Alabama Christian Beats MA in Last Minute Thriller

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

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

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

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

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

Defense helps the stripes know who has the ball.

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

Josh Kreitz celebrates ending another MA possession.

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

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

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

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

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

Hayes Hunt getting some love from his coach.

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

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

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

A night to remember for players and fans alike.

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

ACA Dominates in First Region Win of the Season

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

William Milner recovers the opening kickoff for the Eagles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brady Smith and Avery Stuart combine for the stop.

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

Alabama Christian Splits Area Games on the Week

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

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

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

Eagles Lose Region Opener at Trinity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACA Sets Scoring Record in Blowout Win Over Lynn

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

The ACA captains head to midfield for the coin toss.

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

Blake Shaw celebrates a first quarter fumble recovery.

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

Hayes Hunt winds up for a bomb to Avery Stuart.

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

Otasowie Dion looks for daylight against Lynn.

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

Jordan Frazier outruns the defense to the end zone.

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

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

Tyson Summers ties the school record with eight made PATs.

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

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

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

Josh Kreitz and friends look to stop the Lynn runner.

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

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

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

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

Cross Country

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

Eagles Steamrolled by Catholic in Season Opener

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lady Eagles Keep Regional Streak Alive

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

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

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

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

Boys Qualify for State Tournament

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

ACA Ends Season with Playoff Loss to Gordo

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

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

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

ACA Split Two Games on the Week

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

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

Boys Place Third and Girls Finish Fifth at MA Meet

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

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

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

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

Alabama Christian Wins Three Straight Area Games

The Lady Eagles closed out Area play with three consecutive wins this week to finish in a tie for second place with St James with a record of 5-3. ACA swept a doubleheader from Bullock County on Tuesday, 15-0 and 17-0, and put a damper on St James’ Senior Day by beating the Trojans, 4-3. The two teams will clash again in the Area tournament and the Eagles will come into the game knowing they can beat their opponent.

ACA honored its seniors before the games against Bullock County as Katie Chappell and Jordan Wilson were recognized. Chappell, who was injured during basketball season and has not played all season, was able to participate in game one of the twin bill and drove in two runs in the first inning and picked up a hit to help the cause. The Eagles scored eight in the first and seven in the second for the easy 15-0 three-inning triumph. Anna Williams led the offense with a 2 for 3 game with two runs scored and an RBI. Five other players also scored two runs in the game. Maddie Traywick struck out eight of the nine outs and allowed just one hit to earn the win.

Game two lasted just two innings, but the home team scored all of its runs in the first in the 17-0 demolishing of Bullock County. Seven players scored two runs as Annabelle Pugh led the charge going 2 for 2 with a double and two RBIs. Izzy Warrick hit an inside the park homer and drove in four runs and Anna Gleason had three RBIs. Warrick pitched a perfect two innings with three strikeouts.

On Thursday, ACA went to St James to try and avenge an earlier loss at the hands of the Trojans. St James started their number two pitcher, and eventually used three total pitchers, as their ace had thrown 265 pitches over sixteen innings against LAMP the previous two days. Meanwhile, Izzy Warrick was ready to go for the Lady Eagles. The Trojans struck first with back-to-back two-out singles that led to a 1-0 lead in the opening inning. ACA’s first runs came in the third inning as Lily Sconyers walked and Haley Belcher had a bunt single to put runners on first and third with one out. Campbell Hammett grounded out to drive in the first run and Warrick singled Belcher in to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. In the fifth inning, St James took advantage of two Eagle errors and regained the lead 3-2. Maddie Traywick tied the game up in the sixth with a two-out single to left that scored Diana Blackburn. The two teams headed to the seventh frame tied, 3-3. Belcher and Hammett led off the seventh with consecutive singles to put ACA in business. A Warrick ground out moved Belcher to third and Anna Williams knocked in the winner with a grounder to second to score Belcher. Warick walked the first batter of the seventh for St James, but set the next three down in order to secure the 4-3 victory.

Haley Belcher finished the game with two hits in three at-bats and scored two runs, including the game winner. Izzy Warrick was 2 for 4 with two stolen bases and an RBI and pitched a complete game for the win as she gave up no earned runs with four strikeouts over seven innings. Campbell Hammett, Maddie Traywick and Anna Williams each drove in a run in the Area win.

Alabama Christian will participate in a tournament in Hoover over the weekend and will open up with Hartselle on Friday afternoon.

Presley Lewis Leads ACA Past LAMP

Presley Lewis scored four first half goals to pace the offensive attack for the Lady Eagles in an Area contest against LAMP. Katelyn Sutton and Lynleigh Stephen assisted on two of the goals as Alabama Christian held a 4-0 lead at intermission. After a second half goal from LAMP, the Eagles answered with an Olivia Justiss goal, assisted by Lewis, to regain the four goal cushion. Presley Lewis had a hand in all five Eagle goals in the 5-1 triumph.

ACA Closes Area Play With Sweep of BTW-Tuskegee

Alabama Christian finished an undefeated week with a sweep of BTW-Tuskegee. The wins improved the Eagles Area record to 7-1 to finish in a tie with St James in the standings. ACA will be the number two seed from the Area entering the playoffs due to the Trojans winning the tiebreaker earlier in the season.

The regulars played in the first game of the twin bill and dominated BTW with a 17-0 shutout victory. Isaac Warrick threw his second no-hitter of the season as all nine outs were recorded via the strikeout in the mercy-rule game. The senior lefty became the third pitcher in program history with at least 100 strikeouts in a season. Warrick also led the charge at the plate with a 2 for 2 game with two RBIs. Preston Hicks drove in three runs and Hayes Hunt scored three runs while being hit twice in the game.

The backups and several players called up from the JV squad played the second game of the night and continued the good play of the week with a five-inning 11-1 win. Hunter Barfoot pitched four innings for the win and Landon Nelson finished the Eagles off in the fifth. Barfoot sparked the offense with a 2 for 3 effort. Hayes Hunt scored three runs while Mac Moorer drove in four Eagles. Moorer, Ari Bowman and AC Walters each collected their first varsity hit of the season.

ACA will finish the regular season Monday at PCA before traveling to Gordo for the first round of the playoffs.

Good Day to Be an Eagle - Baseball, Golf, Soccer and Softball All Win on Tuesday

Five teams with five home games/matches equaled five victories Tuesday as Alabama Christian enjoyed a very successful day. Baseball and soccer celebrated Senior Day while the softball team wore special jerseys as they recognized ovarian cancer awareness and the golf team defeated its opponent.

After sweeping a doubleheader on Monday from Bullock County, ACA continued their good play with a 13-2 defeat of Lee High School. Several seniors led the way as JT Moorer went 3 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs and Isaac Warrick homered for the second consecutive day with a two-run shot in the first. Carson Horn finished the night 2 for 3 with three runs scored and an RBI while Thomas Stovall went 2 for 4 with a run driven in.

The girls soccer team crushed BTW-Magnet 11-1 as Lynleigh Stephen scored on Senior Night. Katelyn Sutton led the offense with seven goals and Chloe Jordan added three more in the mercy-rule shortened game. The boys defeated the Yellow Jackets, too, 8-0 in the nightcap. Seniors Andrew Whang and Sean Moffett scored goals along with Tommy Sutterfield (2), Tyson Summers, Hayden Casto, Karson Oakley and Cole Henry.

The softball team got a much needed victory with a 15-2 defeat of Opelika. The Lady Eagles scored in every inning in the run-rule shortened game. Izzy Warrick earned the victory with five strikeouts over five innings and helped herself at the plate with two hits and three runs scored. Campbell Hammett went 3 for 4 with three runs scored while Diana Blackburn was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Annabelle Pugh provided the power at the plate with a homer and a double as she drove in five runs.

The boys golf team defeated Brew Tech in a nine-hole match at Arrowhead Country Club with Andrew Whang leading the way as the low medalist for the day with a score of 39. Brigg Matildo followed with a 43 and Josh Kreitz shot a 44 to round out the top three for the Eagles.

ACA Spring Sports Week in Review - Tennis Defeats Brew Tech and BTW

Tennis

The Lady Eagles defeated both Brew Tech (6-3) and BTW (8-1) in action this week. Against Brew Tech, Paige Henry (8-6), Alyson Thornton (8-0), Emma Rives (8-3) and Ava Burgess (8-5) won their singles matches. in doubles competition, the teams of Dean/Henry (8-1) and Thornton/Burgess (8-2) were victorious. Against BTW, Ava Rose Dean (8-0), Ann Welch Hilyer (8-6), Alyson Thornton (8-0), Emma Rives (8-2) and Layney Adams (8-4) won their singles matches while all three doubles pairs were triumphant.

Soccer

The boys soccer team split the week with a win and a loss. The Eagles completed the season sweep of St James with a 1-0 decision over the Trojans, but lost to MA, 0-10. The girls lost both matches this week to St James and MA, but continue to gain valuable experience. Marcy Gregory continued her good work in the net with 44 saves in the two games.

Golf

On Monday, Julie Waldo finished first in a nine-hole event with a 37 against MA at the Lagoon Park Golf Course. Later in the week, the boys team defeated PCA at Lagoon with Andrew Whang posting the low score of the day.

Eagles Drop Two of Three to St James

Last year, ACA dropped game one of the series with St James, but swept a doubleheader at home to win the tie-breaker on their way to the Area title. This year, St James turned the tables as they dropped the opener on Thursday, but responded with a sweep of Alabama Christian on Friday to take command of the Area race. The Eagles won the first game of the three game series, 1-0, in a pitcher’s duel. On Friday, ACA blew late leads and watched the Trojans score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh twice.

In a baseball rarity, both pitchers threw no-hitters on Thursday as the starters dominated. Isaac Warrick tied his season high for the second time this year with 13 strikeouts. The lone run of the game was in the bottom of the third as Thomas Stovall reached base on a wild pitch on a third strike. Hayes Hunt followed with a ground ball to first which was booted to put runners at second and third. Preston Hicks hit an 0-1 pitch to second base that scored Stovall with the eventual game-winning run. The Eagles would head to St James on Friday with first place in the Area on the line.

JT Moorer took the ball for the Eagles in the second game of the series and allowed two first-inning runs after a walk and a hit batter to start the game. The Eagles responded in the top of the second as Isaac Warrick and Hunter Barfoot opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Warrick scored on a Landon Nelson grounder to cut the lead in half. Moorer settled in and the score remained 2-1 into the sixth inning as the starter helped himself with a key base knock. With two outs and the bases loaded, Moorer hit the first pitch he saw into left field to give ACA a 3-2 lead. Two errors with one out in the home half of the inning gave St James life and the Trojans retook the lead 4-3 heading into the seventh. Alabama Christian scratched a run across in the seventh as Preston Hicks scored on a Trey Schlemmer double to tie the game, 4-4. Unfortunately, the Eagles left Schlemmer at second as three straight batters were unable to move the runner. After allowing Trojans to reach second and third with one out, ACA intentionally walked the bases loaded for a force at any base. The St James batter hit a fly ball deep enough to left to drive home the winning run and a 5-4 victory over ACA.

JT Moorer picked up the loss as he went the distance allowing only two earned while striking out seven Trojans. Isaac Warrick finished with two hits in four at bats with two runs scored while three other Eagles, Hayes Hunt, Preston Hicks and Hunter Barfoot, each had two hits.

Alabama Christian looked to regain the momentum in the tie-breaker and jumped to an early 2-0 lead. With two outs in the first, Trey Schlemmer and Isaac Warrick both knocked in runs for the two-run advantage. The Trojans answered with four runs in the bottom half to erase any early energy ACA had generated. Hayes Hunt helped his own cause in the second with a two-run triple to tie the game, 4-4. Like Moorer, Hunt settled down after a rough first inning and kept St James off the scoreboard until the sixth inning. Meanwhile, ACA added single runs in each of the next three innings to build a 7-4 lead after five innings. In the top of the sixth, the Eagles tacked on three more runs as Preston Hicks, Schlemmer and Warrick all delivered run scoring singles for a seemingly insurmountable lead. Errors again hurt ACA as St James scored four runs in the sixth, two on errors, to cut the lead to 10-8. ACA failed to score for the first time in the game in the seventh and clung to a two-run lead. Starting pitcher, Hayes Hunt, had reached his pitch limit after six innings and Hunter Barfoot entered the game in a pressure packed situation. St James took advantage and scored three runs in their half of the seventh to take the game, the series and control of the Area standings.

Trey Schlemmer went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Isaac Warrick was 2 for 3 with two runs driven in and two runs scored. Hayes Hunt pitched six innings with five strikeouts and gave up three earned runs while Hunter Barfoot got the loss in relief.