BRILLIANT, Ala. — The South Lamar High School football team punched its ticket for the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 1A playoffs Friday night with a 38-0 victory against Brilliant.
With the win, South Lamar (4-5, 3-3 region) clinched the fourth seed in Class 1A, Region 6. The Stallions will play a first-round game on the road Nov. 7.
“Making the postseason is a big step in the process,” South Lamar coach Shannon McGregory said. “This was our first goal we set to start the season, so it’s a big accomplishment. The kids really believed and bought in to what we are doing.”
South Lamar finished sixth in the region standings in McGregory’s first season. However, the Stallions have improved their overall and region win totals by a game apiece. The end result was a two-way tie for third place in the region and the fourth seed.
Against Brilliant (1-8, 1-5), Kyle Redmond rushed for one touchdown and passed for another. Redmond scored on a 66-yard run and hit Noah Dismuke for a 16-yard touchdown.
Hershel Smith scored on a 16-yard run, while Dustin Weathers scored on a 15-yard run.
South Lamar’s second shutout of the season was highlighted by two defensive scores. Hunter Marlowe had a 32-yard interception return, while Austin Gilliam had a 32-yard fumble return touchdown.
“The defense was incredible,” McGregory said. “Even though we had a tough game (prior week versus Hubbertville), the defense has really played well the second half of the season. We have some new faces on that side of the ball and they really grew up and matured during the season.”
South Lamar will play a non-region game at Sulligent (5-4) on Thursday night to close the regular season.
n Aliceville 34, American Christian Academy 26: At Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Yellow Jackets had some atypical results but still earned the desired result in Class 3A, Region 4 play.
With its second-straight win, Aliceville (9-1, 5-1 region) nailed down the No. 2 spot in the region and will play host to a first-round playoff game Nov. 7. The Yellow Jackets don’t play a game in the final week of the regular season.
“It was a sloppy game in a lot of way, but we were fortunate enough to make some plays and get the win,” Aliceville coach Charles Moody said. “Being top two is important because you get to play at home, so the game had a lot of meaning, and it was good to get the win.”
Aliceville committed 13 first-half penalties but forced three turnovers and scored 22 points off the takeaways. The Yellow Jackets parlayed that lead into a 22-12 halftime advantage.
“We talk about adversity all the time,” Moody said. “I really like the mental makeup of this team. Being strong-minded and having a determined will is important. We don’t worry about the mistakes. We worry about playing through them.”
Santiago Taylor threw four touchdown passes for Aliceville. Taylor hit Deonte Taylor on scoring plays of 9 and 14 yards. Taylor also found Stephon Dunner on scoring plays of 45 and 50 yards.
Aliceville also had a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Jeremy McMullen.
n Greensboro 32, Lamar County 16: At Greensboro, Alabama, the Bulldogs are still postseason-bound despite losing their final Class 3A, Region 4 game.
Lamar County (6-3, 3-3 region) finished fourth in the region after losing this head-to-head battle for third place. The Bulldogs will travel for a first-round playoff game Nov. 7.
For Greensboro (6-3, 4-2), Jessmon Wiggins had 118 yards passing, while Jamarquise Singleton had 119 yards rushing.
Darrylvontaye Campbell caught touchdown passes of 12 and 30 yards from Wiggins. Wiggins added a 22-yard touchdown pass to Wiggins. Campbell also found Jauan Conner on a 22-yard touchdown. Singleton scored on a 2-yard run.
Alex Wheeler scored both Lamar County touchdowns on runs of 8 yards and 1 yard.
Lamar County will end its regular season Thursday night with a non-region home game against Winfield (6-3).
n Pickens County 34, Fayetteville 20: At Sylacauga, Alabama, the Tornadoes completed a second-straight undefeated run through region play with their Class 2A, Region 4 win.
Pickens County (7-2, 6-0 region) will play host to a first-round playoff game Nov. 7. The Tornadoes finished 15-0 last season and won the Class 1A state championship. This season, the Tornadoes will attempt to win the Class 2A crown.
Zachary Thomas passed for three touchdowns to lead the Tornadoes. Thomas threw touchdown passes of 12, 21, and 24 yards to Javarius Jefferson. Darrien Latham ran for 134 yards, including touchdowns of 12 and 14 yards.
n Sulligent 36, Mars Hill Bible 13: At Florence, Alabama, the Blue Devils finished Class 2A, Region 8 play with the No. 2 seed thanks to their road win in their region finale.
Sulligent (5-4, 5-1 region) will play host to a first-round playoff game Nov. 7.
“We had a great start,” Sulligent coach Dennis Robbins said. “The kids really knew how important this game was. We talked about finishing the season strong. When you are playing on the road, it is really important to get off to that fast start and build on that momentum.”
Sulligent scored four first-quarter touchdowns and led 33-0 at halftime.
In the opening quarter, Nathan Gardner threw a 40-yard score to Justin Metcalfe and a 4-yard score to Cordarius Metcalfe. Roman Glass had a 8-yard rushing touchdown, while Jonas Brock returned a fumble 38 yards for another score.
A 22-yard run by Gardner created the halftime score. Max Ilg hit a 25-yard field goal to complete the Blue Devils’ scoring.
Clay Holliday threw a 58-yard touchdown pass and to Bradley Thigpen and later Thigpen caught a 15-yard touchdown from Ben August for Mars Hill Bible (1-8, 0-6).
“Being able to finish second in the region is important for this team,” Robbins said. “This team has not had a lot of success of late, so to be able to play well consistently has been very big for the growth of the program.”
Sulligent will play host to county rival South Lamar (4-5) on Thursday night to finish the regular season.
n Wilcox Academy 41, Pickens Academy 12: At Carrollton, Alabama, the Pirates fell in Alabama Independent School Association Class AA, Region 2 play Friday night.
Pickens Academy (3-5, 1-3 region) finished fourth in the region and will play a first-round playoff game on the road Nov. 7.
Joseph McGlawn had 53 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for the Pirates. McGlawn scored on a 1-yard run and hit Justin Barton on an 11-yard touchdown.
Lee Seale ran 18 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns to lead Wilcox Academy (6-2, 3-1). The Wildcats also received 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Drake Lauderdale on 12 carries.
Wilcox Academy led 21-12 at halftime.
Pickens Academy will play a non-region game at Escambia Academy (8-0) on Friday to finish the regular season.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.