Demarcus “Duke” Beckham hauled in three touchdown passes in the first quarter as Theodore romped past visiting Elberta 42-0 on Thursday night in region play at C.A. Douglas Field.
Theodore 42, Elberta 0
Beckham’s touchdown receptions went for 4, 29 and 90 yards as Theodore shook off last week’s defeat at Saraland.
“Our guys came in this week and had some of the best practices and put that game behind us,” Theodore first-year head coach Randy Larson said.
Kendrick Able added a pair of first-half touchdowns on the ground, scoring from 40 and 14 yards out. Able rushed for 155 yards on seven carries, bringing his season total to more than 800 yards and nine touchdowns through the first five games.
Seven carries for 155 yards is an average of 22.1 yards per attempt — a figure that reflects a night in which the Bobcats needed very few snaps to finish drives.
“It was a wake up call for us last week,” Able said. “We still have goals and things in front of us that we want to accomplish.”
The Bobcats raced out to a 42-0 lead at halftime. The second half was reduced to eight-minute quarters with a running clock.
Jadon Strait completed 6 of 7 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
“I wasn’t being covered,” Beckham said. “I had to let my quarterback know, and he made some good throws to lead to the scores.”
CB James scored on a 70-yard touchdown.
The Warriors did not move past midfield in the first half. They suffered their 15th loss in a row and their 14th consecutive road loss. Mason Patel rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries for Elberta.
Theodore has scored 30 or more points in all three of its victories this season.
Elberta (0-5, 0-3 in Class 5A, Region 1) plays 2A Chickasaw next week. Theodore (3-2, 2-1) plays at Blount on Oct. 2.
Arab 34, Columbia 12
Arab moved to 5-0 on the season with a Class 5A, Region 8 victory over Columbia at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville.
The victory marks the best start for the Knights since the 2022 season, when Arab finished 11-2 and advanced to the third round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Arab quarterback Nic Stephens finished 6 for 6 passing with 80 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran the ball 10 times for 85 yards and another score. Mason Ingram carried 17 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Tucker Willis, Owen Lambert and Chase Kirkland each had a receiving touchdown, with Willis recording two catches for a team-high 39 receiving yards.
Columbia’s Christian Richey ran the ball 32 times for 160 yards. Tremayne Gilbert threw for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Woodlawn 19, Shades Valley 14
The Colonels won their first game of the season and snapped Shades Valley’s two-game win streak with a home victory in Class 4A, Region 5 play.
Woodlawn took advantage of a defensive score and a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown from Raphette Pryor, who finished with 200 all-purpose yards in the win.
Tydarius Bowie returned an interception 56 yards for a score and had nine tackles with two for a loss for Woodlawn (1-4, 1-2). Braden Day had a 3-yard touchdown run, and Malachi Eugene also had an interception.
The Mounties (3-2, 2-1) play at Jackson-Olin on Sept. 25. Woodlawn has an open date.
AISA: Patrician Academy 51, South Choctaw Academy 28
The top-ranked Saints rolled to a 24-0 lead and coasted past No. 3 South Choctaw in Butler. Patrician Academy led 16-0 after one quarter, 30-6 at the half and 44-14 after three quarters.
The Saints (5-0) piled up 383 yards on the ground on 39 carries — 9.8 per attempt — and completed their only pass for 45 yards.
Ethan Carr ran 18 times for 223 yards and four touchdowns. Ridge Russell had 11 carries for 111 yards and two scores, and quarterback Bryson Reid had eight attempts for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Reid also led Patrician on defense with 8.5 tackles. Sam Allen Hannah and Russell had four stops each.
South Choctaw gained 231 yards on the ground on 40 attempts. Quarterback Parker Reed ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, Kade Carroll had 14 attempts for 72 yards and a score, and JT Railey had 15 carries for 64 yards and a score. Carroll also returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown for the Rebels (3-1).