November 18, 2006 02:32 am
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Johnson 43, Cullman 14
By Brandon Shields
bshields@cullmantimes.com
HUNTSVILLE — In a game when the Cullman Bearcats needed a lot to go right for them, nothing did as Cullman fell to J.O. Johnson by a score of 43-14 to end the Bearcats’ season in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
After neither team was able to score in the first quarter, the Jaguars got on the board and jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second period.
Cullman head coach Mark Britton said he had to give Johnson credit for the way it pulled out to the lead.
“I thought Johnson did a great job of keeping the ball away from us,” Britton said. “Then they played a man coverage and stayed right in our face, and we had a hard time getting receivers open.”
When the two teams went into the lockerroom at halftime, Johnson had gained a total of 290 yards en route to its 21 points.
Both teams turned the ball over with lost fumbles on their first possession, but Johnson’s offense came back onto the field in the first quarter and marched the ball 58 yards down field on a 13-play drive that ate the remainder of the opening quarter and the first 2:11 of the second quarter off the clock.
Cullman then came out and had to punt after three plays, and Johnson scored five plays later after a 30-yard pass and a 40-yard run to put the Jaguars 6 yards away from the goal line.
Cullman tried to fight back and get on the scoreboard, but the Bearcats were unable to get a first down before having to punt the ball again.
Johnson then took the ball down the field 56 yards in seven plays to go up by three touchdowns late in the second quarter before Cullman hurried the ball down field only to turn it over on downs on the Jaguars’ 43-yard line.
“After we got into that hole on the scoreboard, we had to take a few risks to try to score some points,” Britton said. “We probably took some high-risk chances, but you have to if you want to score sometimes.”
Johnson came close to scoring another touchdown before halftime, but Cullman’s Colton Terry intercepted a pass inside the Bearcats’ 5-yard line and returned it out to the 30 with a few seconds remaining in the quarter.
Cullman tried a hook-and-lateral to score a 70-yard touchdown, but it did not work, giving Johnson a 21-0 halftime lead.
It looked as if the second half might go Cullman’s way when the Bearcats came out and took the ball down field for a score in the third quarter’s opening drive.
Running back Michael Timmons got the Bearcats in scoring position when he ran the ball six times and gained a total of 36 yards, and Cullman got on the scoreboard when Tyler Caldwell hit senior receiver Russell Miller for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
However, Johnson responded when Cullman tried an onside kick that the Jaguars recovered and ran back for a 50-yard score.
After Cullman turned the ball over with an interception on its next possession, Johnson kept the momentum in its favor by eating more time on the clock with a 14-play, 92-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard run to give the Jaguars a 36-7 lead with 11:46 remaining in the game.
Cullman showed it still had some fight left two plays later when Caldwell hit Miller again for a score, this time for 64 yards, but Johnson responded two plays later with a 37-yard touchdown run to finish the game’s scoring.
Britton said this year’s senior group was one that has done a lot for the football program at Cullman, right to the very end.
“I thought the seniors showed great leadership tonight and all season,” Britton said. “They have helped the program get a lot of wins during their four years at the varsity level, and we’re certainly going to miss their leadership.”
Cullman finishes the season as one of the final 16 teams in 5A playing with an overall record of 7-5.
Clay County 55, Good Hope 13
By Tommy Chandler
For the Cullman Times
ASHLAND — Class 3A, No. 1-ranked Clay County used a combination of methodical precision and lightning-quick strikes to score on all six first-half possessions against Good Hope to take a 41-0 lead into the half.
The Panthers scored again on their first drive of the second half and once again with their second stringers to beat previously 10-1 Good Hope 55-13, ending the Raiders season and eliminating them in the second round of the 2006 AHSAA Playoffs.
“They’ve got a heck of a team,” Raiders’ head coach Chris Moss said following the game. “They’re one of the best 3A teams I’ve seen – maybe 4A and 5A, too.”
Feeling Clay County’s defensive secondary may have been their weakest unit, Good Hope won the opening toss and elected to receive. Three plays later on fourth-and-15, Good Hope’s Derek Stanley lined up to punt after a 2-yard run, a 10-yard sack and a 5–yard pass by the Raiders' offense.
Five of Good Hope’s eight first-half drives would follow the same pattern – three plays and then punt.
“Defensively, they just stuffed us,” Moss said. “And offensively, they killed us with too many big plays. That’s what good teams do.”
The undefeated Panthers’ special teams also flexed their muscle against the Raiders. After Good Hope’s first possession, the ensuing punt return was returned 45-yards for a touchdown but was called back due to an illegal block by the Clay County. The Panthers would atone for that mistake when Clay County’s Josh Simmons returned Stanley’s third punt of the night for 57-yards and a touchdown.
Clay County’s first-half scoring, in order, came on a 2-yard run, a 4-yard run, a 57-yard punt return, an 18-yard pass, a 26-yard run and a 14-yard run.
Clay County quarterback Chase Horn finished the night completing 8-of-9 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown – all in the first half.
Lanell Wilson, Clay County’s leading rusher, finished with 118 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns.
Simmons scored three touchdowns three different ways for the Panthers – the punt return, an 18-yard reception and a 26-yard scoring run on his lone carry of the night.
For Good Hope, quarterback Ryan Hodges finished with 138 yards passing on 10-of-18 completions with a 45-yard touchdown to Jamie Epperly and with one interception. Hodges also had a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Raiders were able to manage only a total of 38 yards rushing on 32 attempts – most of that coming late against the Panthers second- and third-string players.
“Good Hope has a good program and they’re well coached,” Clay County head coach Danny Horn said. “Tonight, we just had more speed than they did.”
Woodland 35, Addison 3
By Johnny Thornton
sports@cullmantimes.com
ADDISON — Pure speed and brute strength is the sign of a good football team. Those two categories were enough for the Woodland Bobcats to end the Addison Bulldogs’ run at a return trip to Birmingham by a 35-3 margin Friday night in the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs.
Woodland used the legs of senior Trae Strain, who scored on an 80-yard run and returned a kickoff 90 yards for the score, to ignite the Bobcats to a 28-3 lead at the end of the first half. The strength at the line of scrimmage by the visitors from Randolph County held Addison to 10 yards rushing in the first half and sent starting quarterback Jake Gilliand out of the game by halftime with an aparent shoulder injury.
“Woodland has a great football team,” coach Randy White said following the game. “They beat us in all phases of the game. They forced us into a lot of mistakes. I hate to go out like this, especially for our seniors, but that’s the facts of life.”
When the game began, it appeared the champions from Region 8 were ready to go toe to toe with the runner-up from Region 6. Elliott Carpenter returned the opening kickoff 49 yards putting Addison in business at the Woodland 31. The Bulldogs drove to the 10-yard line before Gilliland was sacked for a 15-yard loss that forced a long field goal attempt.
Gilliland missed the 42-yard try and Woodland had the ball at its 20 with 6:52 to go in the first quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage, Strain found a seam and went the distance to put the Bobcats ahead 6-0. The extra point was no good.
Gilliland took a low snap on a punt attempt and was ruled down at the 13-yard line late in the quarter. In three plays, the Bobcats were back in the end zone when Alex Higgins took it in from the three. A pass to Higgins was good for two points and a 14-0 lead after the opening period.
Addison got good field position early in the second quarter when Bradley Johnson intercepted a pass at the Woodland 48. The Bulldogs drove to the eight-yard line and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Gilliland and were down 14-3 at the 7:23 mark.
Then Strain broke loose by taking the kickoff from his 10 and went the distance to extend the Woodland lead to 21-3. A fourth score for the Bobcats came following an Addison fumble at the Bulldogs’ 30 as Strain swept into the end zone from 19 yards out and the visitors were ahead comfortably at the break 28-3.
Woodland ran the lead to 35-3 when the Bobcats took the second half kickoff and marched from midfield for the score. The drive ended when Strain scampered 32 yards for the TD, his fourth of the evening.
The last time Addison lost prior to Friday was in the quarterfinals of the 1A playoffs in 2003 when they were outscored by Parrish 36-30.
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