Eagles Win Third in a Row in Mistake Filled Game

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACA Beats Headland in Important Area Game

Alabama Christian traveled to Headland Friday night, where both teams were looking for their second area win of the year. The Eagles were able to avenge last year’s loss, when they gave up a program worst 74 points, by defeating the Rams 28-22. The win evened ACA’s record to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the area. Coach Nate Sanford was pleased with the good start of his team and the way they overcame falling behind twice in the second half. Sanford stated, “I’m super proud of our young team for not hanging their heads when it got tough tonight”.

The Eagles opened the game with a 12 play, 92 yard march that took more than half of the first quarter. ACA converted three third downs on the drive and scored when Corey Landers took an option pitch 11 yards to the end zone. Landers ended the night with 67 yards on 15 carries. After the defense forced a three and out from Headland, the offense needed just one play to score again. Jalen Clark ran through the Ram defense, breaking tackles and spinning away from defenders, for a 64 yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 13-0 lead. Clark would finish the night with 198 yards rushing on 25 carries and two touchdowns. Both teams possessed the ball three times in the second quarter with no results. Headland’s fourth drive of the quarter produced their only points of the first half. On fourth and goal from the 21 yard line, with just 35 seconds left in the half, the Rams sent one man out and the defense allowed him to get behind them for the scoring reception. Despite controlling the first half, the Eagles held a slim 13-8 lead going into the locker room.

Headland opened the second half with a touchdown on their second play to take their first lead of the game, 13-16. The Eagles responded immediately with another long drive to retake the lead. ACA kept the ball for over four minutes and covered 75 yards in 10 plays. The offense confused the Rams with an unusual formation on the touchdown play. Lineman, Tyler Hale, lined up wide on the right side and Bryan Farrington lined up tight on the left end.  Farrington ran straight up the seam where Jalen Clark hit him for a 17 yard touchdown. The Ram’s head coach argued on the field for several minutes after the play that the alignment was illegal, but in the end the score counted and the Eagles led 20-16.

The fourth quarter opened with another Headland score and the Eagles once again lost the lead. Just like the previous time ACA fell behind, the offense responded on the very next series with a score. The drive was set up with a 51 yard kick return by Demari Moore which allowed the offense to start at Headland’s 41 yard line. Jalen Clark scored on a 10 yard run with 4:26 left in the game and after the 2 point conversion pass to Preston Hicks, the Eagles led 28-22. As Headland tried to drive and tie the game, Demari Moore contributed another big play with an interception that ended the hopes of the Rams on their Homecoming night.

After last year’s performance, this year’s defense held Headland in check all night. Miller McCarthy led the defense with 12 total tackles and Preston Perry added another 11 tackles. Chase Whitfield, who had the hit of the night on a fourth down stop, had eight tackles.

Alabama Christian will host Lafayette for Senior night next week.

Jalen Clark Named ACA Athlete of the Week

Jalen Clark had a career night against Dale County Friday night and earned this week’s Athlete of the Week award. Clark set career highs in passing (169 yards) and rushing (204 yards) and accounted for five touchdowns (two passing and three rushing) in the area contest. Clark was the leader of the offense that scored on all seven possessions and amassed 503 yards of total offense and helped on defense with two tackles.

The junior quarterback’s 14.6 yard average per carry was the fourth best in school history and his 373 yards of total offense ranks the eighth best all time. Although this is Clark’s first year as the starting quarterback, he already ranks in many career offensive categories.

Alabama Christian Dominates in Area Win Over Dale County

The home team had won the three previous meetings of this series and the Eagles continued that trend with a convincing 49-20 defeat of Dale County Friday night. The offense scored touchdowns on all seven possessions racking up 470 yards of total offense. Coach Nate Sanford commented that not having to punt all night was a great confidence builder for his young team and although the defense had trouble getting off the field at times he was encouraged that no cheap plays were given up by the Eagles.

ACA received the opening kick and proceeded to march 80 yards in eight plays while eating up 4:27 of the first quarter clock. The drive was capped off with the first of three Jalen Clark touchdown runs and Cobi Keel added the first of his seven extra points on the night, which ties for the second most in one game in school history. After a K J Kendrick interception killed Dale County’s first drive, the Eagles scored again driving the ball 73 yards in 12 plays covering 5:57. A key fourth down conversion as time expired in the first quarter kept the momentum with the Eagles. Demari Moore finished the drive with a nine yard touchdown run and the lead extended to 14-0.

Dale County scored on their second possession of the night and cut the Eagle lead in half. A bobbled attempt on the kick return had ACA backed up on its own three yard line and it looked as if Dale County had caught a break. The offense responded and covered 97 yards in only six plays with the score coming on a 59 yard pass from Jalen Clark to Demari Moore with just 1:54 left in the first half. Moore would finish the night with 72 yards receiving and 16 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Dale County responded in a big way as they returned the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-14. The Eagles regular kick cover team was not on the field and the Warriors took advantage. Luckily, the offense bailed them out scoring in just 1:23 to close out the first half. Jalen Clark’s eight yard scoring run came with just 7.9 seconds left in the half. Alabama Christian would leave the field up 28-14 at the intermission.

Dale County started the second half with a three and out and punted the ball back to ACA. It only took the Eagles one play to score as Jalen Clark raced 53 yards down the sideline for the score. Clark would finish the night with 201 yards rushing on 13 carries and three touchdowns. Dale County held the ball for 16 plays and used 7:38 of the clock, but only drove 48 yards in that time and eventually gave up the ball on downs. The Eagles again scored quickly and took a commanding 42-14 lead late in the third quarter as Jalen Clark hit Preston Hicks for a 27 yard touchdown. Clark passed for 169 yards on the night on nine of twelve passing and Hicks was the team’s leading receiver with four receptions for 54 yards and a score. Dale County again held the ball for a long period of time, as they ran 14 plays and were able to finish this drive with a score. ACA’s last score of the night came on a 30 yard Corey Landers run and stretched the lead to 49-20. Landers tallied 84 yards on 10 rushes for the game. The Warriors failed to score on their last drive and the victory belonged to the Eagles.

The defense was on the field for many plays and a few players had big nights. Jackson Thomas led the defense with 15 total tackles. Miller McCarthy added 11 tackles while playing through injury and Bryan Farrington had 10 tackles and a sack.

The Eagles (2-3, 1-2 in the area) are idle next week and will travel to Headland in two weeks for an important area contest.

Eagles Overpowered by Catholic in Loss

Alabama Christian met its oldest rival Friday night in a key area match up with Catholic. Although the Eagles hold an overall advantage in the series, 23 wins to 18 losses, the Knights won for the fourth consecutive year by a score of 52-13. Catholic dominated from the beginning outgaining ACA 318 to 36 in the first half.

The Knights offense scored touchdowns on four of six drives in the first half on runs of 67, 10, 35 and 16 yards to build a commanding 28-0 halftime lead. The bright spot for ACA in the first half was a Demari Moore interception early in the second quarter.

The second half started just like the first half with the Knights scoring on their first two possessions building a 38-0 lead. The Eagles showed some life after a personal foul late hit on the kickoff return against Catholic that put the ball on the 43 yard line for the offense. ACA drove the ball 57 yards in six plays to score its first touchdown of the game. The key plays on the drive were a third down conversion pass to Preston Hicks that covered 14 yards and a 30 yard touchdown run by Corey Landers. After a fumble recovery by Preston Perry on the next drive, the Eagles marched 25 yards to cut the lead to 38-13. The drive was capped off with a seven yard pass to Bryan Farrington from Jalen Clark. With only 8:26 remaining in the game and still owning a four score lead, the Catholic coaching staff seemed uncomfortable with the Eagle’s two scores as the starters returned to the field. The Knights added two late touchdowns to finish the scoring and complete a 52-13 victory over the Eagles.

The Eagles were led by Corey Landers on offense who rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown and caught two passes for 14 yards. Preston Hicks had three catches which led the receiving corp. Jalen Clark passed for 64 and ran for 39 yards on the night. Miller McCarthy led the defense for the third consecutive week with 11 total tackles and Bryan Farrington added five tackles for the defense.

Next week, ACA (1-3) will host Dale County in another area contest.

Miller McCarthy Named ACA Athlete of the Week

Miller McCarthy led a strong defensive effort Friday night in a loss to Trinity. The Eagle defense gave up only 134 yards to the Wildcat offense. The junior linebacker led the stingy defense and filled up the stat sheet with 15 total tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. McCarthy ranks second on the team in tackles on the season and first in sacks.

Early Mistakes Cost ACA in Loss to Trinity

The Eagles opened area play against Trinity again this year and, like last year, were defeated by the Wildcats, 24-12. The defense played a strong game, but the Eagles dug too big of a hole to climb out of with early mistakes and turnovers, resulting in 17 Wildcat points.

The Eagles fumbled on the first play from scrimmage setting up a touchdown on the next play for Trinity and an early 7-0 lead. On the next possession, after gaining only two yards on three running plays, the Eagles lined up to punt and snapped the ball over the punter’s head and out of the end zone for a safety. On the first play of ACA’s fourth possession, Jalen Clark threw an interception returned for a touchdown. With 3:40 remaining in the first quarter the Eagles trailed 17-0. ACA outplayed Trinity for the remainder of the game, but could not overcome the mistake filled first quarter.

In the second quarter, Miller McCarthy recovered a Wildcat fumble which set up the first points of the game for ACA. Cobi Keel booted a 31 yard field goal to cut the lead to 17-3. With less than a minute left in the first half, Trinity returned an earlier favor by hiking the ball over the punter’s head for a safety. The Eagles trailed 17-5 at the intermission.

Alabama Christian opened the second half with a five play 42 yard drive, culminated on a two yard touchdown run by Jalen Clark to make the score 17-12. With the exception of an early fourth quarter touchdown drive by Trinity, both defenses dominated the second half. Neither offense was able to gain more than 150 yards of offense on the night. In the end, Trinity did enough to gain the road victory.

Miller McCarthy had an outstanding defensive performance with 15 total tackles with two sacks and a fumble recovery. Khalil Jackson and Jackson Thomas both added six tackles. Jalen Clark completed 12 of 24 passes for only 67 yards, but was under constant pressure being sacked six times on the night. Clark also led the team with 45 rushing yards.

Next week, ACA (1-2) travels across town to take on an undefeated Catholic squad.

ACA Drops Home Opener to Pike County

Alabama Christian trailed by only six points at the half, but Pike County pulled away in the second half for a 38-13 victory. Pike County returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown and never allowed the Eagles to get back in the game. The Bulldogs finished the game scoring touchdowns on their final three drives against a worn down ACA defense.

ACA allowed a touchdown on the opening drive for the second consecutive week as Rayshawn Reynolds ran 48 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles scored on the first play of the second quarter with a two yard Jalen Clark run to tie the game 6-6. ACA drove 45 yards in nine plays covering 3:14. The key play of the drive was a 25 yard completion to Kory Nixon that set the Eagles up at the two yard line. Pike County responded on the next drive and took the lead for good on a Darrick Myhand run with 9:18 left in the first half.

The second half started with a Pike County return touchdown and put the Eagles down 19-6. The next three drives produced no points in the game. At that point, Pike County scored on runs of 22, 3, and 8 yards to put the game away. ACA’s lone score of the second half came in the fourth quarter on a Jalen Clark throw to Garrett Weathers covering 12 yards. Weathers would finish the game with three receptions for 51 yards.

Jalen Clark finished the game completing 15 passes on 22 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown and added 72 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. On defense, Miller McCarthy led the team with nine total tackles and Dylan Thomas added eight tackles. Bryan Farrington and Khalil Jackson both contributed six tackles and a half sack.

Alabama Christian (1-1) will host Trinity next week in a key area game against a long time CCC foe.

Alabama Christian Defeats Saks in Season Opener

ACA traveled to Anniston to open the 2019 football season to play Saks High School. The Eagles left with their first victory of the year, beating the Wildcats, 20-12. Despite the slow start, ACA improved throughout the game and was able to hold the lead late in the game. Coach Nate Sanford commented, “It was a really good first game for us in the sense that it was a quality opponent, we had to come from behind, and then we had to seal it at the end”.

Saks struck first on their opening possession, scoring on a Quan Garrett 40 yard run to take the lead, 6-0. After both teams traded punts, the Eagle offense found its rhythm. ACA marched 69 yards in 11 plays, capped off by a two yard Jalen Clark touchdown run, to tie the game, 6-6. After a Saks turnover, the Eagles struck quickly as Clark hit Thomas Stovall on a 74 yard bomb on the third play of the drive to take the lead, 12-6. It only took Saks one play to tie the score as Tae Jones took a screen pass 58 yards to tie the game, 12-12. Both offenses had the ball one more time in the first half, but left the field tied at halftime.

The second half was dominated by the Eagles as they scored the only points of the half and won the time of possession and turnover battles. ACA scored on the first drive of the second half covering 46 yards in seven plays that took 4:31 off the clock. The scoring play was a screen pass that Corey Landers took 19 yards to the house. After the two point conversion on a K J Kendrick reception the Eagles led 20-12. The Eagles defense shutout Saks for the rest of the half and ended any hope of a last minute comeback when Kory Nixon intercepted a pass with 1:42 remaining in the game. Coach Sanford complimented the defense saying “I thought we tackled pretty well for a first game and our D-line did a solid job of controlling the line of scrimmage”.

Jalen Clark passed for 118 yards on 7 of 12 passing and added 90 yards on 16 attempts to lead the offense. Sanford assessed Clark’s performance and said “Jalen made some really good decisions and throws and our receivers made four or five tough catches that changed the game”. On defense, Jackson Thomas led the team with nine total tackles while Bryan Farrington added eight tackles. The defense also forced two turnovers.

Next week, the Eagles will host Pike County for its first home game of the year.