MOBILE, Ala. — Saraland piled up 624 yards of offense in a 68-10 rout at Pell City, Orange Beach stayed perfect with a homecoming shutout and Elberta ended a 15-game losing streak on the road as Friday night high school football delivered another busy slate across South Alabama and the rest of the state.
Elsewhere, Faith Academy rallied past Murphy at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile Christian exploded for 43 fourth-quarter points in Mississippi, and an Alabama commitment playing in Tennessee caught a last-play Hail Mary to stun Hoover. Here is a look at the Sept. 25 results, starting with the Gulf Coast.
Friday’s Scoreboard at a Glance
- Saraland 68, Pell City 10
- Faith Academy 20, Murphy 8
- Orange Beach 45, Francis Marion 0
- Elberta def. Chickasaw
- Cottage Hill Christian 42, McIntosh 16
- Mobile Christian 50, St. Stanislaus (Miss.) 19
- St. Luke’s Episcopal won on the road to improve to 3-2
- Knoxville Catholic (Tenn.) 20, Hoover 17
- Helena 33, Pleasant Grove 27 (OT)
- Oak Grove def. Shelby County
- Sparkman 21, Mae Jemison 6
- Whitesburg Christian 66, Rogers 20
- Woodville 61, Decatur Heritage 7
- Arab def. Decatur
- Maplesville def. Luverne
- Westbrook Christian 28, Oneonta 27
- Patrician Academy 27, Wilcox Academy 16
Mobile and Baldwin County
Saraland 68, Pell City 10
Third-ranked Saraland won the first-ever meeting between the programs going away, on the road at Pell City. The Class 5A Spartans racked up 624 total yards and never let the home team get comfortable.
Senior quarterback Jamison Roberts, an Oklahoma commitment, was nearly flawless, completing 16 of 18 passes for 269 yards. Both of his touchdown throws went to junior receiver Edward Turner, a 38-yarder in the first quarter and a 27-yarder in the third.
The ground game did the rest. Ayiden Pugh ran for three touchdowns, from 4, 23 and 17 yards out. Jakari Harris scored on consecutive first-half possessions with runs of 3 and 2 yards and later added a 1-yard score. Larry Pettway took a reverse 31 yards to the end zone, and sophomore Kaden Young broke off a 62-yard touchdown run with 4:08 remaining.
Saraland’s defense was just as dominant. The Spartans held Pell City to minus-6 rushing yards for the night and allowed only 15 total yards after halftime.
Pell City’s points came in the first half. Dylon Garner hit a 25-yard field goal late in the first quarter to make it 13-3, and Wyatt Hartley found Brenon Saulter for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 8:02 left before halftime, with Garner adding the extra point. The Panthers fell to 2-4.
Saraland improved to 4-1. The Spartans, whose 41-game home winning streak was snapped by Gulf Shores earlier this month, return home next Thursday to host Elberta.
Faith Academy 20, Murphy 8
Faith Academy leaned on its running game and a stingy second-half defense to come from behind at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Rams allowed Murphy just one first down after halftime.
“Our coaches made good adjustments at halftime,” Faith coach Gaines Sullivan said. “We got into the locker room and cleaned up some things, and the defense got some big stops. (This win) is very important. It is a learning experience, learning how to win through adversity.”
Faith struck first early in the second quarter when Mattox Diard hit Kobe Hunt on a 36-yard touchdown pass, and Luke Kyser’s extra point made it 7-0. Murphy answered with a seven-play, 85-yard drive capped by Khamari Davis’ 33-yard touchdown run. Bo Carson ran in the two-point conversion, giving the Panthers an 8-7 lead with 2:27 left in the half.
The go-ahead points for Faith came in unusual fashion late in the third quarter. A low snap on a Murphy punt forced punter Crosby Ellison to kneel while fielding the ball in the end zone, resulting in a safety and a 9-8 Rams lead.
Diard then scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 8:18 remaining, and Faith converted the two-point try for a 17-8 cushion. Kyser closed the scoring with a 37-yard field goal with 2:35 to play.
Diard completed 6 of 10 passes for 61 yards, and Hunt caught three passes for 82 yards. Davis led Murphy with 84 yards on 15 carries.
Faith improved to 2-3 and travels to St. Michael next Friday. Murphy, coached by former Blount and Dallas Cowboys running back Sherman Williams, fell to 1-4 and visits Spanish Fort.
Orange Beach 45, Francis Marion 0
Orange Beach’s homecoming turned into a celebration almost immediately. Devin Gause returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and the unbeaten Makos had four touchdowns before the first quarter ended.
After a fumble recovery, Lee Steele scored on a 17-yard run two plays later. Davis Woodson finished a three-play, 38-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, and Cal Creel followed with a 10-yard scoring run. Evan Crochet’s second-quarter field goal made it 31-0 at halftime.
Creel opened the third quarter scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run, and Zane Rehr added a 5-yard run to finish it.
Orange Beach improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Class 4A, Region 1, and plays at Williamson next week in another region game. Francis Marion, which had arrived with a 4-0 record, fell to 4-1 and 0-3 in Class 1A, Region 3. Francis Marion hosts region opponent Breakthrough Charter next week.
Elberta def. Chickasaw
Elberta’s long wait for a win is over. The Warriors snapped a 15-game losing streak by running away from Chickasaw on the Chieftains’ homecoming night, powered by a big second quarter and four touchdowns from Seamus Owens.
Owens carried 31 times for 174 yards and scored on runs of 7, 1, 8 and 3 yards. Mason Pagel added touchdown runs of 3 and 13 yards, and Logan Henry scored on a fumble recovery on a Chickasaw kickoff return. The Warriors also collected a pair of safeties.
Chickasaw grabbed the early lead on Jonathan Nichols’ 65-yard touchdown on a reverse. Pagel’s 3-yard run put Elberta up 7-6, but Nichols answered by returning the ensuing kickoff 91 yards to put the Chieftains back in front, 12-7.
That was as good as it got for the home team. Pagel’s 13-yard run gave Elberta the lead for good, and Chickasaw then gave up back-to-back safeties, one when a punt snap sailed out of the end zone and another when Jeremiah Russell was tackled in the end zone after a fumbled snap. Two Owens touchdown runs pushed the margin to 32-12.
With a running clock in effect for most of the second half, Owens added third-quarter scoring runs of 8 and 3 yards, and Henry’s 7-yard fumble return early in the fourth quarter capped Elberta’s scoring. Russell’s 65-yard run with 7:05 left gave Chickasaw its final points. The Chieftains finished with 143 rushing yards, most of it on the two long scoring runs, and lost two fumbles.
Elberta coach Joel Williams said the win is part of a bigger rebuild.
“Our program’s not built on wins and losses,” Williams said. “We understand who we are and where we’re at in building the program. A year ago, it was 28 players, now we’ve got 70 players on varsity and 130 in the seventh grade on up. The future is coming. It’s just like I tell everybody, when we finish practicing it’s almost like a middle school carpool line because we hardly have any players who can drive.”
Chickasaw coach Dedrick Sumpter credited the visitors’ hunger.
“Bad teams find a way to lose,” Sumpter said. “That team (Elberta) was hungry, and it hadn’t won, so they came in with a little something about themselves. They wanted it more than my boys wanted.”
Both teams are now 1-5. Elberta faces a tall task next Thursday at Saraland, while Chickasaw has an open date.
Cottage Hill Christian 42, McIntosh 16
Shamar Toodle did damage through the air and on the ground as Cottage Hill Christian won its third straight game at H.H. Wiggins Field in McIntosh.
Toodle completed 13 of 16 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran six times for 155 yards and another score. His touchdown passes went to Darius Johnson, Aaron Ward and James Davis. Johnson had three catches for 100 yards, and Ward caught two passes for 90.
Josh McCants added a 5-yard touchdown run, and Nathan Simms returned an interception 55 yards for a score.
The Warriors improved to 4-1 and face their biggest test yet next week, hosting Bayside Academy, the No. 1-ranked team in Private Class A. McIntosh fell to 3-3 and plays at Southern Choctaw.
Mobile Christian 50, St. Stanislaus (Miss.) 19
Mobile Christian turned a road game in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, into a rout with one of the more remarkable fourth quarters anywhere in the state this season. The Leopards, ranked fifth in Class 1A, scored 43 points in the final period.
Hakeem Winston caught two touchdown passes in that quarter, Landon Stewart ran for two scores, Dwight King caught a touchdown pass and Tristan Aragon returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
It was the fourth straight win for Mobile Christian (4-1), which has outscored its last three opponents 156-19. The Leopards host Providence Christian next week.
St. Luke’s Episcopal and Fruitdale
Jathan Richardson threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as St. Luke’s Episcopal won on the road for its third victory in four games. Richardson connected with Ryan Keys and Ryland Yasurek on 18-yard scoring passes and hit Henry Thompson for a 20-yard touchdown, and he added a 24-yard touchdown run. Talon Safiran ran for 139 yards with scoring runs of 1 and 4 yards. Rick Cauley’s Wildcats (3-2) travel to Northside Methodist on Thursday.
Fruitdale dropped its third straight game and fell to 1-4. The Pirates travel to Marengo on Friday.
Around the State
Knoxville Catholic (Tenn.) 20, Hoover 17
Alabama commitment Braylen Gibbs made the play of the night, hauling in a 30-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary on the final snap to lift the Tennessee school past Hoover.
Hoover got first-half touchdown runs from quarterback Kaleb Freeman (20 yards) and Jordan Williams (7 yards). Gibbs, a junior, caught a touchdown pass with 29 seconds left before halftime to tie the game 14-14.
Steele Witschy’s 25-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the Bucs a 17-14 lead. Hoover appeared to add to it in the fourth quarter when Malik Boggan ran 20 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty wiped out the score, setting the stage for Gibbs’ final-play heroics.
Hoover fell to 3-3 with its third loss in four games and hosts Thompson, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 6A, next week. Knoxville Catholic is ineligible for the TSSAA playoffs this season because of a recruiting violation.
Helena 33, Pleasant Grove 27 (OT)
Senior running back Jacoby Studimire carried Helena to an overtime win on its homecoming night, rushing 36 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
Studimire’s 38-yard run in the first quarter put the Huskies up 12-0 after their second possession. Class 3A Pleasant Grove answered when sophomore quarterback Elston Hooper, who already holds offers from Alabama, Sacramento State, North Alabama and Middle Tennessee, hit Colin Craver on a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 left in the first quarter. After Tyler Windham recovered a fumble at the Helena 36, Jamari Walker’s 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter gave the Spartans a 14-12 halftime lead.
Pleasant Grove nearly added more on the final play of the half, when Brandon Arnold returned a blocked 32-yard field goal attempt by Chris Lewis 70 yards for an apparent touchdown, but officials waved it off to end the half.
Hooper’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Javion Sales made it 21-12 in the third quarter. Helena responded with Caleb Soreano’s 1-yard quarterback sneak and a two-point pass from Soreano to JP Schultz, trimming the deficit to 21-20. Jamaal Grace scored to put Pleasant Grove up 27-20 with 10:36 remaining.
Studimire tied it with a 15-yard run with 1:36 left in regulation and won it with a 4-yard plunge in overtime.
Helena totaled 383 yards. Soreano completed 6 of 8 passes for 116 yards, and Schultz caught two passes for 67. For Pleasant Grove, Hooper went 13 of 25 for 212 yards, with five completions for 93 yards to Sales, and Walker ran 12 times for 56 yards. Class 5A Helena improved to 3-2 after back-to-back Region 4 losses to Mountain Brook and Homewood. Pleasant Grove fell to 4-2.
Oak Grove def. Shelby County
Oak Grove rushed its way past Shelby County with four players topping 65 rushing yards. Brooks Covin led the way with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Cam Crump ran 11 times for 80 yards and a score, Jackson McKinney had five carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Rylan Covin added 65 yards on 10 carries.
Caleb Harkey completed 5 of 9 passes for 81 yards, including a touchdown to Crump, who caught two passes for 39 yards. McKinney also returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown. Oak Grove (5-1) hosts Carver in Class 4A, Region 5 play, while Shelby County (1-5) visits Montevallo in Region 3.
Sparkman 21, Mae Jemison 6
Sparkman’s defense held Mae Jemison to minus-18 rushing yards and kept the Jaguars’ offense out of the end zone at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. The Senators outgained Mae Jemison 227-80.
After a scoreless first quarter, Braylon Lawson scored on a 1-yard run with 4:19 left in the second quarter, and added a 12-yard touchdown run with 6:39 left in the third. Later in the third, Jakyius Williams took a backward pass from quarterback Josh Naylon and threw 32 yards to De’Mario Nobles for a 21-0 lead. Mae Jemison’s only points came on Jayden Daffin’s 56-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.
Lawson finished with 74 yards and two scores on 13 carries, Waylon Marbury ran 15 times for 80 yards and Nobles caught three passes for 53 yards. Sparkman (5-1, 3-0) hosts Bob Jones, and Mae Jemison (2-3, 2-1) hosts Albertville.
Whitesburg Christian 66, Rogers 20
Whitesburg Christian handed previously unbeaten Rogers its first loss and gave coach Jere Adcock his 200th career victory as an Alabama high school head coach. Adcock won 187 games over 27 seasons at Decatur before taking over at Whitesburg Christian ahead of the 2024 season.
“There’ve been a lot of great kids and coaches that helped earn that,” Adcock said. “There’s more credit that should go to them than me. If I had been a little better coach, I might have done this a long time ago.”
Quarterback Greer Lovell threw five first-half touchdown passes as the Warriors built a 45-14 lead, two to Henry Nuwayhid and one each to Graeme Williams, Gaines Penney and Reid Nuwayhid. Aiden Cook ran for a score, and Price Crunkleton hit a 43-yard field goal at the end of the half. Lovell added two more touchdown passes to Williams after halftime, finishing with seven, and Jonah Stolaas scored on defense. Whitesburg Christian (4-1) visits Mars Hill, while Rogers (4-1) travels to West Limestone.
Woodville 61, Decatur Heritage 7
Kaden Franklin threw four touchdown passes, and Jonah Sparks ran for three scores, caught a touchdown pass and intercepted a pass for Woodville. Caleb Lancaster scored on a run, a reception and a fumble return, and Mott Wilson caught two touchdown passes and made two interceptions.
“I thought defensively we played well tonight,” Woodville coach Joel Poole said. “We got several sacks and had several pass breakups.”
Decatur Heritage’s touchdown came on a Reed Rogers pass to Trey Burden. John Bowling recovered a fumble and Dallas Meeks intercepted a pass for the Eagles, who are 1-3 overall and 1-1 in Private Class 1A, Region 4.
“Second half of the season, we’ve got important region games up and coming,” Decatur Heritage coach Rich Dutton said. Woodville (4-1) hosts Ragland in Class 1A, Region 8, and Decatur Heritage hosts Shoals Christian.
Arab def. Decatur
Nic Stephens threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as Arab stayed unbeaten. The Knights led 21-0 after one quarter on Mason Ingram’s 4-yard run, Stephens’ 78-yard strike to Tucker Willis and Stephens’ 9-yard run. Willis caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for a 28-0 lead.
Decatur answered with Ridge Tourney’s 18-yard touchdown pass to DeNarrius Lampkin and a 2-yard Devin Haley run in the third quarter, but Stephens found Owen Lambert for a 28-yard score in the fourth. Stephens finished 7 of 10 for 168 yards and ran for 92 yards, and Willis caught four passes for 132 yards. Haley ran for 110 yards for Decatur, and Tourney went 6 of 13 for 68 yards.
Arab (6-0, 3-0 in Class 5A, Region 8) hosts Fort Payne, and Decatur (1-5, 0-3 in Class 5A, Region 7) hosts Hartselle.
Maplesville def. Luverne
In a matchup of highly ranked small schools at Glenn Daniel Stadium in Luverne, Class 1A No. 1 Maplesville scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away from Luverne, which entered ranked No. 2 in Class 2A.
Maplesville took a 14-0 second-quarter lead on Ty Bailey’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Rencher and Draden Brown’s 13-yard run. Elliott Harris caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Ja’Daveon McCreary to make it 14-8 at halftime, then tied the game with a 4-yard run early in the third quarter. Nehemiah McCary answered with a 62-yard touchdown run, and DaeVon Smith’s 22-yard catch from McCreary pulled Luverne within 21-20.
In the fourth quarter, McCary scored from 2 yards out and Bailey added a 3-yard run. Brennan Harrison made five extra points. McCary ran 14 times for 127 yards and added six solo tackles and three assists on defense. Maplesville (3-2) plays Calhoun next, and Luverne (5-1) hosts Monroe County.
Westbrook Christian 28, Oneonta 27
Westbrook Christian’s Brodie Johnson ran 30 times for 300 yards and four touchdowns, and the defense stopped a two-point try in the final minute to win a ranked showdown at Jack Osborn Field in Rainbow City.
Johnson scored on runs of 82, 63, 9 and 2 yards, the last with 2:52 remaining, followed by Read Barber’s extra point. Oneonta’s Sam Garrison answered with an 8-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds left, but his team’s two-point run came up short. Garrison ran 25 times for 143 yards with touchdown runs of 52 and 5 yards in the first half and 13 and 8 yards in the fourth quarter.
Westbrook Christian (5-0), ranked No. 2 in its private-school classification, plays at Lindsey Lane. Oneonta (5-1), ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, hosts Glencoe.
Patrician Academy 27, Wilcox Academy 16
Ethan Carr ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns as AISA No. 1 Patrician Academy stayed unbeaten at Hannah-Hesselman Field in Butler.
The Saints led 20-0 at halftime on Carr’s runs of 1 and 3 yards and Rhett Davis’ 26-yard touchdown pass to Sam Allen Hannah. Kooper Russell added a 34-yard run in the third quarter. Wilcox scored on Anrew Malone’s 1-yard run and Lee Hollinger’s two-point run, then Hollinger’s 50-yard fourth-quarter run and Malone’s two-point conversion. Hollinger finished with 99 yards on 14 carries and Malone had 92 on 16.
Patrician (6-0) plays at Banks Academy, and Wilcox (0-5) visits South Choctaw Academy. The game came days after the AISA announced its athletics program will end after the 2026-27 school year, with several South Alabama private schools planning a move to a new association.
Next Week’s Local Games to Watch
- Elberta at Saraland — Thursday
- Bayside Academy at Cottage Hill Christian — Top-ranked Private Class A team visits the streaking Warriors
- Orange Beach at Williamson — Class 4A, Region 1
- Faith Academy at St. Michael
- Murphy at Spanish Fort
- Providence Christian at Mobile Christian
- St. Luke’s Episcopal at Northside Methodist — Thursday
- Breakthrough Charter at Francis Marion
- McIntosh at Southern Choctaw
- Fruitdale at Marengo
More Scores From Around the Region
Additional Friday results reported from across southwest Alabama and the North Escambia area filled in the rest of the Week 6 picture.
Clarke County 32, Millry 0
Peebo Pugh threw four touchdown passes as the No. 7-ranked Class 2A Bulldogs rolled on the road. Pugh connected with Isaiah Davis on scoring throws of 36 and 56 yards, hit Da’Marion Horn for a 64-yard touchdown and found Ja’Marion Jenkins for a 62-yard score. Davis capped the night with a 16-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as Clarke County improved to 5-0.
Other southwest Alabama finals
- St. Luke’s Episcopal 49, Fruitdale 18
- Citronelle 38, Monroe County 0
- Satsuma 50, Washington County 22
- W.S. Neal 53, B.C. Rain 28 (one area scoreboard listed the final as 52-28)
- T.R. Miller 35, Hillcrest (Evergreen) 6
- Thomasville 48, Demopolis 34
- Escambia Academy 55, Heritage 0
- Flomaton 38, Southern Choctaw 0
- Escambia County (Atmore) was open this week.
Northwest Florida scoreboard
Across the state line, Friday’s results included:
- Niceville 34, Tate 33
- Holmes County 47, Northview 21
- Jay 43, Bozeman 0
- Washington 16, Escambia 13
- South Walton 28, Pine Forest 20
- Bay 28, Pensacola High 24
- Samson 16, Central 6
- Pace 41, Crestview 27
- Fort Walton Beach 35, Gulf Breeze 21
- Choctawhatchee 43, Milton 15
- Thursday: Pensacola Catholic 45, Destin 8