MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Pickens Academy coach John Gartman gave his Pirates a stern talk at halftime Friday night.
“We were sluggish,” Gartman said. “We just started flat.”
Gartman apparently said the right things at intermission. The Pirates scored 29 points in the third quarter and went on to beat Evangel of Montgomery, Ala., 55-12 in Alabama Independent School Association Class 2A, Region 1 action.
Pickens Academy had 280 yards of offense to 147 for Evangel.
John Morgan Owens scored touchdowns of 3, 5, and 9 yards to lead Pickens Academy. Josh Lewis returned the opening kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown.
Owens got his 5-yard touchdown in the first quarter as the Pirates grabbed a 13-6 lead. Quarterback Jake Acker scored on an 18-yard carry to give Pickens Academy a 19-6 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Pirates scored on Owens touchdown runs of 5 and 9 yards and on 1-yard runs by Acker and Garrett Estes.
Sam Beachler scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter to end the Pirates” scoring.
Pickens Academy (3-3, 1-3 region) will play host to Flint Hill Christian for homecoming.
n Gordo 41, Aliceville 0: At Aliceville, Ala., Marquis Mayhew had a team-high 94 rushing yards Friday, but it wasn”t nearly enough to help the Yellow Jackets (4-2, 3-1 Class 3A, Region 4) stop the Green Wave (5-1, 4-0) in their Alabama High School Activities Association Class 3A, Region 4 game.
Lawrence Scott and Terry Mayhew each had five tackles to lead Aliceville, which rushed for 176 yards but threw for only 11 yards.
Cameron Sanders threw touchdown passes of 45 and 21 yards to Demario Lanier to help the Green Wave build a 21-0 halftime lead.
He had an 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Gordo scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.
n Berry 46, South Lamar 8: At Millport, Ala., Berry grinded out 317 rushing yards and capitalized on four Stallions fumbles.
After Berry led 26-0 at halftime, South Lamar scored its points in the third quarter. Ken Mitchell scored on a 5-yard run for the Stallions” only touchdown. Daniel Atkinson caught the two-point pass from Jordan Smith for South Lamar.
South Lamar (2-4, 1-3 AHSAA Class 1A, Region 5) will play host to Lynn in a regional game Friday.
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