Vigor Shuts Out Williamson 12-0, Hands No. 1 Lions First Loss Behind Demetris Johnson’s 190 Yards

MOBILE, Ala. — Vigor shuts out Williamson, and the race for the Class 4A crown suddenly looks very different. The No. 3 Wolves held top-ranked Williamson scoreless Thursday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, winning 12-0 behind a suffocating defense and a 5-foot-5 running back who refused to go down.

Demetris Johnson carried 31 times for 190 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown sprint up the middle in the second quarter, and Vigor’s defense, led by Texas commitment Jabarrius “Chicken” Garror, limited the Lions to roughly 40 yards of total offense. It was the first loss of the season for Williamson and the first shutout of the year for Vigor.

The game drew a large, loud crowd, with estimates ranging from about 11,000 to 15,000 fans, to a stadium that hosted the matchup specifically because of the interest it generated. The contest was moved up a day to Thursday and relocated to Ladd-Peebles to make room for everyone who wanted to see it.

A defensive struggle decided by one long run

For most of the first half, the game was exactly what many expected from the two best defenses in Class 4A: a series of short drives and punts. Williamson entered the night leading the classification in scoring defense, with four shutouts and only 25 points allowed in six games. Only two opponents had managed to score on the Lions all season.

Johnson changed the tone with just under eight minutes left before halftime. Quarterback Anthony Gill called the play, and Johnson took the handoff straight downhill, slipped through the middle of the Williamson front and outran the secondary for a 59-yard touchdown. The two-point try was stopped, leaving Vigor ahead 6-0.

“When (Gill) called it up, I told the O-line we just needed just one hard push,” Johnson said. “They gave me that hard push, I busted it and I scored. It gave us a whole bunch of momentum.”

That six-point margin held up through the third quarter and deep into the fourth. Vigor finally gave itself breathing room with 6:29 remaining. Facing fourth down near the goal line, Gill found Jhi Brown, who has shared quarterback duties with Gill this season, alone in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 12-0 lead.

Johnson, who had helped move the ball into scoring position on that drive, broke another long run late in the fourth quarter that effectively ended Williamson’s hopes of a comeback.

Vigor finished with 368 yards of total offense, 246 of them on the ground.

Garror and the Wolves’ defense take over

Williamson’s offense, which had been productive all fall, never found a rhythm. The Lions were held to single-digit rushing yards, and their only first down of the first half came on a Vigor penalty. Quarterback Thad Wilder was under pressure most of the night and finished 8 of 16 passing for 35 yards with an interception.

Garror, a senior edge rusher, said he saw double-teams on nearly every snap. That, he said, simply created opportunities for teammates such as linebacker Isaac McNeil, an Auburn commitment.

“Without a doubt, you know, we came here playing together tonight,” Garror said. “We made a statement to play together and not be an individual team. So we all want to come together and make plays on the defense. And that’s what we did. … It felt like the whole game I was getting doubled. But, you know, that’s what great players go through. So it opened up more plays for my team, and I’m grateful for that.”

Asked how he would describe his team now, Garror did not hesitate. “Best team in Alabama,” he said. “We work like it. We work for it and we’re going to continue to push. Wolfpack mentality is winning mentality.”

Vigor coach Renardo Jackson said the performance answered critics who had focused only on Williamson’s defense heading into the game.

“I know a lot of other people didn’t believe that we had a good defense, too, but I knew we had a good defense as well,” Jackson said. “And we’ve got some high-caliber kids playing for us and a great coaching staff as well. We know that their defense came into the game, expected to play well, but we knew coming in that our kids, if we put it together, we can play defense with the best in the state.”

He was quick to turn the page. “It’s just one more game behind us,” Jackson said. “We’ll show up tomorrow, try to get better, cleaner, more disciplined, and try to be a better version of Vigor next week. And that’s what we try to do every week.”

A small back carries a big load

For all the attention on the defenses and the college recruits on both sidelines, the most important player on the field may have been the smallest. Johnson is listed at 5 feet 5 and 145 pounds, and Jackson said the coaching staff put the game in his hands without hesitation.

“We put it in the hands of that little 5-foot-5, 145-pound guy and I believe in him with everything on the line,” Jackson said.

Johnson said he had not expected to be the focal point of the offense.

“I thought we were just going to work together as a team and take it home,” he said. “But it came down to me to carry the load. I did that for the team. … (The plan was to) go straight at them, straight downhill football.”

Of the touchdown run that broke the scoreless tie, he said, “I didn’t even expect it, but when it happened, I was like, oh my God. … A big night against a defense like that, I think I can keep improving. I’ll get better every day.”

Williamson coach takes the blame and looks ahead

Williamson coach Antonio Coleman did not make excuses. He said his team failed to play to its usual standard and that the responsibility began with him and his staff.

“I think we didn’t play to the caliber of football that we normally play,” Coleman said. “We knew they were a good team. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. But we have to find a way. We have to scratch. We have to claw. We have to find a way to be more competitive. And that starts with me as a head coach. That starts with my staff.”

He credited Vigor and said the Lions must rediscover their running game.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Vigor. They won the football game. So congrats to them,” Coleman said. “When it comes down to it, man, players make plays. And we didn’t make the plays. They made the plays. So they deserve to win tonight. … But we’ve got to run the football. We’ve got to establish the run. There in the fourth quarter at the end, we started getting the pass game going, but too little too late.”

Coleman said he did not expect much sleep Thursday night, but he was not discouraged. “I’m not down about it. I’m not sad about it,” he said. “I understand I have to go back to the drawing board and prepare my boys because we will probably see them again.”

He also pointed to what the game meant for Mobile County Public Schools, with two programs from the system ranked among the best in the state.

“It’s huge for MCPSS, man,” Coleman said. “Two teams — No. 1, No. 3 in the state dueling it out — and I don’t think a lot of people realize that some of the best football that we’ve played down here. We beat up on each other, especially in our region in 4A, and when we get up the road (in postseason), we’re banged up. You know, you’ve got the No. 1 and No. 3 team in the state down here, and one of us is going to play for a championship. Let’s just be honest.”

A three-way tie atop Class 4A, Region 1

The result scrambled the region standings with one week of region play remaining. Vigor (7-1, 4-1), Williamson (6-1, 4-1) and Orange Beach (7-1, 4-1) now share first place in Class 4A, Region 1.

Vigor’s only loss of the season came in Week 3 at Orange Beach, a 21-19 decision in a game the Wolves played without several key players. Williamson routed Orange Beach 42-0 in early October, a win that earned the Lions Team of the Week honors from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.

The final region games for area teams are set for next week:

• Vigor: home vs. Satsuma, Friday, Oct. 23
• Williamson: at LeFlore, Friday, Oct. 23
• Orange Beach: idle this week; at Citronelle, Friday, Oct. 23

Williamson plays an eight-game regular-season schedule, so next week’s trip to LeFlore will be its final regular-season game. Vigor has one more non-region game after Satsuma. The Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs begin the first week of November, and the state championship games are scheduled for the first week of December at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus.

A rivalry that keeps raising the stakes

Few people who left Ladd-Peebles on Thursday believed this was the last time these teams would meet this season. Garror said as much after the game. Asked whether he expects to see Williamson again, he answered, “Oh, yes sir. Most definitely. Great team.”

The recent history suggests a rematch would be another classic. Last season, Williamson beat then-No. 1 Vigor 22-14 in overtime during the regular season as part of a 13-game winning streak. The teams met again in the Class 5A state semifinals, where Vigor won 21-14 to end the Lions’ season and advance to the state championship game, finishing as the 5A runner-up.

In each of the last three meetings, the lower-ranked team has won. Thursday’s victory gives Vigor two straight wins over Williamson. Vigor entered the night leading the all-time series 26-10 and has now won 12 of the last 13 meetings.

Both programs are now in Class 4A, and both are loaded with college talent. Vigor’s roster includes Garror (Texas), McNeil (Auburn), defensive back Miguel Wilson (Kentucky), wide receiver Zy Wilson (Arkansas State), defensive back Kelton Agee (Alcorn State) and defensive lineman Cameron Williams (East Mississippi Community College). Williamson counters with defensive back Jaylen Scott (Oklahoma), linebacker Ellis McGaskin (Florida), defensive back Julian McDonald (Mississippi State) and offensive lineman Brelan Broom (South Alabama), along with heavily recruited underclassmen Captain Munnerlyn Jr., a sophomore defensive back, and Demarcus Dale-Brown, a junior edge rusher.

Garror, McNeil, McGaskin and Scott were also named this week to the Alabama roster for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, set for Dec. 12 at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Both schools serve neighborhoods in the heart of Mobile County. Vigor, based in Prichard, has produced a long line of college and professional players, and Williamson, in Mobile, has become one of the state’s most consistent programs in recent seasons. Before the game, Jackson called it “very, very impressive and honorable” that two inner-city schools with limited resources have competed at the top of their classification year after year.

Vigor is expected to climb in next week’s Alabama Sports Writers Association poll after beating the No. 1 team, while Williamson is unlikely to fall far. If the bracket cooperates, the Wolves and Lions could meet again in the postseason with even more on the line.