Pelham Junior QB Clayton Mains Leads Panthers to Comeback Win to Grab AHSAA Week 3 Football Spotlight

     MONTGOMERY – Pelham High School junior quarterback Clayton Mains led the Panthers from a 27-7 deficit to a 35-34 win over Briarwood Christian last week to land in the AHSAA Prep Football Spotlight for Week 3.
      He completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to receiver Trey Cockrell, who made the spectacular grab with a diving catch in the end zone with 3:02 remaining in the game as Pelham took the lead for good. The Panthers defense of Coach Mike Vickery did the rest – making a fourth-and-five stop of Lions quarterback Christopher Vizzina short of a first down to seal the win. 
      That stop came on a final series that saw the Eagles’ defense make three straight stops short of the first-down marker to get the ball back one final time. Mains, who also fired a 79-yard TD pass to Darius Copeland, finished 11-of-23 passing  or 223 yards and rushed 23 times for 150 yards for 373 total yards on the night. Vizzina passed for 240 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a 25-yard TD – with a super first-half effort. 
      Pelham (1-2) is now 1-0 in Class 6A, Region 3 and Briarwood Christian (2-2) is 1-1. Homewood (3-1) currently leads Region 3 with a 2-0 record while Benjamin Russell (3-0) is unbeaten at 1-0 in the region.
      Mains edged out two defensive efforts – by Dothan’s Kendrell Brewer and Opelika’s entire defense led by Brenton Williams and Tyrese Pitts – for this week’s AHSAA Spotlight.
      Brewer recovered three fumbles in the final 4:43 of play, returning one 70 yards for a touchdown with 1:28 left to give Dothan a 14-10 Class 7A, Region 2 road win at Prattville. The three fumble recoveries ties for the second most in AHSAA history. Brewer recovered a fumble on Prattville’s last three possessions of the game. His first came on a Prattville drive deep in Wolves territory. After the Lions held Dothan, Prattville fumbled again, and Brewer scooped it up for his 70-yard TD return. The final recovery came with 1:03 left, helping the Wolves seal the win. In addition to his three fumble recoveries, Brewer had six tackles in the game.
     Williams had eight tackles and Pitts had seven as the Bulldogs limited Central-Phenix City to just 11 yards rushing in a 17-14 overtime win over the previously unbeaten Red Devils (3-1) in Class 7A, Region 2. Opelika (4-0), coached by Erik Speakman, snapped a six-game losing streak to Central in the process. Johnni Cesena kicked a 25-yard field goal in the OT period to seal the win. The Red Devils lead the series with 47-33 record – dating back to 1928. The series is the second longest series in Opelika football history with its rivalry with neighboring Auburn the longest. The Bulldogs are 47-46-3 versus the Tigers heading into their 97^th meeting set for September 30. The first meeting in that series was played 105 years ago in 1917. 
      Other top performances  reported include:

MILESTONES
JACK HAYES, PIEDMONT: Accounted for all five of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns in a 34-21 win over Plainview – moving him just two touchdowns away from the AHSAA career state record (175) set by Lanett’s Kristian Story for touchdowns accounted for. Story set the mark from 2015-2019. Hayes passed for two touchdowns, which moved him past former Pinson Valley quarterback Bo Nix for most career TD passes thrown into second place all time. He was 18-of-23 passing for 208 yards and two TDs – giving him 128 career passing TDs – and rushed for 104 yards and three scores. Nix closed his prep career with 127 TD passes. American Christian’s Chris Smelley set the state record with 134 finishing his prep career in 2005 at the Tuscaloosa school.
K.J. JACKSON, SAINT JAMES: The Trojans’ junior quarterback was 6-of-9 passing for 113 yards and four touchdowns to go over the 4,000-yard career passing milestone as Saint James beat Greensboro 41-6 in Class 3A, Region 3. Her now has 4,069 career passing yards and 58 career touchdown passes, which are both school records, according to River Region Sports. Senior  Cosner Harrison also went over 4,000 career rushing yards with 125 yards and two TDs on 12 carries. He now has 4,032 career yards and ranks second to Tony Amerson, who closed his prep career in 2018 with 5,084 rushing yards.
HUNTER HUMBER, BROOKS: Was a perfect 10-for-10 passing for 243 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions downed West Limestone 64-29 in Class 4A, Region 7. The perfect passing effort tied the AHSAA record for best passing percentage in a single game with three others. Micah Brown of Davidson was 11-of-11 in a 35-14 win over Mary Montgomery in 2019. Waterloo’s Bryce Palmer and Fairview’s Hayden Maples were each 10-of-10 in wins in 2018 and 2013, respectively.
KLARK CLEVELAND, AUBURN: Had five tackles for a loss to lead the Tigers’ defense to a 31-0 win over Jeff Davis in Class 7A, Region 2. Auburn limited the Vols to minus-9 yards total offense to set a Class 7A state record. The minus-7 yards allowed also ranks fourth best all-time with the state record (minus-67 yards) set by Greensboro 45 years ago versus Uniontown in a 63-0 win. Other top defensive efforts, according to the AHSAA Record Book online, include Corner limiting Vincent to minus-47 yards in a 63-6 win in 2015; Charles Henderson allowing only minus-17 total yards to Bullock County in a 57-0 win in 2013; and W.S. Neal limiting Cottage Hill Christian to minus-7 yards in a 58-0 victory in 2012.
JABARI COLLIER, CENTER POINT: Completed 12-of-15 passes for 230 yards and a TD and added six rush attempts for 45 yards and two scores as the Eagles (4-0) remained unbeaten with a 56-10 triumph over Pell City. Center Point’s 4-0 start is the best for the Roebuck school since a 6-0 start in 2013.
JOE LOTT, UMS-WRIGHT: Was a jack-of-all-trades in the Bulldogs’ 35-28 victory over Gulf Shores in Class 5A, Region 1 action. He returned a kickoff for 31 yards, rushed eight times for 42 and a 5-yard touchdown, completed 3-o- 4 passes for 34 yards and two touchdowns, caught two passes for 45 yards and had the game-sealing pass breakup as UMS-Wright presented Coach Terry Curtis his 340th career coaching victory. He is the AHSAA’s all-time football coaching wins leader with a 340-92 career record in 34 seasons since becoming a head coach in 1989 with stops at Mobile schools Shaw and Murphy become moving to UMS-Wright. He is in his 24th year as a head coach at UMS where his teams have gone 263-56 with eight state championships.
CAM DEAVER, MEEK: Rushed 34 times for 209 yards and one TD as Class 1A Meek (4-0) beat Class 3A Colbert Heights 24-17 to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 1996.

 

RUSHING
BRADY HARDIN, RED BAY: Ran the ball 26 times for 297 yards and six touchdowns in a 50-39 win over Sheffield in Class 2A, Region 8. 
OMARION PINCKNEY, DALEVILLE: The Warhawks’ quarterback rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries, helping Daleville snap a 13-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 34-24 win over New Brockton in Class 3A, Region 2. Daleville trailed 18-6 in the third quarter before Pinckney led his team to the win. He also had an interception and five tackles on defense.

ARMOND CALDWELL, HAZEL GREEN: Ran for 270 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries in a 49-42 Class 6A, Region 6 win over Buckhorn.
JAKAVION JACKSON, MAPLESVILLE: Rolled up 263 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 54-6 Class 1A, Region 4 win over Notasulga. He averaged 23.9 yard per carry with TD runs covering 62, 35, 56 and 81 yards. Teammate Johnathon Wilson added 124 yards and two TDs on seven carries and Maplesville was 6-of-6 on 2-point conversion in the game. 
ALVIN HENDERSON, ELBA: Rushed for 258 yards and five touchdowns, including a go-ahead 1-yard run with 1:33 left in Elba’s 42-35 win over previously unbeaten Brantley in a Class 1A, Region 2 showdown. He totaled 25 carries with touchdown runs of 14, 19, 29, and 27 yards in addition to his 1-yarder.
JORDAN SMITH, ARITON: Gained 251 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, highlighted by 219 yards in the second half, as the Purple Cats downed Dale County arch-rival G.W. Long 34-18 in Class 3A, Region 2.
JY MOSTELLA, COOSA CHRISTIAN: Had 23 carries for 233 yards and four touchdowns and returning a kickoff 97 yards for another score in a 35-21 win over Decatur Heritage in Class 1A, Region 7.
MASON TEAGUE, SOUTHSIDE-GADSDEN: Finished with 228 yards rushing on 27 carries and scored twice in a 41-20 win over Springville in Class 5A, Region 7.
ANTONIO ROSS, ALEXANDRIA: Had 32 carries for 210 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the Valley Cubs’ 28-21 win over Lincoln in Class 5A, Region 6. He scored on runs of 2, 8 and 17 yards – his final TD climaxing an eight-minute drive in the fourth quarter with just over a minute to play. 
WAUNTAVIOIUS CONLEY, ABBEVILLE: Rushed for 202 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries, caught one pass for five yards, had two kick returns for 54 yards, punted twice for a 46.5 average and was in on nine tackles on defense with one quarterback sack and one tackle for a loss in the Yellow Jackets’ 24-8 win over Geneva County in Class 2A, Region 2.
ANTHONY ROGERS, PIKE ROAD: Had touchdown runs of 79, 5, 37 and 4 yards and finished with 197 yards rushing on 17 carries as the Patriots (2-2) downed Sidney Lanier 35-21 in Class 6A, Region 2.
ISAIAH DIXON, ALMA BRYANT: Rushed for 196 yards on 12 carries and scored on a 70-yard run in the Hurricanes’ 7-6 win over Citronelle.
DRAKE FRANKLIN, ARAB: Had 17 carries for 187 rushing yards and one TD in the Knights’ 42-0 Class 5A, Region 7 win over Sardis.
EMERSON RUSSELL, CHELSEA: Helped seal the Hornets’ first Class 7A, Region 3 win with 186 yards rushing on 29 carries as Chelsea beat Oak Mountain 21-7. He had two rushing TDS.
FLUFF BOTHWELL, ONEONTA: Ran for 149 yards on 24 carries with a 16-yard TD run in the final quarter as the Redskins (4-0) beat Cherokee County (3-1) in a battle of unbeaten teams in Class 4A, Region 6. He also caught a 69-yard TD pass in the final quarter and contributed 12 tackles, caused a fumble, recovered a fumble and recorded a sack on defense.
JACOB CORNEJO, CHEROKEE COUNTY: Gained 181 yards rushing on 19 carries with a 60-yard TD run in the Warriors’ 17-14 loss to Oneonta in Class 4A, Region 6.
KEATON DEBOARD, COLLINSVILLE: Rushed for two touchdowns covering 63 and six yards on the way to a 175-yard night in the Panthers’ 40-28 Class 2A, Region 7 loss to Pisgah. He had 22 rush attempts.
BRAYDEN JENKINS, THEODORE: Gained 170 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns on 15 carries as the Bobcats beat Baldwin County 35-0 in Class 6A, Region 1.
HENRY CLAUNCH, WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN: Collected 164 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 49-20 win over St. John Paul II in Class 4A, Region 8.
HOLT BENTLEY, PLEASANT VALLEY: Had 164 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 60, 68 and 17 yards – all in the second half – as the Raiders beat Holly Pond 48-17 in Class 2A, Region 6.
LOGAN THORNTON, SHOALS CHRISTIAN: Totaled 12 carries for 162 yards and four touchdowns in the Flame’s 44-16 Class 1A, Region 8 win over Vina.
JOSH FLOWERS, BAKER: Ran for four touchdowns and passed for a fifth score in the Hornets’ 56-35 Class 7A, Region 1 victory over Foley. He rushed for 156 yards with TD runs covering 18, 19, 45 and 28 yards. He also passed for 98 yards.
CARLOS MANN, GERALDINE: Totaled 152 yards on 21 rush attempts and scored two touchdowns in a 23-2 win over Hokes Bluff in Class 3A, Region 6. He also made two interceptions on defense.
KAM SANDLIN, ANNISTON: Led the unbeaten Bulldogs (4-0) to three fourth quarter touchdowns and a 30-23 come-from-behind win over Class 4A, Region 4 rival Jacksonville. Jaylin Cunningham’s 62-yard TD run with 2:54 to play put Anniston ahead for good. Sandlin had TD runs of 8 and 38 yards in the comeback effort.
KEYLON HIGGINS, GAYLESVILLE: Rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in a 29-28 overtime loss to Cedar Bluff in 1A, Region 7.
RILEY HARMON, OAK GROVE: Scored four touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards on 10 carries in a 27-14 Class 4A, Region 5 win over Hamilton.
JAY HAYNES, HANDLEY: Had five carries for 119 yards and one TD in a 48-0 win over White Plains in Class 4A, Region 4. He also caught an 18-yard TD pass. His performance came just one week after rushing for 476 yards and five TDs in a 54-41 win over Jacksonville. The 476 yards ranks second all-time in the AHSAA State Record Book. He has 838 rushing yards on 72 carries this season in four games with 11 TDs, He has caught eight passes for 124 yards and one TD – and is averaging 12.0 yards per touch on the year.

PASSING
ANDREW HUNTER, RANDOLPH: Passed for 350 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-14 Class 4A, Region 8 win over North Jackson.
WOODS RAY, HOMEWOOD: Led the Patriots to a 48-38 win over Calera in Class 6A, Region 3 completing 16-of-26 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns. He added 59 rushing yards with a fifth touchdown in the tough win.
GABE HERRINGTON, NEW BROCKTON: Completed 13-of-31 passing for 306 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-24 Class 3A, Region 2 loss to Daleville.
HARRISON HICKS, NORTHSIDE METHODIST: Connected on 26-of-38 pass attempts for 303 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-18 loss to Pike County in Class 3A, Region 2.
EARL WOODS, HUEYTOWN: Completed 14-of-26 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown, ran 31 times for 201 yards and four scores in the Gophers’ 54-44 loss in Class 6A, Region 4. He finished with 375 total yards, passed for one 2-point conversion, and ran for another in the setback.
MARTY WEED, LINCOLN: Was 15-of-24 passing for 259 yards and one TD in a 28-21 loss to Alexandria in Class 5A, Region 6. He also rushed for two scores.
CALEB McCREARY, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Piled up 258 yards and four touchdowns on a 12-of-15 passing performance as the unbeaten Knights (4-0) beat Slocomb 58-0 in Class 4A, Region 2. His TD passes covered 84, 26, 11 and 18 yards in the win.
MASON HOLCOMB, PISGAH: Fired three touchdown passes to Jakob Kirby as the Eagles downed Collinsville 40-28 in Class 2A, Region 7. He finished with 247 yards passing on the night.
ZACH SIMS, THOMPSON: Completed 13-of-22 passes for 222 yards and a 36-yard TD as the Warriors beat Spain Park 35-14 in Class 7A, Region 3. He also rushed for 37 yards and one score.
KADYN MITCHELL, HOUSTON ACADEMY: Mitchell was 6-of-8 passing for 221 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-16 Class 3A, Region 2 victory over Ashford. He also rushed for a 6-yard touchdown.
ELLIS DICKMAN, DECATUR: Passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-36 triple-overtime win over Cullman in Class 6A, Region 7.
TYLER PIERCE, BOAZ: Was 11-of-17 for 207 yards and three touchdowns in 55-0 win over Crossville in Class 5A, Region 7. ReceiverGavin Smart had three catches for 95 yards and two TDs from Pierce.
BROCK KILLEN, ROGERS: Passed for 204 yards and two touchdowns and tacked on 90 yards rushing and a third score in a 62-20 victory over Wilson in Class 4A, Region 7.
CARTER DOTSON, CHELSEA: Passed for 188 yards and one TD on an 18-of-25 performance as the Hornets beat Oak Mountain 21-7 in Class 7A, Region 3.
AIDAN COX, ARAB: Passed for 178 yards and three TDs on a 15-of-22 performance as the Knights beat Sardis 42-0 in Class 5A, Region 7.
BRAXTON KING, MONTEVALLO: Threw for 160 yards and two TDs in a 28-0 win over Dallas County in Class 4A, Region 3.
BUCKY LEEK, CEDAR BLUFF: Returned in overtime from an ankle injury suffered in the third period to lead the Tigers to a 29-28 victory over Gaylesville. His fourth-and-goal 10-yard pass to receiver Eli McFry tied the game at 28 all and Carter Willingham booted the winning extra point to seal the Class 1A, Region 7 win. Leek finished the game with 85 yards rushing and two 3-yard TD runs on 15 carries and made seven tackles on defense. Kade Browning finished as Cedar Bluff’s leading rusher with 177 yards on 23 carries, including a 67-yard game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.
JERMAINE HOLCOMBE, VINCENT: Completed 7-of-8 passes for 115 yards with five completions resulting in touchdowns in a 53-0 win over Fayetteville in Class 2A, Region 4.
CARSON CHESNUT, SAND ROCK: Had a hand in all five of the Wildcats’ touchdowns in a 35-6 win at Section in Class 2A, Region 7. He completed 11-of-14 pass attempts for 127 yards and an 11-yard score He also ran for 100 yards on just six carries with four TDs (1, 28, 13 and 48 yards).

PASS RECEIVING
HUNTER HALE, HELENA: Caught a school-record 14 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, added 101 return yards to  finish with 291 all-purpose yards in the Huskies’ 35-28 victory over Chilton County in Class 6A, Region 3.
BRAYLYN FARRINGTON, CALERA: Caught seven passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-38 loss to Homewood in Class 6A, Region 3. He also had a 2-yard touchdown run and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a fifth score in the setback.
DAMIAN THOMPSON, MARS HILL BIBLE: Had four receptions for 143 yards and four touchdowns for the Panthers in a 52-8 win over Clements in Class 3A, Region 8.
JYWON BOYD, CHARLES HENDERSON: Caught four passes for 185 yards (46.3 average per catch) with all four receptions  resulting in a touchdown in Charles Henderson 38-14 Class 5A, Region 2 win over Carroll. He added 57 rushing yards on just two carries.
MATTHEW SMITH, NEW BROCKTON: Caught six passes for 159 yards and a touchdown on offense and added an interception return for a touchdown on defense in New Brockton’s 34-24 loss to Daleville.
WILL WELLS, HOUSTON ACADEMY: Snagged three pass receptions for 189 yards – for three first-half touchdowns – in the Raiders’ 49-16 win over Ashford. He TD catches were 80, 75 and 34 yards.
TYLER McLENDON, GOSHEN: Had four receptions for 161 yards with one touchdown and had seven tackles on defense, including five solos, in Goshen’s 42-22 loss to Reeltown.

KA’DARIUS BARNES, HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE: Made six catches for 127 yards and a touchdown as the Huskies downed Tuscaloosa County 35-7 in Class 7A, Region 3.
JAVON ROGERS, MONTEVALLO: Had seven catches for 99 yards and two scores and returned an interception on defense for another TD in a 28-0 win over Dallas County in Class 4A, Region 3.
 

DEFENSE
CALEB PATTERSON, RAMSAY: Made seven tackles, including three for losses and a sack, also had five quarterback pressures, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries as the Rams beat Pleasant Grove 21-14. He sealed the win with a game-winning sack that resulted in a fumble that was returned for the winning TD.
BRODY EPPS, PIEDMONT: Accounted for 14 tackles in the defending Class 3A Bulldogs’ 34-21 win over Plainview in Region 6. Teammate Rhett Alford added 11 stops.
HAROLD LUTZ, MONTEVALLO: Managed 13 tackles in the Bulldogs’ 28-0 shutout win over Dallas County in Class 4A, Region 3.
JAMAROUN SATTERWHITE: LOACHAPOKA: Had an interception and also returned a fumble on defense and rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns as the Indians won 48-12 over Central-Hayneville in Class 1A, Region 4.
CAM DYER, HOUSTON ACADEMY: Contributed 12 tackles and teammate George Zeron also had 12 tackles in Houston Academy’s 45-16 win over Class 3A, Region 2 Ashford.

MADDOX BURKHARDT, WICKSBURG: Recorded 11 tackles, including two for losses, in the Panthers’ 28-8 Class 2A, Region 2 victory over Cottonwood.

JEREMIAH BEAMAN, PARKER: Accumulated nine tackles, three sacks and two interceptions in the Thundering Herd’s 33-0 win over Mortimer Jordan in Class 6A, Region 5.
JACOB MORRIS, VERBENA: Had eight tackles on defense and 136 yards rushing and two TDs on offense in a 54-14 win over Billingsley 1A, Region 4.
IMOREE YOUNG, JACKSONVILLE: Recovered three fumbles in a 30-23 setback to Class 4A, Region 4 opponent Anniston.
K’RYSIAX YOW, GADSDEN CITY: Had eight tackles, including one sack and another for loss, in the Titans’ 18-0 win against Fort Payne in Class 6A, Region 8. Teammate Elijah Taylor added 7.5 tackles with a sack and an interception.
DALTON GASTON, TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN: His jarring hit fourth-and-goal at the Trinity 6-yard line in the waning moments resulted in an errant pass intercepted by teammate Harrison Johnson that sealed a 20-14 win over Alabama Christian in Class 3A, Region 3.

SPECIAL TEAMS
MYKEL JOHNSON, ENTERPRISE: Returned his third kickoff return for a touchdown in four games, opening last Friday’s 58-14 win over Smiths Station with a 78-yard return for TD. He previously had kick return for scores against Bay (Fla.) and Auburn in the first two games. Johnson also caught an 11-yard TD pass in the win over Smiths Station.

ZION SMITH, VERBENA: Blocked a punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety in Verbena’s 54-14 Class 1A,  Region 4 triumph over Billingsley. He also finished with five tackles and scored a rushing TD on offense.
CHANCE MURPHY, PIEDMONT: Blocked an extra point and recovered an onside kick in the Bulldogs’ 34-21 win over Plainview in Class 3A, Region 6. He finished with 10 tackles on defense.
CAMERON LONG, DAPHNE: Blocked a field goal, returned an interception for a touchdown, and scored on a 30-yard run in the Trojans’ 40-21 win over Daphne. He finished with four tackles on defense.
FOX TINKER, PISGAH: Returned a kickoff 92 yards for a TD 40-28 win over Collinsville in Class 2A, Region 7.