pass and raced 75 yards for a Bayside score to make the score 21-0 with 8:10 left in the first half. Both teams had the ball one more time before the half, but neither team scored. For ACA, the highlights of the two drives were a 12-yard run by David Ortiz-Ramirez on offense and a sack by Spencer Meeks on defense. ACA would get the ball first in the second half and looked to cut the deficit with points on their first drive.

William Milner opened the second half with a 12-yard run and after another personal foul by Bayside two plays later, ACA had the ball on the Admiral 32-yard line. The next play produced a second interception for Bayside to end the Eagle threat. The visitors drove deep into ACA territory and looked poised to extend the lead until an Ari Bowman interception turned the ball back over to the home team. The offense was never able to sustain a drive all night and the next ACA possession was no different. After picking up one first down, the Eagles punted the ball away. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Bayside stretched the lead to 28-0 with a 45-yard run through the defense with 3:11 left in the third period. On the last drive of the third quarter, ACA took advantage of yet another Bayside personal foul and took the ball down to the Admiral 28-yard line. Unfortunately, the possession ended with Bayside’s third pick of the night which was returned to ACA’s 35-yard line. Two plays later, the visitors scored again to run the score to 35-0 with 9:58 left in the game.

At this point of the game you would think both teams would just want to get out of there as the competitive portion of the game was over. However, Bayside continued to be aggressive and amass penalty yardage. The next Eagles drive was extended due to a roughing the kicker call against Bayside. ACA turned the ball over for the fourth time on a fumble to give the ball back to the visitors. With just over six minutes left in the game and a thirty-five point lead, the Admiral coaching staff thought it would be a good idea to keep throwing the ball. It felt like Bayside was trying to embarrass ACA or it could have been a total lack of game awareness or respect for the game and your opponent. Whatever the reason, it was not a good look for Bayside. After two completions, Lane Smith put an end to the passing foolishness with a sack that forced a fumble which was recovered by Blake Shaw. Now with just under five minutes to go, the light bulb came on and the Admirals started subbing freely. The last drive of the night was the Cooper Milner show. The freshman ran the ball on seven of the eight plays of the drive and scored ACA’s only points of the game with just under a minute left. Older brother William was the first to meet him for congratulations on the sidelines for a nice moment to end the night.

Four players, Jaylan McCovery, William Milner, Blake Shaw, and Spencer Meeks, each had four tackles to lead the defense. Milner became just the eighth player in program history to have at least 200 tackles for their career. Ari Bowman had an interception while Shaw, Meeks, Jalen Flowers, and Lane Smith all had sacks. Christian Snipes led the ground game with 49 yards on 14 carries and added 61 yards through the air on nine completions. David Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 33 yards, all in the first half, on eight attempts while Cooper Milner had 32 yards on ten carries and a touchdown. Bowman led the receivers with three catches for 24 yards while TJ Merritt had two receptions for 21 yards.

Next week, Alabama Christian travels to Dothan to face Houston Academy in the first round of the playoffs.

Relentless ACA Squad Outlasts Southside-Selma in Region Play

Don’t tell this team what they can’t do. All off-season the talk was about what this team didn’t have. Although last year’s team was very talented and senior heavy, that didn’t mean this group of players couldn’t make their own history. This group of Eagles has made the ACA nation proud with their hard work and attitude. Friday night was no different as Alabama Christian celebrated a 54-34 Homecoming victory over Southside-Selma. The Panthers might have had the best player on the field, but the best team came away triumphant.

Three starters on offense, AC Walters, Blake Shaw, and Bryant Swindle were all sidelined for the Region match up this week. Despite the loss of these key players, the unit barely missed a beat all night long. Southside played their defense very close to the line daring ACA to throw the ball. The Eagles took the dare and completed a 29-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage to set the tone for the night. On the next play, Southside jumped off sides for the first of eight times in the contest. Christian Snipes converted a 4th and 1 with an eight yard run and finished the drive four plays later on a three-yard run for a 7-0 lead. The drive took over five minutes off the clock. As slowly and methodically as ACA moved the ball down the field, the Panther’s offense was just the opposite. Their opening drive took 56 seconds and ended with a 43-yard pass play to cut the lead to 7-6. Southside did not have a kicker and went for two after every score. The Eagles scored on their second drive of the game as David Ortiz-Ramirez rushed 21 yards for the touchdown for a 14-6 lead. The score was set up by a 26-yard completion to Jackson Burton two plays earlier.

To keep the ball away from the Panthers kick return threat, Alabama Christian tried an onside kick and Ari Bowman recovered the carom off a front line player to get the ball back. On the first play of the second period, Christian Snipes found Jackson Burton for a 10-yard score to stretch the lead to 20-6 as the extra point was blocked. The drive covered 53 yards in seven plays and took three and a half minutes. Bowman recovered his second fumble of the night to end the next Southside threat with 10:11 left in the second. Once again the offense marched down the field and ate up over six minutes of the second quarter as they lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt. The kick was blocked and as the Eagles stopped, a Southside player picked up the loose ball and raced 65 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 20-14 with 4:08 left in the half.

Facing their first adversity of the night, ACA showed moxy as they looked to score before the break. Their prospects did not look good as they faced a 3rd and 17 three plays into the drive. However, a well timed screen pass to David Ortiz-Ramirez covered 28 yards to pick up the first down and a cheap shot out of bounds by Southside gave ACA 15 more yards. Two plays later Darrius Gardner took a short pass 16 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead. The extra point had some adventure to it. First, ACA lined up for the extra point, but since their previous two kicks had been blocked they called a timeout to discuss their options. After deciding to go for two, the offense lined up quickly after the huddle and forced a timeout by Southside. As ACA came back on the field, the Panther’s coach was in the middle of the field talking to the officials. Once he left the field, ACA finally converted the attempt for a 28-14 lead. As in previous games, Alabama Christian had trouble stopping its opponent at the end of the first half. Southside scored with 5.1 seconds left in the quarter to trim the lead to 28-20 at the half. Alabama Christian possessed the ball for nineteen minutes and seven seconds in the first half. Amazingly, Southside scored twenty points while possessing the ball for just four minutes and fifty-three seconds.

The Panthers scored to start the second half as the momentum started to swing towards the visitors. After an interception, Southside scored on a 52-yard pass play to take the lead for the first time all night, 34-28 with 3:04 left in the third. ACA trailed for only 13 seconds as they matched Southside with a 52-yard scoring pass of their own on the first play of the next drive. David Ortiz-Ramirez took the pass and outran the defense to the end zone to take back the lead. ACA would not trail again. The third quarter ended with Southside on the move hoping to take the lead back.

ACA’s defense bent but did not break as they turned the Panthers over on downs at their own 11-yard line. As the Eagles were buried deep in their own territory and clinging to a two-point lead, Southside once again crowded the line looking to get the ball back. On 2nd and 15 from the 18-yard line, Jackson Burton got behind the defense as the ball was delivered in stride by Christian Snipes. The coaches upstairs were yelling touchdown before the pass was even thrown and the crowd willed Burton to beat the defenders to the goal line. Eighty-two yards later Burton’s touchdown gave ACA a 42-34 lead with 7:56 left in the game. Momentum was clearly back on the side of the good guys. Trailing by just eight points and facing a fourth down at their own 43-yard line, the Panthers surprised everyone with a punt to give the ball back to Alabama Christian. With 6:24 left the thinking must have been to get a stop and with the quick strike offense they would still have enough time to try and tie the game.

Unfortunately, the Southside defense was starting to fade. Christian Snipes and David Ortiz-Ramirez broke off runs of 27, 19, 11, and 15 yards on the first four plays of the next drive to set up a three-yard scoring run from Snipes to stretch the lead to 48-34. At this point, the Panthers were in full desperation mode and began to throw on virtually every down. After three straight incompletions, Lane Smith ended the drive with a fourth down sack to set up the offense just 38 yards from the end zone. Three plays later, Ortiz-Ramirez scored his third touchdown of the night with a 28-yard burst to give ACA a 54-34 lead with 2:24 left in the game. Time expired as Southside tried for one final score to end the game.

When your team scores a season high 54 points, plenty of players have a chance to put up big numbers on the night. Christian Snipes passed for 275 yards while completing 11 of 18 passes with four touchdowns. The sophomore QB also ran for 120 yards on 16 attempts and two more touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez ran for 119 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 126 yards and a third touchdown. The junior back surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season in the victory. Jackson Burton finished with four catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns while Darrius Gardner had two receptions for 25 yards and a score. As you could probably guess, William Milner led the team with 10 tackles on the night. The senior leader leaves everything he has on the field every game. Burton finished with five tackles and a sack while Lane Smith had four tackles and a sack. TJ Merritt, Ari Bowman, Jordan Frazier, Mariner Smith, and Marlon Matthews each had three tackles.

Next week Alabama Christian hosts Bayside Academy in the regular season finale.

ACA Clinches Playoff Spot with Win at Greensboro

With the 45-8 defeat of Greensboro on Friday night, Alabama Christian clinched a playoff berth for the eighth consecutive year. Before this current streak of postseason appearances, the football program had qualified for the playoffs eleven times in forty-one seasons and never more than four years in a row. Coach Michael Summers and his staff should be recognized for keeping the streak alive this year considering they replaced roughly 80 percent of the starters from last year’s team including the entire offense. Despite the new starters, this year’s team has the same exact overall and region record through eight games as last year. A remarkable job by the coaches and the players who have stepped up and thrived this season. The ACA nation should celebrate and appreciate the fact we are in the midst of the most successful era in program history.

Every fan should travel with the team at least once when the Eagles play in a small, rural town. Most of the time the PA announcer is worth the price of admission and Greensboro’s voice in the sky did not disappoint. He was really more play by play man than PA announcer as he talked before, during, and after every play. At one point the officials had to send word upstairs for him not to point penalties that were happening during play, especially when no call was made. The game itself seemed to take forever as penalties and incomplete passes stopped the clock constantly. To stretch the time even further, there was no running clock in the fourth quarter despite the thirty plus point lead by ACA.

Now, on to the game. The Eagles received the opening kick and marched 54 yards in seven plays to take an early 7-0 lead. David Ortiz-Ramirez picked up where he left off last week with three runs for 22 yards down to the Raider 32-yard line. With the defense keying on Ortiz-Ramirez, Christian Snipes kept the ball on the read option on two consecutive plays to cover the final 32 yards of the drive, scoring on an eight yard run with 9:54 left in the period. Greensboro’s first play from scrimmage was a big gainer of 49 yards down to the ACA 31-yard line. For an instant, it looked like we might have a shootout on our hands, but a holding call on the next play halted the home team’s momentum and they eventually turned the ball over on downs four plays later. The offense mixed in the pass on the second drive as Snipes completed passes to Bryant Swindle and Ortiz-Ramirez on the first two plays of the possession. The offense drove to the Greensboro five-yard line, but were pushed back by a false start penalty and a negative rushing play. The drive ended with a missed field goal with 5:26 left in the first quarter.

The Raiders offense was forced to punt after three plays and a botched fake punt gave the ball back to the Eagles just five yards from the end zone. Broderick Williams who ran onto the field late just kept on going as he tackled the punter for the eleven yard loss. Christian Snipes scored on the next play and Alabama Christian led 14-0 with 4:12 still left in the first. The home team turned the ball over on downs after just four plays to give the ball back to ACA. Consecutive completions to Bryant Swindle and Mariner Smith moved the ball to the three-yard line. Coach Summers sent William Milner in with directions to get in the end zone after he had a touchdown called back last week. It took two tries, but the senior scored his first career touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0 with an amazing 1:21 still left on the first quarter clock.

The calendar flipped to the second quarter with the Greensboro offense once again on the Eagle’s side of the fifty. A long kick return set the Raider offense up with great field position. Greensboro was able to move to the seven-yard line before the defense stiffened. Jalen Flowers tackled the back for a two-yard loss on first down and William Milner, who was fired up from his earlier touchdown, pressured the QB into a third down incompletion and broke up a pass on fourth down to stop the drive. The offense produced its most impressive drive of the night with an 11-play, 91-yard march to stretch the lead to 28-0. David Ortiz-Ramirez and Christian Snipes handled the ball on the first ten plays of the drive to move the ball to the 15-yard line. Facing a 3rd and 7, Snipes found Broderick Williams in the right flat for the score with 6:02 left in the half. The Raiders again drove deep into enemy territory, but Darrius Gardner ended the threat with a spectacular interception at the three-yard line. Hoping to get one more score before the half, the Eagles were aggressive on offense and moved the ball out to the 33-yard line. On 3rd and 1, Snipes waited patiently for Ortiz-Ramirez to clear his defender and hit him in stride for an apparent score. However, a holding call on the perimeter negated the touchdown, but the first down was made. The most impressive part of the play was the thirty-yard flag toss from the back judge and his keen eyesight on the alleged infraction. The drive ended with a turnover on an old fan favorite, the hook and ladder. With just 16 seconds left in the half, Greensboro threw a long pass that was picked off by Gardner, his second of the half. The Eagles headed to the locker room with a four touchdown lead.

The Raiders opened the second half with another drive into ACA territory aided by a fairly obvious missed double pass by the officials. Despite the non-call, Broderick Williams and William Meeks ended the drive with a third down sack to force a punt. The Eagles first drive ended in a touchdown and was highlighted by a 26-yard run by David Ortiz-Ramirez. William Milner finished the drive two plays later with an eight-yard run for his second touchdown of the night. Down by thirty-five, a desperate Greensboro offense went for it on fourth down on their own 21-yard line on their next drive. The incomplete pass set up Alabama Christian deep on the Raider’s side of the field. At this point, the Eagles started to substitute freely to allow the backups some much needed varsity experience. Tyson Summers connected on a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead to 38-0 with 59.9 seconds left in the third.

A delay of game penalty coming out of the quarter break summed up the night for Greensboro. Lane Smith broke up a third down pass to force another punt. Freshman Noah Shack was featured in the next drive for Alabama Christian as he ran the ball four times in five plays and scored from four yards out for a 45-0 advantage with 8:40 left on the clock. The Raiders finally found the end zone with 6:19 remaining on a 25-yard pass play to cut the lead to 45-8. An Eagle turnover gave Greensboro another chance to score late, but Mekhi Gardner’s third down sack ended any serious threat. The Eagles got the ball back with 3:07 left and kept the ball the rest of the way. Kaiden Green’s 19-yard keeper to convert a third down put the game away for ACA.

Christian Snipes’ seventeen pass attempts in the first half was a season high for the Eagles. The sophomore finished 11 for 18 for 111 yards and a score and was the team’s leading rusher with 98 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 89 yards on 14 rushes while Noah Shack had 78 yards on 10 attempts and a touchdown. William Milner had two scores on just three carries for eleven yards. Bryant Swindle led the receiving corps with four catches for 44 yards while Ortiz-Ramirez added three catches for 25 yards. Mariner Smith, Broderick Williams, TJ Merritt, and Darrius Gardner each caught one pass. Three defenders, Milner, William Meeks, and Lane Smith, led the way with six tackles apiece. Jaylan McCovery added five tackles while Jalen Flowers and Marlon Matthews each had four. Meeks and Broderick Williams combined for a sack while Mekhi Gardenr had one on his own. Darrius Gardner had two picks on the night.

Alabama Christian hosts Southside Selma for Homecoming next week. The winner of the contest will have the number three seed in the Region heading into the playoffs.

Alabama Christian Dominates PCA in Road Region Game

ACA all but guaranteed a postseason appearance with a punishing 44-14 whooping of PCA Friday night. If the Eagles can win one of their last two Region games, they will make the playoffs for a school record eighth consecutive year. The road win was even more impressive due to the team’s premier offensive weapon, AC Walters, being sidelined for the contest. Several players stepped up on the night to make up for Walters’ absence. The win was Coach Michael Summers 19th at the helm and moved him into third place on the all-time wins list.

Tyson Summers' touch back on the opening kickoff put the Panthers offense in a tough spot to start the night. PCA picked up a couple of first downs on their initial drive, but Ari Bowman intercepted a fourth down pass and paired with a face mask call on his return, gave ACA the ball just twenty-seven yards away from the goal line. Four plays later, Christian Snipes scored the first of his school record five rushing touchdowns for an early 6-0 lead. The Panthers answered with their only score of the first half with a eight-play 80-yard drive to tie the score, 6-6. The quarter ended during Alabama Christian’s second drive.

Last week, ACA showed the ability to put together long drives and keep the ball away from their opponent. The trend continued on the unit’s second drive that lasted over six minutes and covered 59 yards. ACA converted two third downs and a fourth down on the way to a 37-yard field goal from Tyson Summers for a 9-6 lead. PCA looked to have something going on offense on their next drive, but Jaylan McCovery forced a fumble that was recovered by Ari Bowman to give the ball back to the offense with 4:16 left in the half. David Ortiz-Ramirez gashed the defense for 38 yards on the next play and the offense scored three plays later for a 16-6 advantage with 3:18 remaining in the second period. Neither team scored on their last possession of the half which gave ACA a ten-point cushion at the break.

The game was too close to have a shortened-quarter running clock to start the second half, a PCA tradition, but ACA would handle that in the fourth period. David Ortiz-Ramirez ran for 46 yards on the second play of the half to set up a nine yard scoring run by Christian Snipes. ACA led 23-6 just 86 seconds into the third quarter. PCA continued to move the ball between the twenties, but William Milner ended the next drive with a fourth down sack. Two straight pass interference calls against the home team gave Alabama Christian the ball at PCA’s 25-yard line. It took three plays to make the end zone for a commanding 30-6 lead with 5:56 left in the third. Snipes scored again from two yards out for the fourth time. The Panther offensive pattern continued as they drove to the Eagle 19-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs.

David Ortiz-Ramirez delivered a game-long run of 51 yards, his third of more than 35 yards, to give ACA a 37-6 lead with 2:41 left in the third. The drive covered 81 yards in two plays aided by a face mask call against the Panthers. The defense was fired up as they sacked the PCA QB on third and fourth downs after a long kick return put the Panthers deep in ACA territory. Blake Shaw recorded the sack on third while Jalen Flowers and Marlon Matthews turned the trick on fourth down. Unfortunately, the Eagles fumbled and gave the ball back to PCA on the next play.

The turnover proved costly as the Panthers scored and converted a two-point try to cut the lead to 37-14 with 9:41 left in the game. Although ACA got the ball back at midfield after the failed onside kick effort, the offense still ate up over six minutes as they scored the final points of the game. Christian Snipes finished things off with his record tying fifth rushing touchdown of the night. Snipes tied Courtney Moss for the most rushing touchdowns in a game as Moss achieved the feat against Bullock County in 2008. PCA’s last drive and the game ended on a Marlon Matthews sack.

David Ortiz-Ramirez rushed for 207 yards on 18 carries to lead the offense and scored a touchdown. William Milner rushed 7 times for 60 yards while Christian Snipes had 58 yards on 11 attempts and five touchdowns, Snipes finished 4 of 6 for 33 yards in the air connecting one time each with Darrius Gardner, Jackson Burton, TJ Merritt, and Bryant Swindle. Lane Smith led the defense with 12 tackles while WIlliam Milner finished with 10 tackles and a sack. Blake Shaw had six tackles and a sack while five players, Ari Bowman, Jalen Flowers, TJ Merritt, Jaylan McCovery, and Darruis Gardner, all finished with five tackles. Flowers and Marlon Matthews each recorded sacks while Bowman produced an interception and a fumble recovery.

Alabama Christian stays on the road next week with a Region game at Greensboro. A win next week clinches a playoff spot.

Eagles Fall to Trojans in Region Contest

Alabama Christian’s trickery and aggressive play calling kept St James off balance in the first half, but in the end the undefeated Trojans defeated ACA 42-20 The Region loss sets up a must win for the Eagles next week against PCA.

The Trojans won the toss and went against the norm and elected to receive to get their offense on the field to start. ACA tripped up those plans as Darrius Gardner recovered an onside kick and kept the St James offense on the sidelines. It appeared the offense would give up the ball after three plays, but AC Walters picked up 27 yards around the right end on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. The junior back finished the drive with a touchdown on two direct snap calls that covered 14 yards. A second onside kick try was recovered by the Trojans which gave them the ball at their own 46-yard line. St James scored with 5:06 left in the first quarter to tie the score, 7-7.

The next Alabama Christian drive was a thing of beauty. The Eagles manufactured a 16-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 9:54 of the first half clock. The offense overcame two sacks and a holding call to take the lead 14-7 with 7:00 left in the second period. The key play of the drive was 4th and 5 conversion on the Trojan 31-yard line. AC Walters hit Christian Snipes on a throwback to the quarterback. Walters punched it in from one yard out seven plays later. The St James offense started their second drive of the night with just seven minutes left before the half. The potent Trojan offense tied the contest 14-14 with 2:47 left in the second.

For the second week in a row, ACA endured a disastrous ending to the first half. The game officials didn’t do the Eagles any favors with their botched handling of the clock. As the drive stalled, St James used their timeouts and got the ball back with 1:21 left. The 81 seconds left was plenty of time as St James scored in just half that time. A 38-yard scoring pass gave St James a 21-14 lead heading to the locker room.

The second half did not start the way ACA wanted as they lost three yards on their first possession to punt the ball back to St James. The visitor’s offense continued to click as they scored again on another long pass play for a 28-14 cushion with 7:20 left in the third. Down two scores the offense mustered another long, impressive drive. AC Walters left the field injured during the drive, but the offense finished it off to cut the lead to 28-20. Another fourth down conversion was crucial to the score as Christian Snipes connected with David Ortiz-Ramirez for a 16-yard drive extender.

The next Trojan drive produced the decisive play of the game. Down just one score, the defense looked like they had stopped St James on a fourth down to give the ball back to the offense. The ball was fumbled by the Trojan runner well behind the first down marker, but the ball went out of bounds beyond the line to gain. After a lengthy delay and several conferences with each other and both coaches, the officials determined the ball should be placed where it went out of bounds and awarded a first down to St James.

The Trojans took advantage of the break given them and scored early in the final period to take a 35-20 lead. ACA could not overcome the bad break and gave the ball back to the visitors after three plays. St James stretched the lead two plays later and led 42-20 with 9:18 left. The Eagles tried to put together one final effort to cut the score, but the drive ended at the Trojan 13-yard line with 5:11 left in the game. St James took their time and ran off the final minutes of the game for the three score win.

AC Walters led the team in rushing and receiving with 92 yards on the ground and 42 yards in receptions. Christian Snipes finished with 50 yards rushing with a touchdown and 69 yards passing. David Ortiz-Ramirez had 41 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving on the night. Jaylan McCovery led the defense with six tackles. William Milner and Lane Smith both had five tackles while Ari Bowman and Mariner Smith both had four.

Next week, Alabama Christian travels to PCA in a very important Region matchup.

Alabama Christian Defeats MA for the Third Year in a Row

Historically, the ACA/MA series has been dominated by the Vaughn Road Eagles, but this Alabama Christian coaching staff and team looked to make their own history as they beat MA for the third consecutive year, for the first time in program history, with a 28-20 victory. Two of the three wins in the streak have been at MA, including spoiling Homecoming activities on Friday night. The defense recorded a season high three sacks and held the MA rushing attack to 83 yards, allowing just 30 in the second half.

It took a little while for the offenses to click as neither team scored in the first period. MA took the opening kickoff and drove to the ACA 23-yard line, but were turned away by William Milner and Jalen Flowers on a fourth down run to turn the ball over on downs. Alabama Christian picked up one first down its first time out, but punted it back to MA as the drive stalled. The first quarter ended with MA being turned over on downs again on a failed fourth down attempt. TJ Merritt provided good coverage to prevent the conversion for MA.

ACA began the second quarter with a turnover on a mishandled exchange between quarterback and running back to give MA the ball at their own 45-yard line. AC Walters broke up a long pass at the goal line and a bad snap on the next down forced a punt from the home team. Walters was shaken up on the pass play which meant David Ortiz-Ramirez would be the featured back in the series. The lightning fast junior bolted 77 yards past the defense on the second play of the drive to give ACA a 7-0 lead with 6:22 left in the half. A fired up defense sacked the MA quarterback on back to back snaps on second and third down to force another punt. Darrius Gardner and Blake Shaw recorded the sacks on the drive. A 24-yard punt return by AC Walters started the next drive at the MA 36-yard line. Alabama Christian ran the ball on five consecutive plays and took a 14-0 lead with 1:15 left in the second. Ortiz-Ramirez finished the drive with a 15-yard run for his second score of the game. With just 75 seconds left in the half, the only thing the defense did not want to do was give up a cheap score. Much to the dismay of the ACA nation, MA scored on a 39-yard wide receiver screen on the last play of the half to cut the lead to 14-7. The receiver caught the short pass and was surrounded by ACA defenders and then all of a sudden like a magic trick, he wasn’t. The defense, the crowd, no one could believe what they just saw.

The disastrous end to the first half did nothing to alter the focus of the ACA squad. For the first time all night, the offense mixed the pass game into the play calling and seemed to take MA by surprise. Christian Snipes completed all four of his passes on the possession that finished with a 15-yard connection on a slant to Bryant Swindle for a 21-7 lead. The visiting Eagles were not done though as a squib kick was recovered by Jaylan McCovery to hand the ball right back to the offense. Snipes called his own number five of the six plays in the drive that ended with a three yard run for the quarterback’s first touchdown of the year. With 4:29 left in the third quarter, the MA offense finally made it back on the field, trailing 28-7. MA converted a fourth down on their next possession and cut the margin to 28-14 with less than a minute left in the third period.

ACA turned to its ground game in the final stanza. The offense drove to the MA 14-yard line, but missed a chance to extend the lead. The home team scored on their next drive, but Alabama Christian made them eat a lot of time up in the process. The scoring drive lasted twelve plays and covered 80 yards, but took over six minutes off the clock. MA scored with 2:27 left in the game to cut the score to 28-20. Without AC Walters, who was again shaken up on the previous drive, the offense was challenged to make sure MA did not get the ball back. After already running for a first down earlier in the drive, Christian Snipes converted a 4th and 3 to seal the win with 59 seconds left.

William Milner once again led the defense with eleven tackles. Jackson Burton finished with eight tackles followed by Lane Smith with seven. both Darrius Gardner and Blake Shaw recorded sacks in the game. David Ortiz-Ramirez had 120 yards on just eight carries with a touchdown and added one reception for four yards. Christian Snipes had 100 yards on 15 attempts on the ground and 39 yards on four completions through the air. The sophomore signal caller had one rushing and one passing touchdown. Bryant Swindle led the receivers with two receptions for 23 yards and a score.

Next week, ACA returns home and back to Area play with a rivalry game against St James.

Eagles Even Season Record with Area Road Win

Alabama Christian improved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Area play with a 50-12 triumph Friday night. ACA traveled two and a half hours to Livingston for its first visit to Sumter Central, The Jaguars were celebrating Homecoming and Senior Night in an event filled night that made the fans want to join the PTF, visit the principal, and not stand on the fence during the game. The Eagles started slow against the much improved home team, but scored three times in the final eight minutes of the first half for a comfortable 31-12 lead.

TJ Merritt’s 21-yard return of the opening kickoff set up the offense with great field position at midfield. The Jaguars were in a giving mood as they jumped off sides two plays in a row to give the Eagles a first down. David Ortiz-Ramirez ran 23 yards on the next play to the 17-yard line as the offense looked poised to score. The next snap brought disaster as it was launched past the quarterback and recovered by the Jaguars at the 40-yard line. Sumter Central scored in just four plays as the drive culminated on a 39-yard pass play to a wide open receiver for the 6-0 lead with 9:14 left in the first period.

ACA’s second series brought a new wrinkle for Sumter Central and future opponents to think about. Christian Snipes came in and split time with AC Walters at quarterback. The move was successful enough that the sophomore took all the snaps in the second half until relieved by the reserves late in the game. The drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Jaguar 7-yard line which backed up the home team’s offense. On third down, William Milner and Blake Shaw combined to stop a run play for a five yard loss to the 1-yard line. The Eagles got on the board as the punter fumbled the snap out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Milner continued to shine as he returned the short free kick to the Jaguar 24-yard line. The offense scored in five plays on a Walters two yard run for a 9-6 lead.

Sumter Central responded with their best drive of the night as they drove 65 yards in eight plays to retake the lead 12-9. It took Alabama Christian just two plays to retake the lead for good. AC Walters hit an uncovered Bryant Swindle for 42 yards to start and David Ortiz-Ramirez finished it with a ten yard run. The defense held and Jaylan McCovery partially blocked a punt to set up the offense on the plus side of the field. Both teams swapped punts and it looked like the half may end with ACA leading 17-12. With 1:52 left in the half, ACA scored in three plays in just 34 seconds capped by a 50-yard Walters run for a 24-12 lead. Not content to run out the clock and get to the locker room, Sumter Central passed on two of its three plays and had to punt it back to the visitors. The failed drive left 38.3 seconds on the clock for ACA. Walters ran the ball three times for 49 yards on the drive and scored from one yard out with 14.9 seconds left in the period for a 31-12 cushion.

The Jaguars started the second half on offense and drove to the ACA 25-yard line where the drive stalled. Surprisingly, they punted from that spot for a touchback, not surprisingly. Christian Snipes took the reins at quarterback and helped drive the offense 80 yards and hit Jackson Burton on a six-yard connection for his first career touchdown pass. After a three and out, the offense scored again as Snipes to Burton worked again for a 43-12 lead early in the fourth quarter. With the 30-point lead, the clock did not stop and the rest of the game moved quickly. Alabama Christian’s last score came on Noah Shack’s first career touchdown as he toted the ball on four consecutive plays and covered 43 yards in the process. Sumter Central scored on the last play of the game for the final margin of 50-18.

The time at running back definitely agreed with AC Walters as he finished with 222 yards on 16 carries and three touchdowns. David Ortiz-Ramirez and Noah Shack each has four rushes and a touchdown as they gained 69 and 43 yards, respectively. Four receivers, Bryant Swindle, Bryson Dabney, Ortiz-Ramirez and Jackson Burton, each had two catches. Swindle led the group with 47 receiving yards while both of Burton’s catches yielded touchdowns. Christian Snipes finished the night 6 of 11 for 49 yards and two touchdowns while Walters was 2 for 4 for 47 yards. The tackling machine, William Milner sparked the defense with 11 tackles followed by Lane Smith with eight. Jaylan McCovery, Burton, and Blake Shaw each contributed five tackles.

Next week Alabama Christian visits MA in a non-Area crosstown rivalry game.

ACA Falls to Trinity in First Area Game

In a contest that would test the Alabama Christian football team, Trinity took an early lead and blew out the Eagles late in a 38-6 final score. ACA committed two turnovers in their first four offensive snaps to make the task even more difficult. The first Eagle miscue set up the visitors at the ACA 16 yard line. The Wildcats scored four plays later for the early advantage. The defense kept Trinity out of the end zone after the second turnover as the Wildcats turned it over on downs.

The ensuing series saw Alabama Christian put together the first of two long, methodical drives. ACA ran the ball twelve consecutive times before being held on a 4th and 1. The fourth down opportunity was set up by a pass interference call against Trinity on a 4th and 16 on the previous play. The drive took just over seven minutes and gave the defense a much needed break. After the teams exchanged punts, Trinity scored for the second time in the half on a quick 4-play 63-yard drive to lead 14-0 with 7:12 left in the first half.

Amazingly, that was the last touch for the Wildcat offense of the half. ACA marched the full length of the field as they used all of the clock. Unfortunately, the offense was stopped inside the Wildcat one-yard line as the clock hit zero. David Ortiz-Ramirez touched the ball on the first six plays of the drive (five runs and a catch) for 22 yards to set up a first down at the Trinity 49-yard line. Over the next five plays, ACA mixed the pass and run and forced a timeout from Trinity with 1:13 left in the half as the offense faced a 2nd and 2 from the 13-yard line. AC Walters picked up seven yards on the next play for a 1st and goal at the six. Earlier in the half, ACA was forced to use two timeouts due to misalignment on special teams and defense which came back to haunt them in the closing moments of the half. After Otriz-Ramirez was stopped on second down, ACA had to use their last timeout. Coach Michael Summers started calling timeout with about 28 seconds left, but no official acknowledged him until 17 seconds left. With no timeouts, the offense gambled and tried to run it in on 3rd down, but were held short at the goal line. As the pile broke up slowly, the clock ran out in the first half.

Despite the disappointing end to the half, ACA got the ball to start the second half and had a chance to cut the lead to one score. Instead, the Eagles lost yards over three plays and kicked the ball to its opponent. Trinity kicked a field goal on its first drive of the half to stretch the lead to 17-0 with 6:10 left in the third. ACA went three and out on its next two drives and Trinity took a 24-0 lead at the end of the quarter with a fifty yard touchdown pass. The only score for Alabama Christian was delivered by AC Walters as he returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards through the Wildcat special teams. Trinity led 24-6 after three periods.

If anyone thought Trinity would take their foot off the gas with a commanding lead in the fourth quarter, they would not have been more wrong. In fact, the Wildcat offense seemed even more aggressive as they looked to run up the score. Trinity passed on eight of the next fourteen snaps to extend the lead to 38-6. Finally, as ACA committed its fourth turnover of the night with 2:59 left in the game, the Wildcats put in their offensive subs.

William Milner led the defense with 12 tackles. The senior linebacker is averaging almost 10 tackles per game so far this season. Jaylan McCovery, Lane Smith and AC Walters each finished with five tackles. On offense, David Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 92 yards on 21 carries while Walters added 60 yards rushing and 31 yards passing. Bryant Swindle was the favorite receiver with three catches for 21 yards.

Next week Alabama Christian (1-2, 0-1) travels to York, AL to play Area opponent Sumter Centra (2-1, 1-1).

Alabama Christian Defeats Lynn for First Win of the Year

As much as the outcome of the game was never in doubt last year, Friday night’s match up between ACA and Lynn was a close one-score affair until late in the fourth quarter. AC Walters' third score of the night, with 2:27 left in the contest, gave the Eagles the final margin of victory at 30-20. The win was the first of the year and although everything was not perfect, it was nice to put a mark in the win column for the first time in 2023.

Alabama Christian took the opening kickoff and marched to Lynn’s four yard line before the Bears defense stiffened and kept the Eagles out of the end zone. The offense featured David Ortiz-Ramirez getting outside and gashing the defense with big gains. After exchanging punts, ACA came up with the first big break of the game when Darrius Gardner picked off a Lynn pass and returned it 38 yards to the Lynn 37-yard line. Unfortunately, the Eagles squandered the opportunity and gave it right back with an interception of their own. The visiting Bears put together a 7-play 62-yard drive that consumed 4:26 of the second quarter clock to score the game’s first points.

With 3:55 left in the first half, there was question whether the Eagles had enough to score before intermission. Not only was there enough time to score once, Alabama Christian scored twice before the break. After two AC Walters’ runs gave ACA a first down, the offense caught a break as a mishandled snap looked to be a big loss and drive killer, but a helmet to helmet hit called against Lynn wiped out the loss and gave the offense new life with a first down at the Bear 34-yard line. Finally, facing a 3rd and 5 at the 16 with a little over a minute left, Walters broke through with a 16-yard scoring bolt to close the gap to 6-7. The score looked very similar to the touchdown he had last week against Catholic. The coaching staff and players did a masterful job with calling plays and getting out of bounds on the drive to save the team’s timeouts. The ensuing kickoff hit a Lynn up-man and William Milner recovered to give ACA another shot at scoring before halftime. The saved timeouts proved useful as the team drove to the 11-yard line and kicked a 28-yard field goal to take a 9-7 lead. Tyson Summers' kick came with just seven seconds left in the second.

The team rode the momentum from the first half right into the second half with a three and out from the defense aided by tackles from William Milner and Lane Smith. Lynn had a terrific punt that pinned ACA back to its own 6-yard line. On the first play of the half for the offense, David Ortiz-Ramirez outran everyone to the end zone on a 94-yard lightning strike to extend the lead to 16-7. The visitors responded with a scoring drive of their own and with 7:00 left in the third, ACA led 16-13. As the period closed, Alabama Christian drove into Lynn territory to set up an exciting final quarter.

On the second play of the fourth, AC Walters put a Bear defender on spin cycle as he left him at the 15-yard line on his way to a 26-yard score and a 23-13 lead. Once again, Lynn answered the bell with a long methodical drive running right up the middle to cut the score to 23-20. The march took over five minutes and left 6:34 on the clock in the contest. The Eagles goal was to run as much clock as possible and score late to put the game away, and that is exactly what they did. However, the drive got off to a rocky start as the offense faced a 3rd and 3 with 5:55 left. During the heat timeout it was decided to try and draw the defense off sides with a hard count and it worked. The gift five yards from Lynn gave ACA a first down and they never looked back. David Ortiz-Ramirez carried the rock three of the next four plays to set up a 1st and goal at the Lynn 8-yard line. On 3rd and goal, Walters scored from three yards out with 2:27 remaining for a 30-20 cushion.

Lynn did not quit and three consecutive pass interference calls against the Eagles helped move the ball to the 12-yard line with about 90 seconds to play. Three straight standout plays from the defense shut down the last ditch effort of Lynn. On first down, Ari Bowman broke up a pass. On second down, William Milner, stopped the Lynn quarterback from scoring and also held him short of the first down marker. On third down, Lynn spiked the ball to stop the clock with 1:06 left setting up a 4th and 1. On fourth down, Jackson Burton stopped the Bear runner and the celebration began. ACA ran out the rest of the clock and took home their first win of the season.

The running game was outstanding as both David Ortiz-Ramirez and AC Walters ran for more than 100 yards on the night. Ortiz-Ramirez finished with 187 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while Walters had 140 yards on 22 attempts and found the end zone three times. Walters completed three passes for 37 yards hitting Bryant Swindle twice for 25 yards and Ortiz-Ramirez once for 12 yards. On defense, William Milner led the way with 11 tackles while Lane Smith, TJ Merritt, and Ari Bowman each had five tackles. Blake Shaw had two sacks while Darrius Gardner had an interception.

Next week, the Eagles start Area play as they host Trinity.

Eagles Drop Season Opener at Catholic

Despite the rainy conditions and the opponent, it turned out to be a pleasant night for football. In fact, after enduring 100 plus degree temperatures last week, the 77 degree reading at kickoff felt downright chilly. ACA struck quickly twice in the first half, but in the end the Knights were just too strong. Catholic cruised to a 49-12 victory over the Eagles.

Alabama Christian received the opening kickoff and although they did not score, they took over four minutes off the clock and pinned Catholic on their own 13 yard line after a 48 yard punt. AC Walters converted a 3rd and 10 with a 14 yard scramble to highlight the series. Two late hits on the drive could have been called on the drive, but neither were. Jackson Burton booted an effective punt to end the series as the Catholic return man decided to let the ball go and not catch it. Lane Smith and William Milner’s tackles on first and second down set up a third down incompletion to force a Catholic punt. The kick was shanked to the right and went only 14 yards to set up the offense at the Knight’s 25 yard line. On the next play, Walters kept the ball and darted up the middle for a touchdown, stunning the home crowd. The extra point was blocked, but midway through the opening period, ACA led 6-0. However, as good teams will do, the Knights responded quickly and took the lead just 59 seconds later. Catholic scored again before the end of the period for a 14-6 lead at the end of one.

Catholic extended the lead in the second quarter with a nine play, 56 yard drive for a 21-6 cushion. Once again, ACA scored on a one play drive as David Ortiz-Ramirez took the hand off and raced 83 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-12 with 7:37 left in the second. Just like the first quarter, Catholic responded with two more scores before the half and took a 35-12 lead into the locker room.

Catholic scored in just three plays to start the third period and then the game moved rapidly as the clock ran due to the 30 point lead by the Knights. ACA would possess the ball three times in the half and was never a serious threat to score. The Catholic backups would add the final score with 2:47 left for the final 49-12 margin.

David Ortiz-Ramirez was the team’s leading rusher with 95 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. AC Walters carried the ball 12 times for 24 yards with a score and completed both of his pass attempts for 14 yards. Bryant Swindle and Jackson Burton had the team’s two receptions. On defense, William Milner led the team with six tackles while Lane Smith added five. Jaylan McCovery, Darrius Gardner and William Meeks each finished with four tackles.