MABEN — The West Oktibbeha County High School football team scored 42 points in the first half en route to a 50-30 victory against Montgomery County on Friday night.
“They played pretty good. I was proud of them,” West Oktibbeha coach Adam Lowrey said. “They were hitting really good in the passing game. They stacked the box on us to stop the run and we threw the ball really well.”
Lowrey praised the play of junior quarterback Von Smith, who directed the Timberwolves’ passing attack to several scores, including a 95-yard touchdown strike.
“I was just real pleased to see our throwing game look so good,” Lowrey said. “That was the biggest thing. We hadn’t seen that since last season. The run game didn’t look bad at all, but the forced me to throw the ball.”
Last week, West Oktibbeha County relied on its running game to beat University Christian 44-35. This week, Lowrey said Montgomery stacked the box and dared West Oktibbeha to beat it through the air. Lowrey said he will take it any time a team gives it to his squad.
“It just kind of clicked,” Lowrey said. “Like I always say winners find a way to win and losers find a way to lose. Last week, we had to run the ball, and we did. We sustained long drives and tonight was the complete opposite.
“The Lord really blessed us. The boys did really well. We had no cramps this week. That was a big plus.”
n Leake Academy 35, Immanuel Christian 8: At Madden, Jason Davis scored on a 48-yard run in the fourth quarter to account for the scoring as the Rams slipped to 0-2.
Immanuel Christian trailed 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 at the end of three quarters.
Norris Harris paced the Rams with 13 carries for 122 yards. Davis added 48 yards on seven carries. His touchdown came with 2 minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the game.
Immanuel Christian ate up nearly all of the clock in the third quarter, only to see the drive end on a fourth-and-goal situation.
James Wriley and Harris led the defense with seven tackles, while Michael Tate had six.
Immanuel Christian will play host to Marshall Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
n Winston Academy 42, Oak Hill Academy 6: At Louisville: Fullback Reid Posey scored on a 2-yard fullback dive in the third quarter to account for the scoring for the Raiders (0-2, 0-1 district).
Winston Academy led 34-0 at halftime.
“It was pretty much controlled (by Winston Academy) from the get-go,” Oak Hill Academy first-year coach Benjie Merchant said. “We’re just young and we’re not where we need to be as a program.”
Merchant said the Raiders were able to run the ball better than they did in a season-opening loss to Newton Academy. He also said he was proud his players didn’t quit, especially in a situation where it would have been easy for them to do so.
“We knew we were outmanned and outgunned from the get-go,” Merchant said. “With me being new, we knew the philosophy had to change, and we knew it was going to be a tough one, and it was.”
Merchant praised Chance Livingston and Posey for running hard and for playing both ways. Livingston and Posey also play linebacker.
Oak Hill Academy plays next week at Indianola Academy.
n Okolona 21, East Webster 10: At Okolona, Four turnovers foiled the Timberwolves’ attempt to rally.
East Webster (1-1) built a 10-7 halftime lead thanks to a 6-yard touchdown rush by Deangelo Liggins and a 25-yard field goal by eighth-grader Tyler Cosby.
“The kids played very hard,” East Webster coach Doug Wilson said. “As coaches, we can’t fault their effort. When you are a young team like this, you want to see effort. You want to get better from game to game. I thought we did that. I thought we played really well against a very fast, veteran team.”
The Chieftains opened the scoring with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown. After Liggins rush and Cosby’s PAT tied the game, East Webster took the lead on the successful field goal try as the half expired.
In the second half, Okolona took the lead on an interception return for touchdown. The insurance score came after a fumble recovery set the hosts up in the red zone.
“We just made too many turnovers,” Wilson said. “They were critical, back-breaking turnovers. We will get better and learn how to eliminate our mistakes. This one hurts because we had a chance against a really good team. However, you can’t fault the effort. We will get better from here.”
West Alabama
n Pickens County 47, American Christian Academy 42: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Demarco Hall saved his final touchdown for just the right time.
Hall scored on a 2-yard run with 19.5 seconds remaining in the game Friday night to lead the Tornadoes to their season-opening victory.
ACA scored with about two minutes left in the game to take a 42-41 lead. Pickens County took the ensuing kickoff and got the ball at about the 45. With no timeouts remaining, coach Patrick Plott said his team stayed with the pass and used a big gainer on a swing pass to Hall out of the backfield and another pass from Devonte Simon to LaJuan Doss to move into scoring position.
“They responded well,” Plott said of his team being put in position to run a two-minute offense with the game on the line. “It is something we work on every week. We drove down and got the win.”
Plott also credited Simon, a sophomore in his first year as starting quarterback, for playing well.
“He made a few mistakes that we have to get corrected, but he played well,” Plott said.
Pickens Academy, which trailed 26-14 at halftime, rallied thanks to a six-touchdown effort by Hall, who Plott said is still not at 100 percent. Hall scored one of his touchdowns on a 99-yard kick return.
“The kid has heart and he wants to win,” Plott said of Hall. “He is going to give us everything he has to give to give his team a chance to win.”
Hall also intercepted a pass on American Christian’s final play of the game.
n Restoration Academy 35, Pickens Academy 9: At Birmingham, Ala., Josh Lewis scored on a 66-yard run in the first quarter, but the Pirates fell to 0-2 in their game at Birmingham Southern University.
“We played hard,” Pickens Academy coach John Gartman said. “We improved from last week. We were just outmanned. That is what it boils down to sometimes.”
Gartman praised the play of Lewis, who also led the team with six tackles at safety, and linebacker Hunter Booth, who added four tackles.
Lewis had 24 carries for 143 yards. He also kicked the extra point. He was 2 of 2 for 20 yards passing. Garrett Estes also had 20 carries for 32 yards
Pickens Academy will play host to Springwood at 7 p.m. Friday.
“There’s no cupcakes on the horizon,” Gartman said. “We have to regroup and see how we do against them. From what I have heard they should be as good or better than they were last year (when they made it to the Class 2A state title game).”
n Greene County 28, Aliceville 20: At Eutaw, Ala., A pair of second-quarter touchdowns lifted Greene County past Aliceville in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets had flashes of offensive success but were undone by eight turnovers. Aliceville threw five interceptions and fumbled three times.
For Aliceville, Terry Mayhew had two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Christopher Crowell was 17 of 32 for 185 yards and one touchdown.
The Yellow Jackets opened the scoring on a 4-yard run by Mayhew. That score capped a 13-play, 57-yard drive.
Greene County answered when Rakiyah Mobley scampered 78 yards on the ensuing kickoff return. The Tigers grabbed the lead for good on a two-point rush by Charles Powell.
The Tigers scored 20 straight points to grab a 20-6 halftime lead. A Lederian Walker interception return and 10-yard touchdown pass from Charles Powell to Walker provided those points for the visitors.
In the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets rallied with a three-play, 35-yard drive. On this possession, Crowell hit Demario Lanier for a 19-yard touchdown.
After allowing another score, Aliceville closed the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Mayh
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