ACA Varsity Basketball Sweeps Ellwood Christian

Alabama Christian hosted Ellwood Christian from Selma Friday night and both teams posted impressive wins. Both offenses produced their highest point totals of the season and were able to substitute freely in the second half.

In the girls game, it took a little while for the offense to get rolling as the game remained relatively close through the first period. The ACA (2-3) pressure harassed Ellwood early and caused eight turnovers by the visitors in the first. Annabelle Pugh and Jaide Newkirk had four of the team’s six steals in the quarter to help spur a 14-8 advantage. Campbell Hammett opened the second with a steal and score and then found Izzy Warrick for a score for a quick four points in thirty seconds. Ellwood responded and scored consecutive baskets to cut the lead to 18-12 with just over six minutes left in the half. After a timeout, Alabama Christian scored the next seventeen points over three minutes to bust the game open. Jaide Newkirk led the attack with ten points during the run and finished with 18 points in the first half. A Katelyn Sutton bucket late in the period gave ACA a 41-19 headed into the half.

The Lady Eagles scored the first eight points of the second half to build a thirty point cushion. The lead extended to thirty-five by the end of the quarter as the bench logged major minutes. Sam Burgess, who made her varsity debut on Tuesday, scored the first point of her varsity career with a free throw with under a minute left in the third and would add a three pointer in the final period. With a thirty point lead, the fourth quarter moved quickly as the clock ran continuously. Another freshman, Madison Williams scored the first points of her career with a trey to close out the scoring on the night. The final was a resounding 75-31 victory.

Jaide Newkirk led all scorers with 29 points with 11 rebounds and three steals. The performance was Newkirk’s third double-double of the season. Kately Sutton filled the stat sheet with 20 points, five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Izzy Warrick was the third player to hit double digits with ten points and added five rebounds, five steals, and four assists.

After splitting two nail biters earlier in the week, ACA (3-3) didn’t mind a bit of a breather on Friday night. Like the girls, the boys took a while to click early as they led just 5-4 with three minutes left in the quarter. The Eagles scored the last nine points in the first to take a 14-4 lead into the second quarter. After giving up the first points of the second quarter, ACA ran off eleven consecutive points to extend the lead to 25-7. Jayden Jones and Darius Gardner both scored twice in the stretch to lead the offense. The lead continued to build through the remainder of the half as ACA led 39-15 at the break. Gardner (8) and Tyree Saadiq (7) led the offense through the first two quarters.

The offense got going in the third as the team shot 52.9% (9 for 17) from the field in the quarter. Five of the nine makes were assisted as the ball moved crisply for the Eagles. Tyree Saadiq led the charge with six points in the period on two made threes. The lead ballooned to 43 points with the 61-18 margin at the end of the third. The clock ran in the fourth quarter with the big lead. TJ Merritt and Kaiden Green both scored off the bench in the final eight minutes as the game ended with a 69-24 final score.

Ten different Eagles scored on the night and were led by Tyree Saadiq with 13 points and five assists and Jayden Jones with 10 points. Three players, Darius Gardner, Connor Mark, and Christian Snipes, each scored nine points. For the third straight game Gardner led the team in rebounds with eight and Mark had a team high three steals.

Alabama Christian next plays at home against LAMP on Tuesday, December 5th.

Alabama Christian Defeats PCA in Home Opener

Alabama Christian (2-3) defeated PCA for just the second time in program history Thursday night with a 48-47 thriller at home. It was a long night at the gym with four games and an innumerable amount of traveling calls, but the boys varsity squad made it worth the wait.

Amazingly, PCA scored the first point of the night at the stripe for their only lead of the game. Christian Snipes scored on the next possession and the Eagles would never trail again. Snipes and Connor Mark combined for ten points in the opening period as ACA led 14-8 after one. In the second quarter the lead grew to seven on two occasions with Mac Moorer and Connor Mark threes. After Mark’s bucket, PCA responded with five points over the final fifty seconds to trim the lead to 23-21 at the half.

Mac Moorer and Jayden Jones hit back to back shots to open a 28-21 lead early in the third quarter. Late in the period the lead grew to eleven as Moorer connected on his second bomb of the half. With just over a minute left in the third, PCA responded with a three ball and gained immediate possession after a foul was called against ACA on the rebound. The Panthers converted to score five points on the possession which cut the lead to six. Another PCA three at the buzzer cut the lead to 40-36 as the team’s prepared for the fourth. ACA outscored the visitors 8-3 over the first four minutes of the final quarter. Moorer’s fourth three of the night gave ACA a 48-39 lead with just over four minutes to play. If you remember the final score, you realize those were the last points scored by the good guys on the evening. With three minutes left, the Panthers scored to cut the lead to 48-41. After an Eagle miss, PCA scored again to cut the lead to four as they had two offensive rebounds on the possession. On ACA’s next time down the court they were called for their fourth charge of the quarter to give the ball back to PCA. The Panthers hit a three to cut the lead to 48-47 with 1:45 left. ACA tried to run the clock out from there and almost made it, but a turnover with 16 seconds left gave the visitors one last chance. After calling a timeout with 9.9 seconds left, the Panthers ran a play and got a decent look but the ball rattled out and the Eagles hung on for the victory.

Alabama Christian finished with three players in double figures. Christian Snipes had 12 points with three rebounds along with Mac Moorer who had 12 on four made threes. Connor Mark finished with 10 points in the win. Darrius Gardner was again the team’s leading rebounder with six while Sam Davisdon and Tyree Saadiq both had five assists to lead the team.

Alabama Christian will host Ellwood Christian from Selma on Friday, December 1st.

ACA Picks Up First Win of the Year at Thorsby

The Lady Eagles (1-3) notched their first victory of the season with a 56-39 triumph at Thorsby. The seventeen-point final margin was not indicative of how close the contest really was as the game was tied with just over six minutes left. ACA closed the deal with a 19-2 run to pull away late.

In the first period, the Eagles tried the whack-a-mole method of defense as they committed eleven fouls in the quarter and put Thorsby in the bonus just two minutes in. The Rebels took advantage and scored nine of their twelve points from the line in the first. Izzy Warrick scored seven in the first eight minutes to give ACA a 15-12 lead headed to the second. Every time it looked as if Alabama Christian was going to make a run, the home team bounced back and kept the game close for the remainder of the first half. Katelyn Sutton hit two free throws with 3:33 left in the quarter to give ACA a six-point lead, its biggest of the half. Thorsby cut the lead to three, 23-20, but Jaide Newkirk hit three of four free throws in the final thirty-seven seconds to give ACA a 26-22 lead at the break.

Thorsby managed to tie the game 28-28 midway through the third, but ACA countered with a 9-4 run to close the quarter led by Jaide Newkirk’s five points during the stretch. The Lady Rebels scored the first five points of the final stanza and tied the contest 37-37 with just over six minutes to play. Katelyn Sutton broke the tie with a long three that Thorsby dared her to take and she kindly obliged. Izzy Warrick scored on the next two possessions with a three and a theft and a bucket to stretch the lead to eight points. From that point the defensive pressure intensified and Thorsby was held to just three shots attempted the rest of the way.

The scoring duties were handled by a trio of players as Jaide Newkirk, Izzy Warrick, and Katelyn Sutton scored 54 of the team’s 56 points. Newkirk scored 20 and equaled her career best with 18 rebounds along with three assists and three steals. Warrick finished with 20 as well with five rebounds and five steals. Sutton had 14 points with five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

In the nightcap, the boys team lost a close one to Thorsby, 47-49. The game was a back and forth affair as the lead changed hands eight times. After falling behind 3-10 in the first period, ACA (1-3) scored the next eight points, four by Jayden Jones, to take its first lead of the night. The first ended with the Rebels holding a one-point lead. Sam Davidson hit threes on consecutive possessions to help retake the lead and Jones’ bucket two minutes into the second period gave ACA a 20-15 lead. After another basket, the first of two long scoring droughts haunted the Eagle offense. The visitors from Montgomery did not score over the final five minutes of the half and Thorsby took advantage to build a 27-22 lead at the half.

Jayden Jones and Tyree Saadiq combined to score the first six points of the second half to vault ACA back into the lead two minutes into the quarter. Although the Rebels retook the lead, Sam Davidson closed the period with a trey for a 36-35 lead headed into the fourth. Unfortunately, the second shooting dry spell occurred in the final quarter as ACA did not score in the first six minutes of the period. Again, Thorsby took advantage and built its biggest lead of the night, 48-36, and looked poised to run away with it. Finally, the Eagle offense was resuscitated and the visitors made a furious effort to come back. Christian Snipes and Connor Mark hit back to back baskets to cut the lead to 41-48 and force a timeout with 1:26 left. After a Mark steal, Saadiq was fouled after a made bucket and his free throw cut the lead to 44-48 with 1:03 left. Thorsby missed a pair of free throws, but Sam Davisdon hit all three of his, after being fouled, to cut the lead to one with 27.1 seconds left. The Rebels connected on one of two freebies on their next trip and ACA got a good look at a game-winning three, but could not connect as Thorsby held on for the 49-47 win.

Sam Davidson led the offense with 12 points and added four rebounds. Tyree Saadiq had 11 points with seven rebounds and four assists while Christian Snipes finished with nine points and six boards. Darrius Gardner led the team with nine rebounds.

Alabama Christian Opens Season in Holiday Tournament

Both boys and girls teams opened the season in the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation Tip Off Tournament during the week of Thanksgiving. Coach Jake Mitchell picked up his first win as the ACA head coach in a victory over Notasulga.

Boys tournament - JAG (Jeff Davis)

The boys team opened the season under new coach Jake Mitchell with a match up against JAG High School (more commonly known as Jeff Davis). The offense never got on track in the 33-62 loss to JAG. ACA committed 22 turnovers which led to 18 less shots attempted than their opponent. JAG dominated down low as they out rebounded ACA 36-21 and outscored them 26-10 in the paint.

Connor Mark led the team with seven points and three steals. A pair of Eagles, Sam Davidson and Christian Snipes, both contributed six points on the afternoon. Snipes and Jayden Jones led the team with four rebounds each.

PCA

Day two saw the Eagles play against PCA. ACA led 13-10 at the end of the first, but were outscored 14-4 in the second to trail 24-17 at the half. The game was relatively even in the second half and the Panthers won by ten, 54-44.

Tyree Saadiq led the team in scoring with 14 points with five rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Sam Davidson added 11 points with three rebounds. Jayden Jones and Mac Moorer each contributed six points. Darius Gardner led the team with seven rebounds and four blocks.

Notasulga

The final game of the week saw ACA win their first of the year with a 60-39 defeat of Notasulga. The Eagles started quick and built a 17-5 lead at the end of the first period. Jayden Jones led the way with six points as six different Eagles scored in the quarter. Notasulga scored the first five points of the second, but Alabama Christian rebounded with a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 27-12 and led by twelve at the break. The third period was even, but ACA used a 13-2 run in the fourth to extend the lead to twenty-one points.

Connor Mark led the team with 15 points with four rebounds and four steals. Jayden Jones was one rebound short of a double-double as he finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Mac Moorer got hot late and added 10 points with three rebounds.

Girls tournament - Brew Tech

ACA began the season against a tough Brew Tech squad that reached the Final Four in Class 5A last year. Alabama Christian took the Rams to overtime before dropping the contest, 40-44. The game was tight throughout as Brew Tech held a 24-18 lead at the break. The Eagles held their opponent to just two points in the third period to cut the lead to two heading into the fourth. ACA scored the final seven points of regulation to force the extra session despite losing Katelyn Sutton with 2:40 left due to five fouls. The Rams outscored ACA 7-3 in the OT period to secure the win.

Jaide Newkirk recorded the first double-doubles of the season with a team leading 12 points and 16 rebounds. Izzy Warrick also reached double figures with 11 points and five rebounds. Campbell Hammett finished with nine points and six boards while Katelyn Sutton added eight points, seven steals, four rebounds, and three assists.

MA

The Lady Eagles looked to rebound against the host school on Tuesday, but looked out of sync as MA built a 20-9 lead late in the second period. ACA scored the last five points of the half to cut the lead to six points at the break. Although the contest remained close through the second half, Alabama Christian dropped another four point decision, 38-42.

Izzy Warrick led all scorers with 19 points and five steals. Jaide Newkirk added 13 points with eight boards and four steals. Katelyn Sutton had a team best five assists.

Catholic

ACA finished the tournament with a match up against longtime opponent, Catholic. Both of the teams came out hot and combined for 46 points in the first period. The Knights led 26-20 heading into the second quarter. Catholic doubled the lead in the period and took a 41-29 lead into the halftime. The third quarter belonged to Catholic who used a 19-0 run to build a thirty point bulge. The game ended with a Catholic victory, 68-41.

A trio of players, Izzy Warrick, Campbell Hammett, and Katelyn Sutton, each scored nine points to lead the team. Right behind them was Jaide Newkirk with eight points. Newkirk lead the team with five rebounds.

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.

Volleyball and Cross Country Open Year in Athletics

The year in sports kicked off this week as the volleyball and cross country teams both participated in their first action of the year.

In volleyball, the Lady Eagles split a tri-match on Thursday at St James with a win over Tallassee before falling to the host school, St James. In game one, ACA overpowered Tallassee in two straight, 25-15, 25-5. The Eagles service game was in mid season form with 15 aces in the match. Morgan Bond and Josie Dye led the squad with four aces apiece. In the nightcap, the Lady Eagles dropped two in a row 11-25, 11-25. On the day, Taegan Scott had seven kills and three blocks while Morgan Bond had four aces, three kills and two blocks. Savannah Dorman finished with seven assists while Annabelle Pugh had six digs.

On Saturday, Kate Finch represented the varsity cross country program at the MA Cross Country Invitational in Grady. The senior runner dominated with a first place finish with a time of 20:17.84 in the girls division beating her closest competitor by more than 17 seconds. Abby Zenor and Avery Moore both finished in the Top 10 in the JV category to help ACA to a second place team finish.

Alabama Christian Run Rules MA

What a way to finish the home season! Preston Hicks started the home season with two homers against Catholic and Hayes Hunt finished it with two bombs against MA in a 13-3 victory. ACA scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to finish the game.

Neither team scored during the first two innings as both teams managed just one hit. The home team put three on the board in the bottom of the third to start the scoring. Hayes Hunt drilled a long one to center for a 2-0 lead followed by Landon Nelson doubling in Preston Hicks to extend the lead to three runs. MA scored two in the fourth to cut the lead to one, but ACA answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half. Hunt delivered the big blow as he smashed another two-run homer as the lead was stretched to 6-2.

MA scored one to cut the lead in half, but ACA ended it in the bottom half. Jud Graham walked to start the festivities followed by a single by David Ortiz-Ramirez. With two on and no outs, MA made sure Hayes Hunt couldn’t go yard again as they hit him on a 2-2 count to load the bases. Three of the next four batters drew bases-loaded walks to run the score to 9-3. Mac Moorer, Landon Nelson and William Milner each drove a run in with the base on balls. Kaleb Hopkins and Ari Bowman each singled in a single run to make the score 11-3. Graham started the fun in the inning and ended it with a game-ending two-run single and a ten-run victory.

Hayes Hunt starred at the plate as he finished 2 for 3 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBIs and efficiently took care of MA on the mound with a complete game effort. Hunt needed just 72 pitches over six innings with three strikeouts in the win. Three other batters, Preston Hicks, Jud Graham and David Ortiz-Ramirez each had two hits to help the cause.

ACA finishes the season with a doubleheader at MA Friday afternoon.

ACA Beats LAMP on Senior Night

Alabama Christian celebrated its three seniors before the contest against LAMP Monday night and celebrated a 6-4 win over the Golden Tigers afterward. Hunter Barfoot, Preston Hicks and Hayes Hunt’s careers are coming to a close and each senior contributed in the victory. Barfoot gutted out six innings on the mound to pick up the victory while Hicks and Hunt combined for three of the team’s six hits, drove in two runs and scored three runs.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Preston Hicks doubled to center field to start a rally aided by LAMP’s defensive miscues. William Milner and Landon Nelson both reached on Tiger errors for a 2-0 first-inning lead. In the second inning, the Eagles scored two more runs with two outs. David Ortiz-Ramirez and Hayes Hunt both walked and then scored on a single by Mac Moorer and a fielding error by the right fielder. LAMP was able to get on the scoreboard with a two-out single in the fourth to cut the score to 4-1.

ACA answered with two more runs in the bottom half as Hayes Hunt tripled in David Ortiz-Ramirez and later scored himself on a Preston Hicks single. The home team led 6-1 after four innings. LAMP scored one in the sixth to cut the lead to four runs. In the seventh, Hicks came into a save situation after the first two Tiger hitters walked. The senior induced a ground ball and exchanged a run for an out. Down three runs with one out, LAMP chose to sacrifice the runner over to third and the Eagles gladly took the second out. Although LAMP scored its fourth run on a wild pitch, the next batter struck out looking to end the game.

Preston Hicks finished 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI and picked up the save to finish the game. Landon Nelson went 2 for 4 with Hayes Hunt and Mac Moorer picking up the other two hits. Hunter Barfoot earned the win with six tough innings and three strikeouts. Moorer produced two exceptional diving stops at second to get the runner at first at key times late in the game.

Alabama Christian closes out the season with a three-game series with MA starting on Thursday. The two teams will play once at the AUM baseball complex on Thursday and a doubleheader at MA on Friday.

Alabama Christian Defeats St James in Extra Innings

It wasn’t easy and the Eagles made it exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time, but in the end, ACA came out on top in a must-win contest at St James. Alabama Christian trailed by two after four innings, tied the game in the fifth, took the lead in the sixth, and extended the advantage to 7-4 in the top of the seventh. To the Trojan’s credit, the home team scored three times in the bottom half to force extra innings. ACA scored one in the ninth and kept St James off the board for the 8-7 triumph.

Landon Nelson got the offense off to a good start in the first inning with a two-out single that scored Hayes Hunt and Preston Hicks. Hunt set the Trojans down 1-2-3 in the bottom half. The Eagles needed the senior lefty to fight and keep the team in the game and he delivered all day long. St James scored three in the second and one in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.

In the fifth, Mac Moorer sacrificed in David Ortiz-Ramirez to cut the lead to one and Hayes Hunt scored on an infield error to tie the game, 4-4. The Trojans committed six errors in the game to help the Eagle’s cause. With two outs in the sixth, Ortiz-Ramirez drew a walk and stole second base. Hunt drove him in with a double to right to give ACA a 5-4 lead. In the seventh, Kaleb Hopkins drove in the team’s sixth run and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Eagles a seemingly comfortable 7-4 advantage. 

Hunt retired the first two batters in the home half, but two walks and an infield error loaded the bases. Consecutive St James singles tied the game, 7-7. A second error reloaded the bases, but Hunt induced a pop-up to first baseman Kaleb Hopkins to send the game to extra innings. Both teams were retired in order in the eighth. Preston Hicks led off the ninth with a double but was still standing on third with two outs. On a 1-2 count, Hicks scored on a passed ball to help ACA retake the lead. Mac Moorer looked to pick up a save as he pitched the ninth frame. After a leadoff walk, the Trojans gave away an out to move the runner to second. The next batter bunted for a base hit to third leaving runners at first and third with one out. For the third straight time, St James attempted to bunt, but Moorer came off the mound and threw home for the fielder’s choice. The last Trojan batter flew out to left and the Eagles hung on for an 8-7 thriller in nine innings.

Hayes Hunt picked up the win with eight innings of work as he allowed three earned runs on 104 pitches. Mac Moorer picked up the save as he blanked St James in the ninth. At the plate, Preston Hicks led the team with three hits in five at-bats with a double and three runs scored, including the game-winner. Hunt finished 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Landon Nelson, Kaleb Hopkins and Ari Bowman each had a single hit. Nelson drove in two runs to lead the team.

The two Area foes are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday to finish the series.

ACA Swept in Doubleheader by PCA

Alabama Christian looked to bounce back after a loss to PCA on Thursday but lost both games of a doubleheader and was swept by the Panthers. The Eagles committed six more errors in the twin bill for a total of eleven mishaps for the series. ACA falls to 0-2 in the Area with the losses.

In game one, the Eagles scored in the top of the first as Preston Hicks scored Hayes Hunt on a grounder to second base. PCA responded with three in the bottom half as they cleared the bases on a single and an outfield error. The Panthers clearly snatched any momentum the Eagles had with an early lead. PCA tacked on two more runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to build a 6-1 cushion. 

ACA showed signs of life as they strung together consecutive hits and closed the gap to 6-3. Kaleb Hopkins and William Milner both drove in runs in the inning. PCA got both of them back in the bottom of the sixth as Mac Moorer recorded the final out on just one pitch. The Eagles put the first two men on in the top of the seventh, but the next three batters didn’t make it out of the infield for the 8-3 loss.

Five Eagles had hits as Kaleb Hopkins doubled while Hayes Hunt, Mac Moorer, Preston Hicks and William Milner all singled. Landon Nelson took the loss after five innings of work with six strikeouts. Hunter Barfoot and Moorer both relieved in the sixth inning.

In game two, Mac Moorer continued to pitch and took the lead into the sixth inning until two costly errors derailed the chance for the victory. ACA scored first in the top of the third as Moorer and William Milner both had run-scoring singles. Moorer held the Panthers down for five innings on an economical fifty pitches. Unfortunately, a defense that worked for him up until the sixth committed two critical errors.

The inning started with a walk and an error on a fly ball to left field. After a strikeout, PCA doubled in a run and scored again on a sac fly to tie the game, 2-2. A second walk put runners at first and third with two outs, but an infield error allowed the game-winning run to score for PCA. The Eagles went quietly in the seventh, three up and three down.

The offense produced five singles in the contest and no batter reached safely more than once. Mac Moorer took the loss despite giving up just one earned run over six innings with four strikeouts.