- Welcome to the Alabama High School Athletic Association's Football Championships!

Congratulations to the 14 boys teams and the two girls flag football teams for making it to Auburn.

I want to extend my best wishes to the cheerleaders, the bands, the schools, and the communities who are there to show their hometown spirit.

You all have so much to be proud of.

Win or lose, enjoy the games and celebrate your success.

Congratulations again and best of luck to all of you.

- [Mickey] Welcome to the Alabama Public Television High School Football Championships presented by Protective, offering life insurance, retirement, and asset protection to help protect what matters most.

It's time now for the class 4A State Championship game as the Cherokee County Warriors take on the Andalusia Bulldogs from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

And happy Friday, everyone, and welcome in to our continuing coverage of the Super 7 State Football Championships.

I'm Mickey Shadrix joined by veteran coach Rick Rhoades.

And coach, we start the day with the 4A State Championship game, and we've kind of been served up a good matchup of two tradition rich teams.

- They really are.

And if you like running the football, you are at the right place today because they have two prolific running backs and running attacks.

It's gonna be very, very special.

- [Mickey] Let's take a look at impact players for today's matchup.

I know, coach, as a former coach, you love these old two way players, and we got two good ones today.

- [Rick] We really do.

Jacob Cornejo is an all state running back, and he is Cherokee County's leading tackler.

You see his numbers for the year.

He had 309 yards rushing in the semifinals.

Kaden Denson, a very great receiver, averages 27 yards of reception and a ball hawking safety on defense.

He'll be all over the field.

- [Mickey] Well, our impact players presented by Coach Safely Foundation, win without losses.

As we continue to move toward kickoff, we will take a break and come back with our keys to the game.

The 4A State Championship game is on deck first here from Auburn.

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(upbeat music) - [Mickey] And a festive atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama this morning.

I'll tell you, these fans came in ready to go.

They've been cheering even during warmups as we are getting set for the 4A State Championship game between Cherokee County and Andalusia.

Coach Rick Rhoades, Mickey Shadrix back with you.

Coach, let's take a look at the keys to the game for this matchup.

- [Rick] #*#*#*#*, if it's okay, I'm gonna kinda lump 'em together just a little bit.

Both these teams live on the running game.

They are a hard-nosed downhill team, both of them are.

But they can throw the football.

It's important they wanna throw it when they want to, not when they have to.

That makes first down the crucial down in every series.

Gotta get at least four yards.

Defensively, both of them are very opportunistic.

Kind of a bend but don't break.

And turnovers will be big in this game.

- [Mickey] Another big day today in Auburn.

The Super 7 state football championships.

It all begins with the 4A title game.

Kickoff is coming up.

- [Narrator] You're watching Alabama Public Television.

Broaden your horizons.

(gentle music) (car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - Hi, I'm Lionel Richie.

And I have traveled all over the world, but I consider Tuskegee, Alabama as my home sweet home.

I have such a pride in this state, and I know that there's something I need to tell you that's of great importance.

Vote.

Register to vote and get your voter ID today.

It really is easy.

Easy like Sunday morning.

(gentle music) (crowd cheers) - [Mickey] And we are just moments away from kickoff as the eagle flying overhead at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Quite a tradition here in Auburn, Alabama.

They bring it out for the Super 7 State Championships.

The 4A State Championship game is about to kick off.

It's the first of three games on tap on this Friday here in Auburn.

And coach, time now to take a look at the Children's of Alabama Super 7 schedule.

We've had quite a festive atmosphere here for a lot of good games.

- [Rick] We really have.

But I really think that at least for right now, this may be the most electric.

I mean, this place is abuzz to say the least.

You know, you look at the overall scoreboard, what's eerie about it is all those scores are almost identical.

I mean, you see all these games have been frankly a little bit one sided.

One team has just played magnificently and another team has not been able to keep up for four quarters.

We'll see if this one holds form, but I don't know.

This one may be a little animal unto itself.

Running game will be super important right here.

Two very good defenses.

And man, what an atmosphere.

- [Mickey] I think we all notice coming in this morning that these fans were early.

They were waiting in line to get in the gates at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

And when they got in, they let themselves be heard.

You know when your team is getting cheered for stretching, your fans are ready to go, right?

- [Rick] I'm sorry, #*#*#*#*, I can't hear you because of all the (laughs) Yeah, you're exactly right.

I mean, they have cheered everything.

- [Mickey] And we're getting set for the coin toss, which is brought to you again in this 4A State Championship game by Children's of Alabama.

We will check in momentarily down on the field for the coin toss in just a moment.

Beautiful day here in Auburn.

We're getting set for kickoff.

It's about 60 degrees, sunny.

Beautiful day once again for high school football action.

Let's join our referee, Tim Porter, down on the field.

- Good morning, gentlemen.

Welcome.

Being captains today.

Big championship game.

White, you'll be talking to white.

Red, you will talk to red.

See the ball land on the ground, pick it up and hand it to the nearest official.

I have a penalty, I'll give your best choice first and work backwards from there.

I'm gonna introduce my coin tosser.

Come on in, young man.

We gonna toss this.

Alabama High School is heads.

Federation is tails.

Tails, heads.

Young man, call the toss.

- Tails.

- Tails is a call.

- It is heads.

You did not win the toss.

You sir did, and you have elected to... (crowd cheers) And the loser has deferred their toss.

Young man, you wish to receive.

Is that correct?

You wanna receive, correct?

Which goal do you want to defend?

Bring your back around here.

Turn around and face them, white.

(crowd cheers) Red team, bring the ball to the 40.

Let's get jiggy with it.

- [Mickey] All right, time now to welcome in the third member of our crew for the 4A State Championship game.

Let's head down to the field and hear from Susan Carothers.

Good morning, Susan.

- Good morning, guys.

I don't know who ordered up this perfect weather down here on Pat Dye Field inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium, but it feels amazing.

And you mentioned the fans.

Hey listen, guys, when I walked in this morning with some members of the crew, I thought I was late because there were already so many fans in the stadium.

They are rocking.

They're bundled up in blankets.

They've already been to the concession stand.

They've been here for hours already, guys, so they're ready to go.

But hey, before they were warming up before the kickoff, I got to talk with both coaches in midfield.

Let me tell you what they had to say.

First of all, Jacob Kelley for Cherokee County, he said that his team needs to control the line, they need to play hard, and my favorite part is he said, "We block 'em, we beat 'em."

So, then for Andalusia, Coach Trent Taylor, first of all, he's a graduate of Andalusia High School, but he said today his team needs to control their emotions.

You know, it's a big difference for these guys to play in a stadium like this.

He also said their kicking team was important, and they need to prevent turnovers.

- [Mickey] Thanks, Susan.

And Andalusia comes in.

13 and 1 overall.

The number two seat out of 4A region two.

Meanwhile, Cherokee County 12 and 2 on the season.

They are the region champs from 4A six.

Both these teams have one interesting thing in common.

They both lost to area region opponents only to turn around and win the rematch in the semis to get here.

For Andalusia, they had to beat Catholic Montgomery last week.

For Cherokee County, they knocked off Oneonta in the semis.

And we are off and running in the 4A State Championship game.

The kickoff presented by the Department of Human Resources.

And Cherokee County will set up shop for their first offensive series just across their own 30 yard line.

And there you see their starting quarterback, senior Cade Hopper, who has thrown for right at 1,000 yards on the season.

Good size at 6'2", 190.

- [Rick] You know, they don't throw the ball very much at all.

Only 94 passes on the year, but he has been very effective.

67% completion percentage and 10 touchdowns.

- [Mickey] First down at the 31 for the Cherokee County Warriors.

(whistle blows) And we've got a flag right out of the shoot.

- [Rick] Yeah, that's almost always an alignment issue.

- From the snap.

Encroachment on the defense.

Five yard penalty.

Replay.

First down.

- [Rick] Somebody a little bit too eager right here.

And of course all eyes will be on the guide dotting the back field in that pistol.

Number nine, Jacob Cornejo.

2,463 yards on the year.

9.26 yards carry.

32 touchdowns.

- [Mickey] So, it'll be first and five after the penalty against Andalusia.

They almost jumped off sides again.

You think these teams are ready to go?

- [Rick] I think they are juiced up pretty good.

- [Mickey] And the first snap of the game.

It's Cornejo getting the call, and he is wrapped up for a short gain, as we take a look at the Cherokee County starting offense.

This is a unit that averages about 38 points a game.

And coach, I know you've been looking forward to watching number nine play, Jacob Cornejo.

- [Rick] Well, he's really special, and of course those numbers are just really outstanding.

Of course that big strong offensive line has a lot to do with it, and it's gonna be fun to watch him operate.

- [Mickey] Second down and four, he gets the handoff here, right up the middle.

He's gonna dart forward for an eight yard gain, and that'll be the first first down of the game, presented by ALDOT.

Drive safely, Alabama.

Here's a look at the Andalusia starting defense.

This is a unit giving up only 15 points a game coming into the state championship.

- [Rick] Yeah, and I was really impressed with their secondary against a Catholic team that had led the state in scoring offense throughout the year.

A lot of speed and maneuverability back there.

- [Mickey] So, the first two plays of the game.

Cornejo no surprise carrying the football both times.

The first down at the 44.

Here's a little pitch to Jake Amos.

And Amos picks up three, maybe four.

We're gonna go ahead and tell you, coach, it's a bright sunny day here, and those numerals a little hard for us to pick up from our vantage point, so we will do our best to make sure we deliver the correct names and numbers.

- [Rick] Could I make one correction, Mickey?

It's really hard.

- [Mickey] It's really hard.

- [Rick] To see the numbers, but we're gonna get 'em.

We're gonna get 'em.

- [Mickey] I tell you this coach here, Jacob Kelley, he is fired up and ready to go as well.

You know, Cherokee County has a state championship in their school history.

Andalusia's won too.

Both back in the '70s.

Last time Cherokee County won was in 2009 under former head coach Trip Curry.

Second down.

Gained not much at all.

Andalusia defense stiffens there.

It's gonna set up a third down.

- [Rick] Well, defenses are built on gap control, and that time, I mean, those red shirts stood up, every white shirt free shoulder in the hole and just nowhere to go.

- [Mickey] You know, you described the atmosphere here as electric and there's no question about it.

These two fan bases really brought some energy into Jordan-Hare Stadium this morning.

- [Rick] It is loud and it is proud.

- [Mickey] And these Andalusia fans wanna see a stop here from their defense.

It's third down and six.

See what the Warriors call here.

And a little mishandled snap there, and it's gonna wind up creating a fourth down situation as Cade Hopper really never had a chance to get this play off and going.

- [Rick] Well, I really think the snap was too early.

You know, I think the ball was snapped before anybody was ready.

Not only was the snap not handled, but the lineman never moved very much either.

Just a miscommunication more than really a true bad snap.

- [Mickey] So, that brings out the punter Will Frampton.

As Cherokee County able to pick up one first down and then the drive stalls.

and this punt will roll into the end zone.

So, Andalusia will come out first and 10 at the 20 after the touchback as we get our first look at this Andalusia offensive unit.

And they are led by quarterback Jack Lathrop who has thrown for over 2,100 yards this season.

He is just a junior, but again like Hopper on the other side, good size at 6'1", 165.

- [Rick] Yeah, 29 TDs on the year, only six interceptions.

And I tell you what, he came big in the second half against Catholic last week.

- [Mickey] Starting at the running back position.

Dorian Crittenden.

Looks like a short gain here.

And that's kind of the big story for Andalusia.

We'll get into it now.

Here's a look at their starting offense.

And coach, they're missing their starting running back, Jamarion Burnett, who's been injured and he's a first team all state player.

- [Rick] Yeah, he really is.

1,400 yards of their offenses not here playing today.

Got a concussion a couple weeks back.

Crittenden had been a, you know, a part-time player on offense, a starter on defense.

Over 800 yards.

Stepped in last week.

Well over 100 yards.

They're not gonna miss much.

He is a big strong power back.

- [Mickey] And they call his number again.

He spins out across the 30.

You can see he is a physical runner.

He is a handful.

And it is a first down as the tackle made there by De'Zantae Diamond, the sophomore defensive back for Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Well, let me tell you what he's like, all right?

Well, let's get a look at the Cherokee County defense first.

- [Mickey] And this is a unit giving up about 16 points a game.

Both of these teams very similar statistically coming in to this state championship game.

But a big key for this Cherokee County defense will be stopping this rushing attack.

And here is Crittenden again.

Good blocking at the point of attack.

And Crittenden is going to have seven yards out to the 40, and the tackle by Alex Johnson.

- [Rick] Now, they had great success last week running to their left side behind their big all state tackle, Brody Stewart, number 73.

The left tackle.

Now when you get a minute now you get a close up, all these Andalusia players have these dog bones in neat little rows, you know, that they've gotten all year for great plays.

Look at Crittenden's.

His aren't in a row.

Buddy, they are blown up all over his helmet, and that is exactly the way that he plays.

- [Mickey] He's got so many, there's probably a few sitting on the shelf in his locker.

Second down and one.

They fake it to Crittenden this time, and they throw it deep.

It is incomplete.

Down at the 12 yard line.

A flag comes out.

And they may have gotten Jack Amos for pass interference on the play.

We'll get another look.

- [Rick] Well, this is a great break on the ball by number one Jack Amos.

But at the end, instead of high pointing the ball, he goes for the receiver and does make contact in my opinion before the ball gets there.

And if that is the case, that is pass interference.

- [Mickey] And it is a big penalty.

We will get the call from Tim Porter.

- During the play, defensive pass interference.

Penalty is 15 yards.

The yardage will result in a first down.

(crowd cheers) - [Mickey] So, they had ran Crittenden three times, little play action, they go deep.

You like the call?

- [Rick] Yeah, I really do.

I mean, I think you've gotta do that to keep those safeties from getting too involved in the running game.

I think it was a good call at a good time.

- [Mickey] And another ALDOT first down for the Bulldogs.

And they call Crittenden's number again, and he falls forward for a gain of about four.

And then once again, De'Zantae Diamond on the tackle.

5'10", 215 pounds sophomore linebacker for Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Now, right now that Andalusia offensive line is winning the line of scrimmage.

They're knocking those white shirts back.

Great explosion coming off the ball.

We'll see if that trend continues.

- [Mickey] They are a big physical bunch up front.

Lathrop quick pass.

And it is complete to Kaden Denson.

His first catch of the day.

He was targeted on the long pass play that resulted in the pass interference.

But it'll be another first down, tackled by Ben Frampton.

- [Rick] Well, Denson we talked about, you know, early in the game, you know, he's been such a money player.

Has 40 receptions.

But the big thing, he averages 27 yards a reception.

- [Mickey] Nice looking drive here for Andalusia on their first series of the game.

Back to Crittenden up the middle.

He was hit behind the line of scrimmage.

Play well defended that time for Cherokee County as Hayden Wheeler shot through there and made the initial contact.

- [Rick] Yeah, really good explosion off of the right defensive edge too to run that play from behind.

- [Mickey] That'll make it second down and eight.

There you see Alex Loyd, junior linebacker.

Three receivers split to the wide side of the field on second down and eight.

And off to Crittenden.

And just too much penetration by the Cherokee County defense.

I tell you, they blew that play up.

I believe that was De'Zantae Diamond again that just got up field in a hurry.

- [Rick] Well, to quote Ed Ojeron, that is eagle directions.

Inside stunt, inside stunt come off the edge.

Great penetrating effort right there.

Just nowhere to go.

- [Mickey] Actually Jeb Crane, first man to make contact.

So, here we go with a third and two.

Third and 11, I should say.

Big opportunity here for Cherokee County.

- [Rick] You wonder if they're gonna play this as two downs to get 11 yards or try to get it all right now.

- [Mickey] Lathrop fakes.

Pass is away and incomplete.

Looked like a mix up with his intended receiver that time, Connor Dalton.

- [Rick] Yeah, he had a deeper right, kind of an outside slant that had a really big window early, was not able to get to that, and tried to force a little throw into the flat, but the flat defender was standing right there.

So, here we come on fourth down.

Watched Andalusia in the warmups.

You know, I don't believe this is a field goal situation for them here.

- [Mickey] 47 yarder, so they pass on that attempt.

Line up to go for it on fourth and 12.

- [Rick] Keep an eye on number four, got Cameron Jackson right here.

- [Mickey] Lathrop fakes.

Looks.

Fires over the middle.

Pass is broken up down at the 13 yard line.

Once again, Jack Amos.

Not interference this time.

Just a good play in the second here.

- [Rick] I'll tell you something that we've learned about him.

He can break on a ball.

- [Mickey] Amos step aside for a timeout.

Midway through the first quarter, the Super 7 in Auburn.

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(upbeat music) (inspirational music) - [Narrator] You can almost feel the shock waves from anti-aircraft fire and hear the roar of a P51 Mustang.

They were unwelcome, unappreciated, and underestimated.

But in the end, their skills, not their skin color, validated their legendary status.

This is Alabama, and when you're here, you can take it all in.

- Be a great coach.

We need you.

- Our kids need you.

- Motivate them.

- Challenge them.

- Inspire them.

- Pay attention and know the facts.

- Every injured youth is a loss.

- So, let this be our goal.

- Our collaborative goal.

- Our unified goal.

- Our name is our mission.

- Coach safely.

(whistle blows) - It's the mission.

(whistle blows) - It's the purpose.

- It's the law.

- [Coach Jana] Coach Safely, win without losses.

- [Mickey] Both teams have possessed the football one time.

Still no score though.

4:28 remaining in our first quarter as we take a look at Cherokee County's Road to the State Championship.

Of course Cherokee County based out of center Alabama, northeast part of the state.

And now you see there are four victories in the playoffs, including that big win in the semis over Oneonta, 42 to 21, avenging a regular season loss they had to the Red Skins.

So, Cherokee County takes back over first and 10 after the fourth down incomplete pass for Andalusia.

And we've got a flag coming in before the snap.

And Andalusia defensive front pointing at the right guard.

- [Rick] Who did move before the ball was snapped.

- On the snap.

False start.

On the offense.

The five yard penalty.

will remain first down.

- [Mickey] That is against Antonio Hernandez, the junior right guard.

- [Rick] I say back to that last offensive series for Andalusia, you might wanna try throwing to another part of the field in the middle of it.

Jack Amos really covers a tremendous amount of ground, has seven interceptions on the year.

Keep an eye on him.

- [Mickey] First and 15.

The pitch to Cornejo.

Just great containment on the edge that time by the Andalusia defense, including Tycamren Jackson who was in on the stop.

- [Rick] Well, I tell you he's a pretty popular guy today because he hasn't taken many steps without about three or four red shirts right there with him.

You know they're gonna key on him all day.

They know that he is the key to stopping that prolific running gain of the Warriors.

- [Mickey] It's a three yard gain.

Three yard.

Second and 13, well, two yard gain actually.

Second and 13.

Pump fake right there by Hopper, then lobs it over the middle.

Almost picked as Andalusia's Joshua Riley, you can see his reaction, hands to the helmet there as he got his hands on it.

- [Rick] Well, you see the pressure right there coming up.

But I thought this was gonna be a hitch and go, but he comes underneath with it.

And very, very fortunate that that ball was thrown a little bit behind or that one might have gone back the other way.

- [Mickey] So, a third and long upcoming now for the Warriors.

- [Rick] And this is not Cherokee County's gain, third and long yards.

Well, it's nobody's gain.

But especially when you're as run oriented as they have been.

- [Mickey] See if the Bulldogs come after.

Quarterback Cade Hopper.

Pass is batted away.

Nice job there by Landen Marshall.

The big 6'3", 288 pound defensive lineman getting those hands up.

- [Rick] Well, a really cool scheme right here.

They bring the inside linebacker to that side and drop the outside linebacker and coverage.

You can say there's nowhere to go with the football at all.

But a great job here of getting that hand up and knocking that ball down.

But that ball wasn't going anywhere.

- [Mickey] There was a receiver breaking open.

And you see the Cherokee County coach, Coach Kelley, getting in the face of his quarterback there.

And this punt will roll dead at the 35.

Andalusia will come back out on offense.

Had a pretty good looking drive on their first possession.

- [Rick] Right.

You know, both these teams have gotten in trouble when they have not had good first down plays.

We talked about that in the opening.

It's always important.

But when you're as dependent on the run as these two teams are, you gotta get four yards or more on first down.

You gotta stay ahead of the chains.

- [Mickey] And Crittenden, starting tailback, had six carries on that first series.

- [Announcer] Crittenden from the 37th.

- [Mickey] See how they play the second series.

And Crittenden slips down behind the line of scrimmage.

It'll be a loss on the play.

And Tristan Brown was there to make sure that Crittenden had nowhere to go.

- [Rick] Now they've had real good success bringing that outside line back.

Look at the left of your screen, off the edge.

And they've hurt Andalusia with that particular defensive movement.

The Bulldogs are gonna have to have an answer to that.

- [Mickey] Loss of two.

Second down and 12.

Fake to Crittenden.

Lathrop rolls out, and he finds a wide open Kaden Denson.

Denson stays on his feet, but the official's gonna say he stepped out of bounds at around the 45 yard line, which will set up a third and short.

- [Rick] Well, it's just bootleg pass.

In the bootleg, action one way, roll the other.

Somebody's always in the flat, somebody's always crossing, somebody's always deep.

Flat defender deepens.

You dump it in the flat.

Executed just very, very, very well.

- [Mickey] Second catch of the game for the senior Kaden Denson.

So, here's the third and one.

Crittenden up the middle for the first down and more, crosses midfield to the Cherokee County 45 yard line.

It is a ALDOT first down for the Bulldogs.

- [Rick] Little trap action and kicked out on that edge defender that had been so much trouble.

Sealed the inside really well.

Take a look at it.

You see the crossing action there.

There's the kick out right there and the lead through.

And Crittenden can make you miss a tackle.

- [Mickey] First and 10.

Once again, the Bulldogs inside Warrior territory.

Look at Crittenden.

Hurdle one defender.

He's got 11 yards inside the 35 for another ALDOT first down.

- [Rick] I bet you thought I was kidding when I said these teams run the football.

Both these teams are gonna come right at you, and you can see those red shirts again coming off the ball.

- [Mickey] And again we will say this is your second stream running back.

- [Rick] Well, alternate running back.

- [Mickey] So we say one A and one B, right?

- [Rick] Well, you know, they got an all state running back that's not playing, but this guy has been magnificent.

- [Mickey] He is special.

Pass out.

It is complete to Denson.

Nice moves.

He's inside the 10!

Denson will score!

(crowd cheers) - [Rick] You know, this is why we featured him coming into this game.

This guy is just what's called a winner.

When they need a play, he makes it, on both sides of the ball.

Wow.

- [Mickey] Touchdown for Kaden Denson.

His 17th of the year.

The Department of Human Resources touchdown changing lives throughout Alabama.

- [Rick] Boy, that was pretty.

- [Mickey] And here's Brian Cobb for the extra point attempt.

(whistle blows) And it is good.

So, Andalusia strikes first in the 4A State Championship game.

Another look at the touchdown.

- [Rick] Well, this is a little hitch screen out to the outside, and now you're gonna see just a little will of the wisp right here.

Good stiff arm there.

Nice little cut back.

Little speed here.

And say you're not catching me today, sir.

Just a great, great, great effort.

And those quarterbacks are pretty good officials now when there's a TD pass, I can tell you.

Lots of excitement.

- [Mickey] And here's your ALDOT scoring drive.

Five plays, 63 yards.

And they conclude the drive with the Lathrop to Denson 34 yard touchdown pass.

- [Rick] And you can see right here by his body language, Denson has already turned the page and gone on to the next play.

- [Mickey] So, a nice start for Andalusia as they have out gained Cherokee County here in this first quarter.

99 yards to just 14 yards for the Warriors.

And here's the kickoff, presented by the Department of Human Resources.

Here's the return.

And the return man brings it out to the 29 yard line.

- [Rick] Now Mickey, when you said a nice start for the Andalusia Bulldogs, are you talking about the team or the folks in the stands?

'Cause they're off to a great start.

I'm telling you, they are rocking and rolling down here.

- [Mickey] It's not gonna take much to get either of these fans off their feet today.

- [Rick] No, no.

- [Mickey] Now Cherokee County with the offense back on the field.

Started that last drive with the five yard penalty.

That's something they've gotta stay away from is those free snap penalties.

- [Rick] Absolutely.

We have a delay here now.

I don't know exactly what it is.

Got a flag for something.

- There's no penalty.

Just too many men on the field.

We good?

- [Mickey] And here is Jack Amos lined up in the quarterback wildcat spot on first down for Cherokee County.

Takes a snap.

Gets behind those big lead blockers but goes nowhere.

Great job defensively by Andalusia's Xavier Marshall.

- [Rick] Now, they've used Amos in this position quite a bit this year.

He has 586 yards rushing on the year.

6.9 yards per carry and 13 TDs, so he can tote the mail.

But right now the story of this game is Andalusia is winning up front on both sides of the ball.

- [Mickey] Yeah, Cherokee County searching here early, coach.

- [Rick] Yeah, and, you know, I mean, we talked about Cornejo who's a tremendously prolific running back and hasn't been much of a factor yet in this game.

- [Mickey] Second and 10.

This is Cornejo taking the direct snap, and he's gonna go nowhere.

(crowd cheers) He was met on the edge there by the Andalusia defender.

So, it's gonna be another third and long situation for this Warrior offense.

- [Rick] Well, Andalusia has lots of people in the box and lots of people getting off blocks, and that makes it a very, very difficult situation to run into.

Yeah, remember now, Cornejo is a guy that averages almost 10 yards every time he touches the ball.

- [Mickey] And a direct snap, again nowhere.

Another run for Jack Amos.

That was as good a defensive series as you could ask for.

A quick three and out here for this Andalusia defense.

And there's your starting quarterback Cade Hopper sitting that series out.

- [Rick] Yeah, and again, they've done this during the year.

You know, they've gotten this wildcat package with good success.

To give you an idea how good this Andalusia defense has been so far, Cornejo has 11 yards and four carries, averaging 2.8 yards a carry.

This is a guy that averages 9.2.

- [Mickey] And that'll take us to the end of the first quarter.

Andalusia with a seven nothing lead one quarter into the 4A State Championship game.

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(upbeat music) - [Mickey] And back at Jordan-Hare Stadium, getting set for the second quarter of the 4A State Championship game.

Andalusia with a seven nothing lead, thanks to this play between Lathrop and his receiver Kaden Denson.

- [Rick] Well, Denson of course is the guy that we highlighted, and this is what he has done the entire playoff scenario.

He just makes plays, and they have to have a great, great individual effort.

- [Mickey] And the second quarter begins with a punt.

- [Rick] Good punt.

- [Mickey] Nice job kicking away from the return man.

It'll bounce out of bounds at the 30.

And that was a great touchdown play there for Andalusia.

But the story of the first quarter was the stout defense by the Bulldogs, giving up only 13 yards in that first quarter to Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Yeah, very much so.

And right now, I said it earlier but it bears repeating, Andalusia is winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

- [Mickey] We look at quarterback Jack Lathrop, leading the offense back out on the field.

And coach, here is the first team all state tell bag, Jamarion Burnett who is not even dressed today.

- [Rick] No.

And, you know, 1,473 yards, 7.9 yards a carry, 17 TDs.

But, you know, they're doing the right thing.

They're taking care of the young man.

And you see that same play again.

(crowd cheers) - [Mickey] Flag comes in at the end, probably a face mask, as Kaden Denson dynamic with the football in his hands.

- [Rick] And he's had a little hitch screen to the outside, and looked like somebody did grab some hardware.

- [Mickey] Look at the zip on this pass by Lathrop.

- [Rick] Yeah, you know, you come off that fake.

That holds those linebackers.

Really good blocking by the perimeter receivers.

And you saw the hand grab the mask right there, and I'm sure that that's gonna be tacked on.

I think it was Jack Amos that had a hold of that.

- During the play.

Five yard face mask on the defensive team.

Five yards added to the end of the run.

First down.

(crowd cheers) - [Mickey] So, first down and 10 at the 46.

Again, Andalusia the third series.

All three times they've had the football, they've crossed the 50 yard line into Cherokee County territory.

Here's the hand off to Crittenden.

A lot of power to go with it.

And he's got a 12 yard pickup inside the 35.

- [Rick] You know, saw him last week against Catholic, and he was more of a power guy.

As you said, pretty nifty right here.

Watch this little jump cut back to the inside and a little stutter step, and again another gaping hole up front created by that Andalusia offensive line.

- [Mickey] Crittenden now with 43 yards rushing here in this first half.

We saw quite a rushing performance last night in the 5A station.

- [Rick] Yes, we did.

- [Mickey] Crittenden gets the call and gets pot.

Nice job coming down the line of scrimmage by Tristan Brown.

- [Rick] Yeah.

- [Mickey] He came rather determined.

- [Rick] Yeah, he shut that gap to his inside and beat the block to that side.

Andalusia has used some unbalanced line to their advantage right here.

But that time Brown, didn't matter what the formation was, he came clean and made the hit in the backfield.

- [Mickey] So, it's second down.

And nine is at play.

Gained about half a yard.

Warriors bring the blitz.

They run Crittenden.

He breaks it outside.

Cuts it up.

Down to the 14 yard line goes Dorian Crittenden, and the tackle by De'Zantae Diamond.

- [Rick] Well, this is the stretch plan.

Watch him bounce it outside and then make a nice inside cut right there.

Cuts back against the grain.

That's called attacking the weak side shoulder.

And really just a nice, nice job.

- [Mickey] So, it is another ALDOT first down for Andalusia.

High snap!

Lathrop goes back, tries to fall on it, and is able to secure it back at the 29 yard line.

- [Rick] And you never know what can turn a game around right there.

Now that one I don't think was miscommunication.

That one just sails.

Now keep in mind, you know, that center's gotta snap and step at different angles.

That time the center tried to block back to his right.

And that hip just came up, and the ball sailed high, high, high.

- [Mickey] And we got an injured Cherokee County player down on the field.

This young man was injured going for the loose ball.

And it looks as though that is Jeb Crane, the injured Cherokee County player.

- [Rick] He's been a standout for 'em.

58 tackles on the year, one tackle for loss, and interception.

Hopefully is nothing too serious.

- [Mickey] You see the stretcher brought out rather quickly here on Pat Dye Field.

And obviously we just wish the best for the young man.

We'll take a break and return to Jordan-Hare Stadium in a moment.

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- [Mickey] And here is our AHSAA Super 7 schedule presented by Children's of Alabama.

Coach, your thoughts on the Super 7 action that we've seen so far here in Auburn?

- [Rick] Well, as we said at the beginning of the show, we've seen really some great performances of teams that have won every game.

Either have started out very fast and really never looked back or have taken control of the game at some midway point in the contest.

And all of them, they haven't been one sided games, they've just been really great performances by the winning teams that have really performed flawlessly.

And in the early going right here, Andalusia has got a leg up.

Although, you know, it's just a seven to nothing ballgame.

But, you know, Ramsay rode a great running performance to beat Charles Henderson.

Leroy got off to a fast start and never looked back against Pickens County.

(crowd applauds) The applause you here is for the young man for Cherokee County.

But... Looks like he's suffered a lower extremity injury, and we sure hate that.

You know, you get to a state championship game and... - [Mickey] And let's check in with Susan Carothers down on the field.

Susan?

- Hey guys, y'all mentioned earlier those dog bone decals on the helmets with the Andalusia players.

There's something you probably haven't seen though just because it's so special that there's not that many of 'em that are awarded.

It's called The Standard, and it's named in memory of Tim Nall, former Andalusia player.

There's a lot of requirements to be able to earn one of these, so there's just not that many of them.

First of all, you gotta grade a 90% playing more than 70% of snaps.

So, you gotta perform on the field.

It says no loafs.

That means you gotta hustle.

Also no personal fouls and no off the field issues that are deemed detrimental to the team.

So, this is the best of the best on and off the field.

They get what's called The Standard, a decal on their helmet.

- [Rick] Well, I remember- - [Mickey] Thanks, Susan.

- [Rick] I remember Tim Nall very well.

He was a linebacker's linebacker.

He would strike you.

- [Mickey] So, as we resume play, it is second down and 24 after that high snap.

Lathrop drops back.

Feels the heat.

Pass is away and caught.

It is on the receiving end of that one was Cedric Sinkfield, but he was tackled immediately.

- [Rick] He tried to set up a little screen to the receiver coming across, but he was flushed deep and delayed, and it gave the defense a lot more time to diagnose the play.

Really good job by Cherokee County of coming up, especially by Tristan Brown who came up and made the sure tackle to bring up this long yard situation.

- [Mickey] Very important down I think here for the Cherokee County defense.

Third down and 23.

- [Rick] Keep your eye on Denson and Jackson.

- [Mickey] Lathrop.

Pass is away and incomplete.

It looked as though the intended receiver, Dalton Connor, lost his footing.

- [Rick] Yeah, he tried to run a little pivot right at about 12 yards, and as he planted to the inside, he just lost his footing and went down.

Pretty well defended though anyway.

- [Mickey] So, the high snap pretty much kills this drive for Andalusia.

So, it's fourth and 23.

They will bring out the field goal unit.

They'll spot this down at the 35, so you're looking at a 45 yard attempt here for Cason Clarke.

- [Rick] And I think this will be kind of at the outer edges of his range.

We're gonna find out here real quick.

- [Mickey] Kick is wide left, so no good.

- [Rick] Plenty of leg.

- [Mickey] I think a big stop there for the Cherokee County defense, coach.

We'll see if they can turn this momentum into something positive offensively.

- [Rick] Well, you know, all that matters in modern football is how you play once that ball gets around the 20 yard line.

People are so good offensively these days, they're gonna move the football.

But, you know, when you could force field goals, especially if they're missed field goals, that's huge.

But the problem for Cherokee County is they just have not been able to generate much offense at all.

Only 13 yards total offense.

- [Mickey] They've got the football first down at their 20.

This is Cornejo.

This is clearly by far his best run of the game.

It's an 11 yard pickup and an ALDOT first down for the Warriors.

- [Rick] Well, you get an idea about how good he is.

If you notice, he is all elbows, knees, and shoulders.

Now, folks, this is kind of like trying to tackle a buzzsaw right here.

You know, watch those legs turn, the hand goes out.

I mean, he is a very, very physical runner, and that is by far his best run of the night.

- [Mickey] And he got a great block from Jack Amos.

First down and 10.

And we're gonna have a pre-snap penalty, I think, against the Andalusia defensive lineman Tristan Pits.

- [Rick] This is where I should give my dissertation on- - On the snap.

- [Rick] No play starts until the ball moves.

- The defense.

The five yard penalty will remain.

First down.

- [Rick] And, you know, son, you are the nose guard and you are right in front of the football.

- [Mickey] You're coaching right now.

- [Rick] And no plays in the history of football have started until the ball has snapped.

- [Mickey] How many times have you read that riot act there, coach?

Here is Amos trying to get around the edge and pushed out of bounds.

A nice job there by Jack Amos, who, he's made his presence felt now on both sides of the line of scrimmage in this game.

- [Rick] Good looking football player.

As I said, they've gotten that wildcat before and have been pretty effective.

Now that's by far the two best runs that they have had.

- [Mickey] So, a little bit of a spark here for the Cherokee County offense as they're out to the 44 yard line.

First and 10.

Fast moving game.

Both teams rely on the running attack.

This is Cornejo.

He bounces it outside.

He turns the corner.

And he will be shoved out of bounds at the Andalusia 36 yard line.

- [Rick] Now Andalusia is playing with 10 men in the box.

So if you bounce outside, there's not a whole lot of secondary pursuit that's gonna get there 'cause there's nobody left.

And Cornejo shows you that good speed.

And of course one of the things that impressed me about him when I looked at film is his vision.

And we're gonna get some movement again.

- [Mickey] Are you ready to coach up Andalusia's Tristan Pits again, coach?

'Cause he just jumped off sides again.

- [Rick] And of course he, you know, he's saying stuff about the snap count.

But here's the bottom line.

Football started in 1869, okay?

How many plays have been run since 1869 before the ball has snapped?

The answer is zero.

So, you know, that's a pretty good key, buddy.

- [Mickey] You are in coach mode right now.

That is for sure.

This is Amos.

Well, he is hard running.

I tell you, he had another great lead block on the previous Cornejo run.

So, he has two really good blocks and two good runs here.

Even though he didn't get a lot of yardage, it was a hard run there by this young man.

- [Rick] He's a very physical player you can see, and he's a fun guy to watch play.

Now, you know, they started running the ball a little more off tackle, but you can see one, two, three, four, five, there's seven Andalusia Bulldogs.

- [Mickey] High snap.

Cornejo did a good job just to go up and get it.

He ducks his head and bulls his way for first down yardage.

A gain of six down to the 21 and another ALDOT first down as this is by far the best drive of the game for Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Good job of handling that snap.

And you can see they get outside and watch this finesse move right there as he runs right over.

But now Andalusia is playing a seven, three, one defense.

(whistle blows) And of course that penalty is a killer offensively.

- [Mickey] And you know that's got to eat up head coach Jacob Kelley.

- Before the snap.

False start.

On the offense.

Five yard penalty.

Remains first down.

- [Mickey] Your offense has finally got some momentum, you're moving the football, and you jump off sides.

It's first and 15.

- [Rick] It's been a long time since I've seen this front right here.

I mean, this is really a seven man line with three linebackers.

I think we played this when I was in junior high, I think.

It's been been a day or two.

- [Mickey] Bad snap.

The football is on the ground.

And Cherokee County is gonna be lucky just to keep possession back at the 39.

So, you get the pre-snap penalty, now the bad snap, and this drive is just unraveling.

- [Rick] Well, and here's the thing that is so critical about this is those are two huge plays.

And you see the snap is way, way left.

Again, the center trying to make a block.

Good hustle right there by Jacob Cornejo to get on it.

You know, these are two huge plays in this drive and both of them are unforced errors.

- [Mickey] There's a look at Cade Hopper, the starting quarterback.

Checks back in the game here on second and 26 as Cherokee County had gone backwards on the last two plays.

A penalty and a bad snap.

Backed up to the 38 now.

Quick pass.

It is complete, out on the edge.

Gain of about five, maybe six there for Cherokee County on the reception there, Demarious Diamond.

- [Rick] That's that hitch screen.

Very well blocked on the outside but a nice job of filling inside out.

Find the safety to that side.

- [Mickey] Correction, that was Malachi Horton on the reception.

So, it'll be third down and 20.

- [Rick] I think it was Ty Jackson on the tackle.

- [Mickey] Cherokee County in four down territory here, coach.

- [Rick] Yeah, I think so.

You know, we're gonna see whether they're gonna try to get half of it or take a big shot.

Looks like they tried to get half of it, and it's about what they got.

Nice reception on the sideline by guess who.

- [Mickey] Nice pass there by Hopper.

- [Rick] Well, I tell you what, I don't, you know, I don't wanna go back to my former life, but if I was still recruiting football players, I'd recruit him.

That guy is a football player.

Well, actually there's a lot of guys on this field I'd recruit.

- [Mickey] Okay, here we go.

Fourth down and eight.

Cherokee County will go for it.

And they're gonna draw a defender into the neutral zone.

Cameron Johnson.

Was he drawn off or did he jump off sides?

- [Rick] Well, he may have been drawn.

- Encroachment from the defense.

Five yard penalty.

Full lane.

Fourth down.

- [Rick] Have I ever talked to you about the history of the snap?

Did I ever, you know... - [Mickey] You know, I've met a lot of your former players here in Auburn this week.

I want to ask them if they ever jumped off sides, what you did.

Fourth down and three.

- [Rick] I asked them, please don't do it again.

- [Mickey] Very nicely, yes.

Here is Cornejo.

Nice job picking the hole.

And he's gonna have the first down and more.

He is gang tackled.

Knocked out of bounds at around the two yard line, and a flag comes in at the end.

- [Rick] I think he's gonna get, I think Cornejo is gonna get 15 at the end.

But I could be wrong.

- [Mickey] Kaden Denson and Cornejo were locked up out of bounds after the play.

Great blocking.

- [Rick] What a great cut back to the inside.

You saw his quickness right here, and just trying to get into that end zone.

Take a look at it here at the end.

Just playing hard.

- [Mickey] Here's Tim Porter.

- Personal foul.

On the defense.

Half to the goal line.

First down.

- [Mickey] Let's go back to this defense you're seeing, and I'm assuming that's because Andalusia expects Cherokee County to run the football every time.

- [Rick] Absolutely.

But what happens when you have that many, you know, you've got eight people from guard to guard.

Man, what a hit on both sides.

You've got eight people from inside the tackle to inside the tackle.

And when you hit off tackle right there, there's nobody to pursue if you get a rolled off.

You know, you don't have those safeties coming downhill.

There's nobody left.

There's one true defensive back lined up.

There's seven guys across, three linebackers, and one safety in the middle of the field.

- [Mickey] That was Jack Amos with about a half yard down to the half yard line.

So, here we go on second and goal.

Can Cherokee County punch it in?

- [Rick] And punch is the right word.

This is about as physical a drive as you're ever gonna see in high school football.

- [Mickey] Here's Amos.

And he somehow I think sneaks into the end zone.

Waiting for the signal.

We get it.

Touchdown Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Boy, did they answer.

- [Mickey] What a drive.

That touchdown presented by the Department of Human Resources, changing lives throughout Alabama.

That changed the game.

Cherokee County right back in this now.

- [Rick] It's got a little quiet on this side, and they are rocking and rolling on the other side.

Man, what a football game.

- [Mickey] Andalusia seemed to have all the momentum after that first quarter.

- [Rick] And it should be known that Cherokee County did a great job of overcoming two very, very costly unforced errors to get in the end zone.

- [Mickey] They only had 13 yards of total offense before that drive.

- [Rick] Well, 11 of 'em were to Cornejo.

He's got 62 now.

- [Mickey] And the extra point is good, and we are tied at seven.

Let's take a look at the sequence here.

A lot went on in this previous Cherokee County drive.

- [Rick] Yeah, there really was.

And a big fumble recover by Cornejo.

And there's the off tackle.

What a tremendous inside cut right here, and then just wills himself down to the goal line and of course the extracurricular at the end, kind of a bulldog headlock and a push.

And now here's the touchdown right here.

Physical, physical football.

- [Mickey] Touchdown by Jack Amos who now has an official offer from Coach Rick Rhoades.

- [Rick] Well, you know, he might like it.

- [Mickey] Cherokee County fans like it.

We are back.

Even Steven, 7-7.

4:32 to play in this second quarter.

And here's a look at an impressive scoring drive, coach.

- [Rick] Boy, you better believe it.

You know, 11 plays, 80 yards, four minutes.

I mean, they had a little bit of an opportunity with that errant snap, and boy, did they take advantage of it and what a football game.

- [Mickey] You know, really you wondered if Cherokee County could recover from the pre-snap penalty, the bad snap.

But they do.

- [Rick] I would say yes.

- [Mickey] So, here's the kickoff.

Trouble fielding it there by the Andalusia return man.

Picks it up.

- [Rick] Look out.

- [Mickey] Nice return.

Kind of coverage out ran the return there.

- [Rick] You know, it always seems like when that thing is kind of muffed at the deep end, I don't know whether the coverage unit relaxes a little bit or the timing breaks down, you know, for the coverage action, but it seems like they always are able to pop something for a pretty good field position.

And now... You can see that ball is moving around pretty good.

It's not round and it takes funny bounces, folks.

- [Mickey] Zerrick Jones almost broke this.

- [Rick] Yeah.

Real good freshman running back by the way.

Averages about six and a half yards a carry.

- [Mickey] So, here we go.

First and 10.

Andalusia back on offense.

Lathrop to Crittenden.

Huge hole.

He's not even touched 'til the 43 yard line of Cherokee County.

What a gaping hole for Crittenden to run through.

And finally they tackle him at the 33 yard line.

And listen to the cheers from this Andalusia crowd.

- [Rick] Well, they ran behind that.

You know, that left side was their money side against Catholic last week.

And again, you can see right here, there's gonna be a huge gaping hole right there.

I mean, my gosh, there's nobody inside until he gets to the safety.

You know, Brody Stewart, the big all state 6'3", 310 pound lineman, led the way over there.

Another huge hole this time to the right.

- [Mickey] Jack Amos came up and tripped up Crittenden.

He the man coming through that hole, isn't he, coach?

- [Rick] Oh, he is now.

He didn't get all those dog bones now for just hanging around now.

And remember he was a defensive starter until the injury to Burnett, and he had 800 yards rushing, but he would've been kind of a two-way player.

But boy, he has really stepped in.

- [Mickey] 109 yards rushing already here in the first half.

And he adds to that total here.

Ducks his head and bulls his way inside the 15.

That is another ALDOT first down as Andalusia taking no time to get right back in the Alabama Votes red zone, presented by the Alabama Secretary of State.

- [Rick] You know, it's almost like they said, okay boys, let's play.

Because they have gone right straight at the Cherokee County defense.

And I mean, they have ripped right through 'em so far.

- [Mickey] Getting late here in the first half.

You see legendary coach Trent Taylor, who by the way will be inducted to the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.

- [Rick] Deservedly so.

- [Mickey] Absolutely.

- [Rick] A product of those glory years in Andalusia.

He knows Andalusia football forwards and backwards.

- [Mickey] Time out on the field.

3:26 to play here in the first half as we keep it right here at Pat Dye Field on a gorgeous day here in Auburn, Alabama.

Andalusia trying to retake the lead and answer the Cherokee County touchdown drive.

Let's take a look at the road to the finals here for Andalusia, coach.

- [Rick] Well, you know, I really believe that this is in a lot of ways their third State Championship game because Anniston, Montgomery Catholic, and Cherokee County all potentially could be championship game opponents right there.

And they have wade through a murderers row these last three weeks.

- [Mickey] Anniston actually led Andalusia 21-7 at halftime.

Andalusia had to return a punt toward the end of that game.

Anniston had a great year in class 4A this year, but Andalusia survives and knocked off the Bulldogs, and as you said, they rebound and beat Montgomery Catholic who had beaten them in the regular season.

- [Rick] Yes, yes.

Scored 28 points in the fourth quarter against Anniston to win that game and trailed at the end of the first quarter 21 to nothing.

So, you know, they've kind of been through it all, and boy, they've responded really well to really the haymaker of the Cherokee County just threw at them.

They come right back down the field.

- [Mickey] Out of the timeout.

First and 10 at the Warrior 14.

Crittenden up the middle.

Ducks his head, runs over defender, and dives down to about the seven where they're gonna spot him down at the eight yard line.

And here we see Cherokee County coach Jacob Kelley.

Obviously he's got something on his mind during the timeout.

- [Rick] Not really sure what this is about.

See they're backing everybody else up.

But he got his point across.

- [Mickey] Second down and three.

Crittenden 16 carries, 134 yards rushing in this half.

But now Zerrick Jones is in there.

And Zerrick Jones is in the end zone for the Department of Human Resources, touchdown for Andalusia.

- [Rick] Well, you know, they three the hard fast ball, now they're just three of the cutter.

And I mean, watch this cut back now.

I mean, this is...

I mean, this looks like an old time USC tailback in their prime.

I mean, this is gonna be something else to see right after the kick right here.

Young freshman say, I have one carry.

Let me get it in the end zone.

- [Mickey] And the Electric Co-ops of Alabama extra point from Byron Cobb is right through there.

And Andalusia retakes the lead.

14-7.

And there you see the young man who scored, Zerrick Jones.

Coach, walk us through the play.

- [Rick] Well, this is the long run right here and of course another huge gaping hole this time over the right side.

This sets this thing up, and of course very physical at the end.

And then here's Crittenden again this time over his left side right here.

Splits the defenders.

Takes on the safety, and carries two of them for an extra two, three yards.

Now watch this cut back to the right right there.

Great vision, great speed, just outruns the unblocked defender whose job is to play the cut back but just too much speed right here.

Boy, what a great run and great vision by a young guy right off the bench, gets in the ballgame, hadn't been in there five seconds and hey, let's get a touchdown.

- [Mickey] We've seen some great performances this week from some very young players.

And there's another one, ninth grader, Zerrick Jones.

As we see the ALDOT scoring drive.

It was quick.

Five plays, 67 yards, less than two minutes off the clock.

And Andalusia recapturing the lead here late in the first half.

Under three minutes to play.

Some time here though for the Warriors if they can mount a drive.

And the kickoff return out to the 22 yard line.

Good coverage there by Andalusia's Jacob Sellers, hustling down on special teams.

- [Rick] That's gonna be interesting to see how Cherokee County plays this if they get back in that wildcat look again.

Remember, Cornejo was the wildcat back for a good bit of that.

And it's also gonna be interesting to see how Andalusia plays it if they play with that seven man front again or maybe, you know, this late in the half, loosen it up just a little bit.

- [Announcer] First attempt at the 22.

- [Mickey] So, first and 10, Warriors at the 22.

- [Rick] Looks like we got a timeout.

- [Tim] Timeout.

Andalusia first timeout of the half.

- [Mickey] So, that will leave both teams with two timeouts for the remainder of the first half.

- [Rick] Well, it's been a lot of fun.

I mean, this has been some kind of hard nose contest.

- [Mickey] You mentioned at the top of the telecast how much these two teams rely on the running game.

Coach, we only have 12 passes thrown between both teams here in the first half.

- [Rick] Yeah, you know, and Crittenden is up to 134 yards, 8.4 yards a carry.

Cornejo now is, he's up to 62 yards.

He's up to 6.9 yards a carry after, remember, only 11 yards for most of most of this game.

The running backs have been true to form right here.

- [Mickey] Andalusia by the way did win the coin toss and deferred, so they will receive the ball to start the second half.

So, this is an important final two and a half minutes of the first half.

First down running play goes nowhere.

Sea of red getting a hold of the running back, Cornejo, that time.

- [Rick] Yeah, tried to cut it back inside, and great closing speed by the boundary side of the Andalusia defense, just nothing there.

- [Mickey] It'd be interesting to see if Andalusia chooses after this play possibly to use another timeout and get the ball back.

- [Rick] You know, we haven't heard anything from Malachi Horton.

You know, their top receiver has 33 catches on the year, but he has not been a factor so far.

- [Mickey] Hopper.

Pass is away and caught in stride.

It is an ALDOT first down.

A big play out of the passing game for Cherokee County, as Ben Frampton his first reception of the game.

- [Rick] Just ran a little crossing route, cleared the linebackers, and really a very nice job by Hopper to pick him up and throw a strike.

- [Mickey] So, now Cherokee County can pick up the tempo now as we go under two minutes to play here in the first half.

Hopper with the pitch.

Nice gain here on the near side of the field.

And that is number six Malachi Horton you just mentioned.

We hadn't heard much from Horton here in this first half.

- [Rick] No, I tell you what, that's his first reception 'cause that ball was punched forward.

Count as a pass.

But it's speed sweep outside, and really a good job of sealing the edge on that, and picks up another big gain and another first down.

- [Mickey] The ALDOT first down at the Andalusia 41 for Cherokee County.

Again, the Warriors still with two timeouts in their back pocket.

They hand it off to Cornejo.

Cornejo breaking tackles.

Football's loose!

Still loose!

And I think Andalusia's Tyler Sigers might have recovered it.

- [Rick] Man, this is a big, big fumble right here.

Possession is, this is gonna be one of the most critical plays in the game.

- [Mickey] Still no official signal.

Cherokee County's gonna keep it.

- [Rick] I'll tell you what, that's a big hustle and recovery by somebody.

- [Mickey] Looks as though number seven in red jumped on it.

Let's see if we can tell what happened.

- [Rick] Yeah, Cornejo trying to get that extra yard is carrying that ball down low, and it pops loose.

It's a slippery sucker.

And it did look like, but I think at the bottom, can't get the number.

Looks like one of the big linemen got down there and got on top of it.

- [Mickey] Another look from a different angle.

I think seven had his hands on it, coach, but I believe somebody got it away from him at the end.

Let's take a look here.

- [Rick] Well, I think we're gonna have a big guy, I did not get the number that time either, but one of those big linemen came bowling there and got that, you know, that's, you know, our second national championship at Troy, just to go back in history.

- [Tim] The recovery of the fumble.

- [Rick] You know, the biggest play in the game was a fumble recovery by our right tackle on a play just like that.

- [Mickey] So, we have a challenge here from Andalusia.

And here we see referee Tim Porter will take a look.

- [Rick] Good luck.

I mean, maybe there are other replays than what we saw, but there was not much conclusive there.

- [Mickey] I mean, I think his player number seven, Tyler Sigers, had it recovered for a moment, but then... A Cherokee County player comes in, and I think just takes it away at the end.

I'm not sure that you can reverse this.

We'll take another look.

- [Rick] I'm trying to see if there's any definitive possession of the football that we can see.

- [Mickey] There's Sigers there on the right, but there's also two Cherokee County players on the ground.

- [Rick] Man looks like maybe that 53.

- [Mickey] I think it's the other guy that's got it.

- [Rick] Antonio Hernandez is in there.

But I think the right shoulder, I can see his right shoulder and his right leg, but I cannot get a number.

He's gonna come from the right side of your screen.

Is that a 70 number?

We're slowly piecing it together.

- [Mickey] That Cherokee County recovery was the call on the field.

So, what Andalusia's hoping is that the officials can determine that they had the ball.

But I just don't know.

I don't see it here.

- [Rick] I don't see, I mean, I don't see anybody with a ball.

You know, simultaneous possession would go to the offense, but I mean, that doesn't tell you anything.

What that picture tells you is that that ball's real popular.

- [Mickey] And of course another angle on this too is Coach Taylor doesn't really have anything to lose here this late in the half, right?

- [Rick] No, he doesn't.

You know, you might wanna keep that red flag in your pocket, but I mean, I could see doing that here.

I mean, this is a pretty crucial part of the game right here.

Ball's on the 26 yard line.

But I don't see anything possession wise that really tells you much of anything except that the ball was on the ground and somebody was trying to get it.

- [Mickey] Well, they're taking a long look, but I think we've got a decision here as referee Tim Porter takes off the headsets and will momentarily tell us what the final ruling here is on a pretty big call.

- The ruling on the field stands.

Andalusia will be charged a timeout.

They have one challenge left.

It'll be first down, Cherokee County.

- [Mickey] Well, they do lose a challenge, so that is obviously the big risk there taken by Coach Taylor.

- [Rick] Yeah, and they'll also lose a timeout, which probably won't be a factor but could be.

But end result is first down for Cherokee County on the Andalusia 26 yard.

- [Mickey] Warriors trying to answer here very late in the first half years as Jones hits the whole hard.

Unable to move much further than about three yards.

Got a timeout stopping the clock with 39 seconds.

Three yard gain.

- [Rick] Ran off tackle again.

And I tell you, the thing you try to do is Andalusia has gone back to a little bit more.

- [Tim] Timeout, Cherokee County.

- [Rick] A little bit more conventional scheme.

- [Tim] Second timeout of the half.

- [Rick] Both those linebackers, inside linebackers flying to the football and big hits inside out.

So, three yards on that play.

You know, absolutely Cherokee County's in four down territory right now.

- [Mickey] Warriors will have one timeout remaining.

And coming up at halftime, we will have the Jefferson County halftime show.

Let's hear what Jefferson County residents say about how much they like Jefferson County.

We will go down to the field for that at halftime.

So, second down and seven at the Andalusia 23.

Here is Cornejo right up the middle.

Fights forward inside the 20.

Four yard gain will set up third down and three, and the Warriors will burn their final timeout.

- [Tim] Timeout, Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Pretty impressive four yard run right there.

Hit by two yards shorter, and just willed his way for an extra two yards.

Well, no timeouts left.

29 seconds.

You know, you're a running football team, you gotta be careful how you manage the clock right here.

There he is.

Hit straight in the hole and watch those legs keep moving.

Really, really great leg drive and picks up an extra yard or so after the contact.

You can see gets underneath that tackler, takes him back for, well, I said a yard about three.

- [Mickey] Garrett Blackston, the senior linebacker, making the initial hit on the play.

- [Rick] You can see why he's got so many yards this year.

He's got a great combination of speed and power, runs with good body, lean.

As I said, it's like tackling a buzzsaw.

- [Mickey] Crowd knows the importance of this sequence here.

Third down and three.

Cornejo looks to throw.

And it is incomplete.

- [Rick] Ran a little corner route right there and just overthrown.

Tough to throw.

You know, when you throw on the run, you gotta get downhill and get your front shoulder pointed at your target.

Looks like Cherokee County may go for a field goal here.

- [Mickey] That was good pressure on the edge.

- [Rick] Yes, it was.

- [Mickey] Trying to rush the play there.

So, fourth down and three.

Cherokee County will line up to attempt the field goal.

They'll spot this at the 26.

So, it'll be a 36 yard field goal attempt.

The Electric Co-ops of Alabama field goal try here for Cherokee County's Will Frampton.

High snap.

And did we have a timeout?

- [Rick] I think Andalusia's gonna ice him a little bit here, I think.

I watched Frampton in the warmup now, he had no problem at all from 45.

- Timeout, Andalusia.

- [Rick] I hope I didn't just jinx him.

- Third and final timeout of the half.

- [Rick] He was banging 'em off the back net from about 45.

- [Mickey] And he was getting cheered pre-game.

- [Rick] Yes, yes.

Everybody was getting cheered.

- [Mickey] Crowd was paying attention.

- [Rick] Yeah.

Oh yeah, No, I mean, this crowd has been in... You know, I walk through the Andalusia people on the way in, and I mean, they were, you know, I mean, they were into it.

I mean, I even heard one guy say, "Who's that old guy?

"Didn't he used to coach at Andalusia for a while?"

The other guy said, "Nah, I don't think so."

- [Mickey] About two hours before kickoff this morning around nine o'clock, Cherokee County was having a pep rally outside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

- [Rick] Oh yeah, absolutely.

I mean, you know, both fan bases have been into it since well before this one kicked off.

- [Mickey] And by the way, kudos to Auburn-Opelika hosting this year's Super 7.

Just done a fantastic job.

And great day ahead today with three State Championship games coming your way, of course beginning with this 4A State Championship game.

So, here is Frampton back out on the field.

Nobody with any more timeouts.

So, no more icing.

Chance for Cherokee County to score here right at the end of the first half.

It is a 36 yard field goal attempt.

The kick is away, and it'll be wide right.

No good.

- [Rick] It didn't get all of it, that's for sure.

And just push it off to the right.

- [Mickey] And this goes to prove game conditions are a whole lot different than pre-game.

- [Rick] Oh absolutely, absolutely.

It's a different deal.

You gotta make it not that way.

But that's easier said than done.

- [Mickey] So, a good drive there by Cherokee County, but they come away with no points.

- [Rick] So, the Bulldogs hold, and they've got 19 seconds to work with.

Conventional wisdom says to just be conservative right here.

But I'm not sure conventional has made it to the field here yet today.

- [Mickey] Here's Denson.

Nice cut back and runs into a... (whistle blows) A wall at about the 27 yard line, and that should be the final play of the first half.

No flag on the play.

And that will indeed take us to halftime.

Pretty good recovery there after a rough first quarter for Cherokee County.

The Warriors putting up over 100 yards of total offense in that second quarter, and they made this a game.

At halftime, it is Andalusia with a 14-7 lead as they head to the locker room here in the 4A State Championship game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

We've got the Jefferson County halftime show coming up.

But right now, let's send it down to the field.

Susan Carothers with us.

- Hey coach, a lot of things have gone right for your team in this first half.

We've still got a game on our hands.

What are you gonna tell your guys in the locker room?

- Well, we've made a lot of mental mistakes on both sides of the ball, to be honest with you.

We gotta clean that up.

I think a lot of that has to do with being here for the first time, this atmosphere and all.

So, you know, obviously we gotta play soundly, but, you know, they've got a great football team, and they're playing hard.

- How much have the fans played into this?

They're really into the game.

- Boy, I tell you, it'd be a tough time to be at Andalusia right now if you wanted anything 'cause I don't think anything's open, to be honest with you.

- That's great.

Well, good luck.

- Thank you.

- [Mickey] All right, thanks a lot, Susan.

We'll go to break and come back with the Jefferson County halftime show as we continue with our life coverage of the Super 7 from Auburn.

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- [Announcer] The Jefferson County halftime show.

- I'm still shaking from that first half.

We had highlight after highlight.

Not a lot of scoring.

Andalusia leads the 4A State Championship game, 14 to 7 over Cherokee County.

Highlights galore.

A beautiful day here in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the final day of the Super 7 from the Alabama High School Athletic Association Football Championships.

And now we're pleased to be welcomed by a representative of one of the great sponsors of the AHSAA.

And this is Turner Faulkner.

Turner is an Alfa agent from Pike Road, Alabama.

Turner, thank you for being with us today.

- Oh, thank you.

What a great ballgame we have today.

Very tight game.

Shaping up to be a great second half.

- Can we give you credit for the weather today?

The cool, the snap is gone.

It's warm, and it's a great day in December certainly.

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Now, tell us, Turner, about Alfa's involvement in athletics in the state at the high school level in particular with the AHSAA.

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You know, we love giving back to our communities that pour us a lot of stuff that we do.

And giving back to these young people and these young athletes, these communities, fans, cheerleaders, bands is just a great thing that we do because they are our future.

But, you know, Alfa's here in Alabama, our corporate office here in Alabama, and we want to give back to the great state of Alabama.

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We know athletics is very important there and very successful there as well.

- Yes, yes.

You know, last year Coach Brown led us to a 5A state championship, and this year moved up to 6A.

And Coach Rigby's done a great job.

Came up short this year in the second round against Homewood but bright future.

Our youth football is unbelievable.

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- I love to hear that, that youth sports is very important in that community.

Get those kids out there, get 'em involved, keep 'em active, healthy, and safe.

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Turner Faulkner, thank you so much.

Alfa agent from Pike Road, Alabama.

We'll be back here on the Jefferson County halftime show from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Stay with us.

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(dog barks) - [Announcer] Welcome back to the Jefferson County halftime show.

- Time of the 4A State Championship game.

Andalusia up 14 to 7 on Cherokee County.

We're pleased to be joined now by Coach Duwan Walker.

Let's reflect a little bit on the first half, coach.

What are your initial impressions?

- Well, I tell you, it was exactly what we thought was gonna happen here today.

You know, both teams are hard nose, very physical football game.

They are giving the ball to their guys that they have that got 'em to this point today, and they are delivering.

Very physical football game.

Now, the wind could have played a little with the field goals early on.

But, you know, the team that can control the ball, that can continue to move the chain and cannot give up the big play, I think that's bearing out with in this game right now.

And I'll tell you something, the ball has been thrown a little bit more than we thought would be thrown with Cherokee.

But, you know, this half can be another big half coming back with them running the football.

This game can go pretty quick.

- And we're gonna come back.

We're gonna run to a break.

We're gonna come back and look at the highlights from the first half.

There were plenty of highlights.

Not a lot of scoring, but plenty of highlights.

We'll be back here on Alabama Public Television.

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- [Announcer] Welcome back to the Jefferson County halftime show.

- We are at halftime of the 4A State Championship game.

Andalusia holding a one touchdown lead over Cherokee County, 14 to 7.

Joined here by Coach Duwan Walker, as we're gonna look at the highlights from the first half.

As like I said before we went to break, not a lot of scoring, but a lot of highlights.

And two very hard nosed physical football teams so far, coach.

- Yeah, it's, you know, this game is gonna be won in the trenches obviously, and the team that can hold onto the football and win field position, that's gonna be key.

Field goal could be the difference in this game today.

And I tell you one thing that I'm really impressed about too is the camera angles to make sure we get the calls right when it's a question.

The quality of camera work we have to here today with Alabama Public Television and their first time doing this.

But we got some camera angles that's outstanding that's given us a really efficient football game.

- Shout out to the video photographers.

Let's look at those highlights that they bring us from the first half.

Andalusia.

Cherokee County with the ball early.

And that front from Andalusia, obviously expecting a lot of running plays.

Cherokee County only threw it five times in their semifinal win.

And then here's Andalusia on the drive.

Again, good close, coach.

- [Duwan] Both defenses are really doing an outstanding job of swarming the football, harassing the quarterback, getting all 11 players to the football.

To miss tackles is the biggest difference in this game.

Where number three, as you see right here, his talent level, if he can get the ball in open field, things can happen.

- [Kevin] Big play there by Kaden Denson for the first touchdown.

34 yard touchdown pass from Jack Lathrop for Andalusia.

- [Duwan] The takeaways in this game can be the difference.

You know, whenever we, at the end of this game, when you calculate that, you'll see some different things happening here.

But very physical football game.

They are giving it to the horses of their team, and that team... What you're seeing is these guys, they are willing their way to the end zone and making a difference.

- [Kevin] That was a fourth and three play that got 'em close.

Jacob Cornejo for Cherokee County running really hard and gaining hard yards to get close.

And then they punched in for the touchdown to tie it at seven.

But here came Andalusia right back.

- [Duwan] I'm telling you, Andalusia will not give up.

Cherokee County gonna have to find a way to keep them off the football field because they are really, they're willing theirself all the way to the end zone and they can strike at any moment.

- [Kevin] Yeah, Zerrick Jones scored that touchdown for Andalusia.

Go ahead.

Then that controversial fumble.

There was a replay review, a challenge.

The challenge did not help.

And then at the end, Cherokee County misses the field goal, and it's 14 to 7, Andalusia.

- Yeah, so, you know, the timeout right before that field goal, that could have been the key to it all, you know, and I wanna say that's a coach's feel.

They timed it perfect.

They called the timeout, and they made it iced to the kicker a little bit.

But he had to come back and perform.

And fortunately it worked out for Andalusia.

- Coach Trent Taylor made that decision.

That's always fascinating to me.

Do you let the kicker go through and kick the ball?

Do you try to time your timeout?

And he timed it perfectly, almost when the kicker was into his drop step.

He gets the timeout, and then they do not make the field goal, came up short.

- That's correct.

And, you know, if you're Cherokee County, you almost want to go on through with it.

You know, go ahead and snap the ball, let's get the ball up in the air, and at least get that kicker a little bit of ease, and he can get that first one out of his, you know, his nerves are already going, so if we can get that first one out through, we can probably correct it on the next one.

- Do you get the sense, coach, that Andalusia is kind of getting close to imposing its will and Cherokee County is kind of hanging on and battling to not let that happen?

- Well, it's, you know, you really don't know because if you, all the games we've had up to this point, it's been pretty tight except the exception of one game.

But it's been pretty tight in the second half, the adjustments that has been made.

It seemed like the tale of two halves.

So, it depends on how the teams come out second half and execute the different adjustments that will be made.

But I mean, right now, it's a coin toss of how this game is gonna go because it goes back to field position.

Who can take care of the football?

Because right now the football is the game.

- And this crowd from both sides, from Cherokee County, from Andalusia, kudos to both communities.

They have showed up, and they have stood up, and they are loud and proud.

- That's exactly right.

You know, Coach Taylor talked about it before, you know, during his press conference of, you know, we're in the middle of nowhere.

You know, we're an hour and a half from anywhere, but without a doubt today, they are on the map.

Andalusia has really shown up today.

They're here with a big crowd.

Their community is all one, and they're looking forward to pull this thing out.

- And that'll do it for us on the Jefferson County halftime show.

We'll see who brings home that blue map.

Will it be Andalusia for the first time since 1977?

Or will it be Cherokee County?

We'll find out after this break.

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(fireworks crackle) (guitar music) - [Man] I know it's early, but it's okay to move around in your seat.

Do what you got to do.

(upbeat music) All right, everybody in here, clap with on this one, all right?

- [Mickey] At halftime, getting ready to suit up for the second half now.

- [Rick] A kicker for Andalusia.

And I tell you what, he didn't miss a beat on either one.

You know, I watched him.

Wanted to see if he'd get outta step in his marching.

Didn't miss a thing.

Got his jersey back on, ready to go.

And, you know, as a coach, I always like guys that were involved in lots of good things.

You know, the band, school plays.

I mean, obviously if you're an athlete, you got a full plate, but you need to have another outlet and another side of you that can be developed.

So, hats off to that young man.

And now he's gonna go practice a few kicks.

- [Mickey] So, you like to recruit those well-rounded young men.

(upbeat music) Let's take a look again at the three touchdown plays we had in the first half.

Again, the scoring started with Andalusia as they got Kaden Denson the football here, and he took off and got it into the end zone.

This made it seven nothing.

Cherokee County with the good answers.

Cornejo punches it in to complete a long drive.

And then here is the touchdown run by true freshman Zerrick Jones.

It gave Andalusia the 14-7 lead.

And Susan Carothers has caught up with Cherokee County coach Jacob Kelley.

- Hey coach, you're down on the scoreboard, but very much still in this game.

What's your plan for the second half?

- You know, we just gotta, you know, like we said, you told me the keys to us being successful in this game revolved around the line of scrimmage, and we're, when we move the ball, we do that.

When we stop them on their heavy run game, we do that.

But, you know, I think that they came in a little, like the moment was a little high for 'em.

When they don't play scared, they play good.

- Tell me about your energy intensity on the sidelines.

- Well, we gotta create emotion, you know?

And if they're gonna be physical and they're gonna be nasty, we gotta match that.

And, you know, we've come here, I feel like early on they kind of tested the waters, and they belong here.

Like, you belong here.

Go out there and do things we've done all year.

You've seen every type of defense in the 14 games leading up to this.

It's about doing your job.

- All right, thanks.

Good luck, coach.

- Appreciate it.

- [Mickey] All right, so Coach Rhoades, you have been in this arena at every level.

Talk about what you just heard from Coach Kelley.

- [Rick] Well, sometimes you have to challenge your team and you can't always be nice about it and you just gotta put it out there, you know, really blunt.

I mean, this is a mano a mano football game.

I mean, it's two heavyweight fighters standing, towing the line and throwing haymakers at each other.

And, you know, you want your team to stand tall and to be as physical as the opponent that you're playing and take it to 'em.

- [Mickey] And the halftime stats before we get started with the second half.

Again, it was a rough first quarter for Cherokee County, but, coach, they really got some things going there in the second quarter and made this a ballgame.

- [Rick] Yeah, they really did.

And a couple individual stats I think really tell you an in depth story.

Crittenden has 134 yards, 8.4 yards a carry.

Denson has five catches for 82 yards.

Cornejo after a slow start is up to 81 yards, 6.8 yards a carry with that long 21 or 20 yard run.

You know, those of course are key guys right here.

I think it gets back again to the physicality that we just saw, who's gonna control the line of scrimmage, and who's gonna take care of the football.

- [Mickey] And there you see the two head coaches coming out of their time with the team in the locker room at halftime.

Trent Taylor on the left.

Of course Jacob Kelley on the right who just spoke with Susan Carothers.

And Andalusia did win the toss and deferred, so they get the football to start the second half.

It's a big series here coming up for both of these teams with Andalusia in a seven point lead.

This kick will be fielded at the 10 yard line.

And this is Kaden Denson.

And somebody had a hold of him from behind.

That was Ben Frampton of Cherokee County.

Got a hold of him and held on.

So, it'll be first and 10, Andalusia, as their offense comes out to begin the second half.

- [Rick] And I don't think we'll see a lot of deviation from the first half script.

They're gonna pound the ball, run primarily to the left and just enough to the right to keep everybody honest.

I see one Bulldog limping as he comes off.

I can't get the number.

Looks like it's maybe number 26.

It was a backup tight end.

- [Mickey] Saw Kaden Denson there.

Five catches, 82 yards, and a touchdown in this first half.

So, first and 10 for Andalusia.

And here's number nine.

First snap of the game.

He takes it and is hit hard down low by De'Zantae Diamond who has had a number of tackles here in this game.

- [Rick] Yeah, came off that edge again and really knifed to outside in and made that play.

And that was with just a three yard game.

Boy, a lot of unbalanced line for Andalusia.

Sometimes it's a four man set, but more than likely, it's just an upside into the boundary, which is just two offensive linemen to a side and then a wide double to the other side.

Little more balance set right here.

- [Mickey] Second and seven.

Lathrop gets it over to Denson on the edge, and nice pursuit there by Cherokee County, limiting the yardage as Malachi Horton arrived first.

And it'll set up a third down and four.

And Andalusia's one of three on third downs in the game.

- [Rick] That was a nice play by Horton.

If he hadn't have made that play right there, Denson was gonna get down the sideline and that would've been a big one.

- [Mickey] So, big possession play here.

Third down and three at the 34.

Fake to Crittenden.

Pass is away.

And it's intercepted at the 35 yard line!

That is number five Hayden Wheeler for Cherokee County.

That is the first turnover for Andalusia.

- [Rick] Well, that ball was thrown way behind the intended receiver that came off the play fake.

And we're gonna throw an out cut, but this ball's, you can see a really nice fake right here and kind of an RPO look.

Play is disrupted a little bit.

That ball's well behind.

Intended for Ty Jackson, but big, big interception right there.

- [Mickey] Wheeler laid out and held on as he hit the ground.

So, Cherokee County sends the offense out.

First and 10 at the Andalusia 35.

And they're gonna have a quick timeout across the way as head coach Jacob Kelley didn't like something he saw, so he had to burn a timeout.

- [Tim] Cherokee County.

First charge out.

First charge timeout on the half.

- [Mickey] And you can tell he doesn't want to use a timeout this early in the second half.

- [Rick] No, but there was a lot of conversation, and I don't think they were checking the play by any means.

I think people just weren't where they were supposed to be.

And, you know, the last thing you want here is to get a penalty at the start of a great opportunity like this.

And this is one of those things, if you're gonna win a state championship, you need to turn this into points.

- [Mickey] So, a huge opportunity for Cherokee County.

They get the interception to begin the second half.

That was just an outstanding play by the Warriors.

- [Rick] From Andalusia's perspective, that's just the way you don't wanna start the second half.

- [Mickey] Absolutely.

Now we've got official coming out.

- [Rick] I think these are the things that are the most, irritating's not the right word, but I don't know whether there's a question by Coach Taylor.

He got a challenge flag?

He threw his red flag.

Now what would he throw that for?

- The previous play regarding an interception is under review.

- [Mickey] Well, you know, when I first saw the interception in live action by Hayden Wheeler, you wondered if he bobbled the ball.

But on our replay, I didn't see anything that made me think he didn't intercept the football, but maybe Coach Taylor did.

- [Rick] Yeah, you know, I thought it was pretty clean.

To be honest with you, I didn't look at it quite that closely.

- [Mickey] They've already challenged once, so this would be it, right, coach?

- [Rick] Yeah, yeah.

You get two.

Let's take a look right here.

It is bobbling a little bit.

I don't know.

That ball does hit the ground, and I questioned why Coach Taylor would use his red flag.

I apologize for that.

(crowd shouts) - [Mickey] You can hear the reaction of the Andalusia fans as they see the replay on the big video board here at Jordan-Hare.

- [Rick] The officials on this side of the field don't think it was an interception.

Now, the ball can touch the ground if there is clearly possession.

But, you know, that one's, I'm glad I'm not the replay official.

But it's not gonna stop me from saying this.

Mickey, what do you think?

- [Mickey] Well, it's...

The left hand never loses contact with the football, but the ball clearly touches the ground.

- [Rick] Now, he does switch from the left to the right hand somewhere in that.

You know, this one might get overturned.

- [Mickey] I would say there's better than a 50/50 chance this call's gonna be overturned.

- [Rick] Would you say like 51 to 49 or?

I'm gonna pin you down, partner.

- [Mickey] Let's just put it this way.

I think that red flag was a good decision there by Coach Taylor.

- [Rick] Yeah, yeah, I do too.

- After further review, the pass was an incomplete pass.

(crowd cheers and shouts) Fourth down.

- [Mickey] That's a big call.

- [Tim] Andalusia still has a challenge left.

- [Mickey] Well, somebody on the Andalusia side of things had a good eye there on that play.

- [Rick] They sure did.

They sure did.

They had good eyes.

- [Mickey] So, we go back to fourth down.

- [Rick] You know, I really thought when I saw the catch initially there was, it was as clean as it could be.

But it clearly touched the ground.

- [Mickey] So, fourth down.

So, I think we're ready to go now.

And Cherokee County, good rush on the punt, but they get it out of there, and it takes a Andalusia roll inside the 35.

And it'll be down to the 32.

Let's send it down to the field.

Susan Carothers with a special guest.

- Hey guys, I am so excited to be joined here by the pride of Alabama, Cullman High School, University of Alabama, New England Patriots.

So, I've got Wesley Britt here on the sidelines.

Welcome, Wesley.

- Thank you, Susan.

Thank you for having me.

It's good to look up to a reporter.

- I know I'm usually so much shorter than you.

This is kind of fun.

Hey, Wesley, tell me what you think it feels like for these kids who are getting to play in this environment in a high school state championship game.

- Oh, I can tell you from being in high school and playing that this is what you work for.

In your summers whenever everybody else is going to the swimming pools, going to the beach, going to the lake, you're working out and you're training 'cause you wanna win a state championship.

And I know from, getting to that highest level, even playing in a Super Bowl, this is the equivalent of high school.

This is the Super Bowl for these gentlemen.

It is a huge deal.

My hat's off to everybody that's been here.

- [Mickey] So, Cornejo picking up five yards on that first down.

Second down and five.

Football spotted at the 37th.

And this is Hopper on the keep.

And he spins out near a first down.

Let's go back down to Susan Carothers.

- All right, I'm back down to my normal height now.

Wesley, tell us about some of your memories about being here in Jordan-Hare when you played for the Crimson Tide.

- And so, I actually only got to play here one time, 2001.

We were big time underdogs, and we had three freshman offensive linemen starting, me being one of 'em.

They called us the Green Giants.

And we were just about, everybody said we were gonna get killed by this defensive line that Auburn had all Americans.

And we came out here and won 31-7.

And just, literally the defensive linemen were begging for mercy by the end of the game.

That's what you want, when you have a, when you get a grown man to that position, there's no other feeling like it.

- [Mickey] So, third down and one.

And Cherokee County thinking they had drawn Andalusia off sides, but no flag was thrown.

- [Rick] Yeah, it looked from our angle like somebody was in the neutral zone, but... We'll get it all sorted out.

You know, I always thought when I coached, Mickey, that if officials ever had any questions about anything, I was glad to clear it up for him, but that never seemed to ever work out too well.

- First sideline warning.

Cherokee County.

(crowd shouts) - [Mickey] All right, back down to Susan on the field.

- I asked you, you tell me that the favorite team you've ever played on is probably your family.

Right.

And you've recently just won an amazing victory in your family.

Your wife Katie was the first female elected to the United States Senate from the state of Alabama.

Tell me a little bit about that team, that challenge, and that victory.

- It was, you put it right, it was a team effort.

It was Team Alabama, Team K. We had so many people getting behind Katie that made this happen.

And it wouldn't have happened without the entire team.

We had people in every county throughout the state, every city throughout the state that was pulling the weight to make this happen.

It was things that I learned playing high school football that these kids are learning right now that got us through that.

When it was hard, we just outwork people.

And it was a real honor to be a part of that process.

- That's awesome.

Congratulations.

Thanks for being with us.

- Thank you for having me.

God bless.

- [Mickey] All right, thanks a lot, Susan.

And thanks to Wesley Britt for joining us.

Cherokee County only needed a yard, coach, and that's all they got.

But it is a first down.

- [Rick] Big first down too.

- [Mickey] Hopper stands in the pocket now, has to escape the pocket, and he's gonna slide down after an 11 yard gain down to the Andalusia 45.

So, back to back ALDOT first downs here for the Warriors.

- [Rick] Yeah, really a smart play by Hopper.

Try to run a little combination route to the boundary.

Very well covered.

Andalusia brought pressure.

It was very well picked up.

Left a little void there in the running game, and Hopper took big advantage of it.

- [Mickey] And good penetration by Cameron Johnson for Andalusia as he got a hold of Cornejo behind the line of scrimmage.

It will result in a three yard loss.

- [Rick] Yeah, Cornejo tried to bounce it outside.

You're gonna see it right here.

He's gonna try to slip it and bounce outside, but just no going right there.

Too much leverage out there and too much strength and a really, really nice tackle by Cameron Johnson.

- [Mickey] You know these first down, you know you talk a lot about getting yardage on first down.

It's also a dagger when you lose yardage on first down.

- [Rick] Well, it really does, especially if you are a run oriented offense.

You know, it's just so much harder to pick up those very valuable first downs when you get behind down distance wise.

- [Mickey] That's the situation here.

Second and 13.

Cornejo gets nowhere.

He is wrapped up.

Landen Marshall and company were there.

It's gonna be third down.

And this play loses two yards or one yard.

Third down and 14.

So, a promising drive, running into a little bit of problems here around midfield.

- [Rick] Yeah, really looking at those yardage totals.

For Cornejo, he really has not been able to get on track in the second half really much at all.

- [Mickey] Cade Hopper, by the way, has only attempted five passes today.

He's three for five for 43 yards.

This third and long here.

He fakes, looks to throw.

Over the middle he goes.

Passes behind a wide open Jack Amos.

- [Rick] Yeah, the middle of the field was vacated completely.

I mean, look at all the grass right behind the umpire in the middle of the field.

I mean, there is nobody around and just an errant throw.

Lots of action around the pocket and just could not get the ball connected.

- [Mickey] Boy, that is a missed opportunity there for Cherokee County.

They will have to punt the football back to Andalusia.

A line drive and over in kick that will roll dead at the 25.

So, Andalusia gets the football back near the midway point of the third quarter.

Bulldogs holding onto a 14-7 lead as they regain possession.

- [Rick] You know, the psyche of the game, you know, this is kind of a situation like in the first half where Andalusia flexed their muscles and went right at the Cherokee County defense and was able to knock it in the end zone.

And I kind of sense that they're gonna try to do the same thing right here, either through one of those sustained inside runs or maybe off play X and try to get over the top.

We'll see.

- [Mickey] And they start the possession with a handoff to number nine.

Dorian Crittenden breaking free.

And Crittenden shoved out of bounds across the way but not before he picks up 17 yards in a ALDOT first down.

- [Rick] You know, his speed will surprise you now.

He can really run.

Watch him.

Very patient right here.

But once he finds that outside crease, watch him turn on the jets right here and get around that edge.

Pick up a big, big first down.

- [Mickey] They snap it quickly.

Hand it right back to Crittenden.

This time he is swarmed under by a trio of Warrior defenders.

- [Rick] Yeah, I think maybe he tried to cut it back a little bit too much.

A little bit slow getting up right here.

- [Mickey] Mentioned a very physical game between these two teams.

- [Rick] And he's gonna take a blow, and they'll bring in the young freshman.

- [Mickey] Dorian Crittenden has 18 carries for 100, 19 carries for 157 yards.

He'll get a breather here.

- [Rick] And they should bring in Zerrick Jones.

I'm sorry.

- [Mickey] Freshman Jones is in the game.

Second down.

Jones gets the call and gets wrapped up and taken down at the 45 yard line on a nice defensive play by Cherokee County's Dalton Chestnut.

- [Rick] Try to kinda rip that ball out a little bit late as well.

- [Mickey] So, here's another third down opportunity for this Cherokee County defense, coach, to get off the field.

- [Rick] Yeah, this may be the biggest down of the game so far for Cherokee County.

You don't wanna let a little momentum get started right here.

And, you know, it seems like we just started the second half.

We've only got five minutes left in the third quarter.

This quarter has flown by.

- [Mickey] Andalusia one of four on third down in the game so far.

Lathrop throws.

He's got Denson.

Denson breaks one tackle.

Still on his feet.

And then he is just swarmed under by a host of Cherokee County defenders.

Great pursuit on the edge.

And that'll bring up fourth down.

- [Rick] Well, you had an extremely big point right here.

I thought Denson was gonna break that first time and get down the sideline.

But watch from the bottom of your screen to top.

Watch these white shirts get into the picture pursuit wise.

One, two, three, four.

Great pursuit to the football.

Really, really good job.

- [Mickey] Warrior defense running to the football.

That forces the Electric Co-ops of Alabama punt from Andalusia.

Line drive kick that hits inside the 15.

And a great special teams play as Andalusia will down this at the two.

Cherokee County will have the football when we return to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Lionel Richie.

And I travel all over the world, but I consider Tuskegee, Alabama as my home sweet home.

I have such a pride in this state, and I know that there's something I need to tell you that's of great importance.

Vote.

Register to vote and get your voter ID today.

It really is easy.

Easy like Sunday morning.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) (car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - [Narrator] Are you an enthusiastic sports fan?

Want to have fun and get in on the action?

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- [Mickey] And we're back at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

There's our game story so far.

4:10 to play here in the third quarter.

It's a 14-7 lead for Andalusia.

Porous field position of the game so far for Cherokee County.

Here's Cornejo's numbers to this point.

This play stopped before we could get going.

A penalty.

Well, actually no flag.

- [Rick] I'm trying to see the box over there.

It looks like... Is it gonna be no play?

- [Mickey] I think it was a play clock issue.

- [Rick] Okay.

So here we go.

- [Mickey] The ball was already snapped.

- [Rick] The box is saying first down.

- [Mickey] So first down, Cornejo.

- [Rick] Well, I tell you, he just barely got outta there.

- [Mickey] Forward progress.

Saved the safety there.

And, you know, what's tough about that play is the previous play was shaping up better.

- [Rick] Yeah.

- [Mickey] But the officials rule that one dead.

- [Rick] This is just gonna be an off tackle play to the left, but you can see not many white shirts on red shirts on that left side of the attack on that off tackle play now.

Here's the problem you get into, you know, from that deep snap.

Takes a little bit slower, and that's 88 yards, and I think he had 84 at halftime.

So, the third quarter to this point has not been too productive for that young man.

- [Mickey] And here is, this time it's Jack Amos on the direct snap, and he gets it out and basically back to the line of scrimmage.

So, here's third down coming up.

Third and long, third and 11.

- [Rick] Well, Andalusia has got a everybody but the tuba section stacked in there between the tackles.

And I mean, you're looking at an eight, nine, 10 man box.

Again, it's that seven man offensive line and those three linebackers.

They are not in the defensive formation.

You know, it does, you can see all those red shirts stacked in there.

- [Mickey] So, third down.

And nice job of fighting for yardage that time by Cornejo.

At least gives a little bit of breathing room for the punter.

- [Rick] You know, it is gonna, you know, ball's gonna be on about the six yard line.

That's gonna be enough for them to use their spread punt, but that's about it.

You know, Andalusia is playing, you know, by alignment.

Seven guys across, three linebackers, and only one defensive back.

- [Mickey] So, the Electric Co-ops of Alabama punt as Andalusia looks to get very good field position out of this exchange.

It is a high kick.

This is Jackson on the return.

And he will run out of bounds, just short of the 30 yard line.

So, Andalusia will have great field position as they send the offense back out there with 2:01 to play here in the third.

- [Rick] Well, we talked about this earlier in the game on the other side of the ball.

You know, you've gotta take advantage when you get opportunities like this.

We'll see if Andalusia can do it.

- [Mickey] And here's Andalusia's number nine taking the field.

Dorian Crittenden.

What a day for him.

- [Rick] Yeah, 19 rushes.

Well, you could read it.

157 yards.

I mean, that 8.3 yards a carry.

And of course an offensive line is responsible as much as anything.

They have had huge success today.

There's the power play.

- [Mickey] Here goes Crittenden.

Another first down.

He was upended by Cherokee County's Jack Amos.

- [Rick] You know, when you run the power play, you really aim it somewhere between the outside foot of the guard and the inside foot of the tackle, so that you can see the cut back to the other way a little easier.

And that time, that's exactly what he did.

He cut it all the way back to his right, and the play was designed really to hit off of left tackle.

Great vision on Crittenden's part.

- [Mickey] And the 14th ALDOT first down of the game for Andalusia.

Here's Crittenden again breaking one tackle behind the line of scrimmage, just plows over a Cherokee County defender.

Down to the two yard line goes Dorian Crittenden.

- [Rick] I think he broke a second tackle there on the... Well, now this is the stretch play.

Watch him cut it back right here and then stings that safety runs right through him.

Takes good care of the football.

You can see both hands on the football, and he has Andalusia knocking on the door.

- [Mickey] Andalusia into the Alabama Votes red zone.

Crittenden near the goal line, and they're gonna say forward progress stopped at the one.

Second and goal.

- [Rick] Well, ran the power, ran the stretch play, and then ran the inside zone.

And, you know, just, you know, keep prodding that defensive front, changing it up just enough to keep him a little bit off balance.

And I got a feeling I know who might get the ball again one more time.

- [Mickey] See if Crittenden can finish the drive.

They give it to him.

And he will go in untouched for his first rushing touchdown of the game.

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- [Rick] Well, they got the Cherokee County defense out flanked and got that edge sealed, and Crittenden bounced it outside like a champ, and that's what champions do.

You get an advantage, you get a short field.

Boy, you sure want to take advantage of it, and that's exactly what the Bulldogs did.

And they can breathe a little bit easier right now but not too much.

- [Mickey] And Byron Cobb's extra point is good.

It's now a two touchdown lead for Andalusia, 21 to 7.

- [Rick] Now this again, this is the power to that side.

Get the edge sealed, bounce it outside.

Another look at it.

(crowd cheers) - [Mickey] And Crittenden can add a rushing touchdown to his good day so far.

And this drive was all Crittenden.

Four plays, 32 yards, and all set up by the punt and downing the punt inside the five yard line.

- [Rick] Yes, you know, absolutely.

And, you know, that hidden yards in the special teams play is so big, and, you know, it gets back to, you know, I think it's so important to try to catch every punt that you can, you know, because that cost Cherokee County about 10, 12 yards in field position.

You say, well, it's only 10 or 12 yards, but it changes your play selection.

You know, it changes the complexion of lots of things.

- [Mickey] And it also changes the complexion of the game for Cherokee County now, as we get set to head to the fourth quarter in just a moment.

They're down by two scores.

Looking for a good return here is Jack Amos.

And tripped up at the 32 yard line.

Nice job there by Andalusia's Tycamren Jackson on the coverage.

- [Rick] But, you know, Mickey, I think you hit an important point on that.

You know, you say they gotta change it up, but, you know, you really can't.

I mean, that's not the way this team is built.

I mean, this team is a run oriented team.

And down two scores, they got plenty of time now, but I mean, they've also gotta make some hay now as well.

- [Mickey] So, first and 10 Cherokee County as they take over at their own 32.

Hopper.

Pass is away and caught.

It is an ALDOT first down.

Big play across the 50 yard line.

And just like that, Cherokee County into Andalusia territory.

That was Noah Curry.

His first target, first reception of the game.

- [Rick] It's just a little curl flat combination and very well thrown right on the money.

- [Mickey] Correction.

That was Alex Johnson on the reception as you see on your screen.

And that'll take us to the end of the third quarter.

The 4A State Championship game.

Andalusia with a two score lead here in Auburn.

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(gentle music) - [Mickey] And we're back for the fourth quarter of the 4A State Championship game.

Cherokee County coach Jacob Kelley, a very emotional guy, spoke to our Kevin Scarbinsky recently about how much he loves coaching his kids.

- And I told 'em last night when we broke it down, it's like, listen, they're only gonna let us play one more week, but it's just 'cause that's all they'll let us.

If I could sit here and coach y'all every single day for the rest of my life, I'd do it.

And so, that's just testament to how they are and what we have with that senior bunch and center.

- [Mickey] Hopper to throw again on first down.

This is twice on this drive where they have been successful putting the ball in the air on first down.

And once again, it is Alex Johnson on the receiving end of that Hopper pass.

- [Rick] Do you remember that incomplete pass awhile back where we said the middle of the field was wide open?

They've come back to it twice in a row now, you know, with that little dig route over the middle.

And that has been a soft spot in the coverage right there, and they've taken advantage of it.

And now Andalusia's defense now is no longer in that seven man front.

They've had to adjust.

- [Mickey] Hopper dropping back to throw again on first down.

Pass is intercepted!

It is picked off by Andalusia's Xavier Marshall as flags fly.

- [Rick] Well, Xavier Marshall is a pretty good fisherman right here because he just bated Cherokee County's quarterback and forced that throw, sat right on it, and broke right in front of the throw.

Gonna be an out cut.

And he sets a really, really good position.

Just like you draw up.

- Interception.

Lock in the back on Andalusia.

10 yard penalty.

First down.

- [Rick] Well, we're not gonna see it, but he sets up well inside.

But he breaks really, he breaks on the long arm action.

I mean, he read that all the way, read the quarterback's eyes, stepped right in front of it.

Boy, what a big, big turnover.

- [Mickey] He was trying to go to Alex Jackson for the third time in a row.

Marshall had a different idea.

Here is Denson into the open field.

An ALDOT first down as he runs out of bounds across the way at the 43 yard line.

- [Rick] Andalusia opening up their offense a little bit more now.

And I'll tell you, that, you know, that's the guy they're gonna go to down the stretch because he has been money all throughout these playoffs.

- [Mickey] Lathrop hands it off to Crittenden, and Crittenden is wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage.

And that is a good play by Tristan Brown, the sophomore for Cherokee County.

- [Rick] Yeah, again, you know, stunts through that gap to the inside untouched and really hit Crittenden before he ever could get started.

- [Mickey] Loss of three.

Second and 13.

Back at the 40.

- [Rick] Boy, I mean, this is a must stop, obviously, for Cherokee County.

- [Mickey] Yes, it is.

And here's the give to Crittenden.

Goes through the hole, then puts his head down, and it's another huge gain for Dorian Crittenden.

An ALDOT first down, all the way down to the Cherokee County 39.

- [Rick] Well, this is the stretch play again.

And, you know, the thing you want to do from the offensive standpoint is that you want to get that defense running laterally.

And you can see Crittenden finds that crease and turns back inside and says hello again and he's done.

About one, two, three tacklers looking for an extra seven, eight yards.

- [Mickey] First down at the Cherokee County 39.

Number nine gets it again.

And he's got another ALDOT first down.

A gain of 15 down to the Cherokee County 24.

Crittenden now well over 200 yards rushing in this 4A State Championship game.

- [Rick] Well, this is, again, back to the left side.

This is kind of that split zone play.

Again, that left side has been so prolific all throughout the playoffs.

Good, tough run.

A nice little spin right there, and just will not go down.

Now Crittenden is up to 222 yards on 26 carries.

8.5 yards a carry.

And he's gonna get a blow here right now.

- [Mickey] And here is the very speedy Zerrick Jones.

And Jones down at the 10 yard line, and that will set up a first and goal as Andalusia again just controlling this game up front.

- [Rick] Now, Jones is only 145 pounds now.

He's a sophomore, but boy he is quick as a hiccup.

But he gets popped pretty good at the end of this play.

And once again, really, really good blocking up front to get him loose in the secondary.

- [Mickey] There was a flag on the play, so they're gonna bring this back.

- [Rick] Looks like this may be a hole.

And it is.

That's a big penalty.

- [Mickey] Yep.

Go from first and goal.

- Holding on the offense.

The 10 yard penalty from the spot.

Will replay first down.

- [Mickey] From first and goal back to first down at the 27th.

It will be first down and 13.

- [Rick] Now the other thing that's happening here that we, you know, that we should keep in mind is this clock is running.

You know, we're gonna be under nine minutes, you know, when this ball is put into play.

- [Mickey] Nice form tackle there.

Cherokee County's Tristan Brown.

And that was Crittenden with the helmet coming off.

He'll have to come off the field for one play.

- [Rick] That's been his biggest problem in the last two weeks.

His helmet came off I think four times last week against Montgomery Catholic and seems to be a problem again this afternoon.

- [Mickey] So, three yard gain, second down and 10.

This is Jones.

Big hole.

And Jones fights his way down inside the 10.

De'Zantae Diamond on the tackle.

But it's gonna be a first and goal for Andalusia at the nine yard line.

- [Rick] Now you're gonna see something here pretty interesting.

Watch him.

He's gonna hop on one leg when a guy's got a hold of the other one for an extra three, four yards.

Look at that right there.

I don't know if I've ever seen that before.

He's hit right there.

He's on one leg, folks.

And instead of going down, he's gonna hop for, how many yards per hop?

Is that three yards per hop?

- [Mickey] He must have a pogo stick.

That's impressive.

- [Rick] Great balance.

- [Mickey] He gets it again.

- [Rick] Why not?

- [Mickey] Stopped after a gain of three, maybe four.

They spot it down at the five yard line.

It'll be second gap down and goal from there.

And as you mentioned, not only are they on the verge, coach, of making this a three score game, they are burning some precious time off this fourth quarter clock.

- [Rick] Yeah, we're gonna be around 7:30 when this ball gets snapped.

I mean, they have run through the fourth quarter.

And of course, you know, every one of those guys in red now, they know that this could be the clincher.

- [Mickey] So, Crittenden's back in there, hopefully with a more secure feel for his helmet there.

- [Rick] Shoot, they may have stapled that on this time.

- [Mickey] Here he goes.

And he is stopped at the three, so a third and goal upcoming now for Andalusia.

- [Rick] Pretty stat defense by Cherokee County that time.

Got in those gaps and couldn't get rooted out.

Gonna bring in Landen Marshall as an extra blocker and why not?

He's 6'3" and 288 pounds.

I would say he could fill the role as an extra blocker.

You gotta line up as the left side tight end.

- [Mickey] We'll see if number nine gets the call over the left side.

That's exactly what happens.

And he's into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.

- [Rick] And that may just get the Andalusia Bulldogs a blue map.

(crowd cheers) Still 6:55 left.

It's not over yet, but what an impressive drive.

- [Mickey] Crittenden gets a big embrace there from one of his coaches on the sideline.

What a game for this young man and what a game for his offensive line.

- [Rick] Coach Taylor talked about him a little bit after the game last week that, you know, he didn't always cross every T and dot every I, and he was so proud of him in the way that he, and I'm pointing Coach Taylor now turned his life around.

And of course you always love to see that.

And just part of the total impact that these guys have.

- [Mickey] And here's a look at the big plays from that previous possession.

See Zerrick Jones with a big run there and then the one leg hop, and then the touchdown that ended the drive here with Crittenden.

- [Rick] Cuts it back to the right, back to the inside.

Great vision.

Just through basically untouched.

Another look at it.

- [Mickey] Embrace from his quarterback.

After the play it is 28 to 7 after this.

10 plays, 75 yard drive.

Four minutes 40 seconds on the clock.

Crittenden with his second rushing touchdown of the game.

He had a Cherokee County player shaken up on the extra point try, and the young man is now up and walking off the field.

- [Rick] Andalusia is up to 248 yards rushing, 7.1 yards a carry as a team.

And, you know, we said that the rushing game was, that was gonna be the story.

By contrast, Cherokee County has rushed for 120 yards, only 3.8 yards a carry.

And Cornejo really has had I think three yards the entire second half.

Well, Crittenden is up to 230, 230 yards, 7.9 yards a carry.

And they had to have it.

He's got it.

And, you know, he seems to be much quicker than last week.

I don't know, maybe it's just the setting, but I didn't see all the cut back ability and the elusiveness last week.

It's more just power stuff.

- [Mickey] Cherokee County in a tough spot now, trailing by three touchdowns.

This is not an offense built around throwing the football all over the field either.

Hopper looks to throw on first down.

Now just takes off.

Throws and it is complete.

And then the football is knocked loose on a big hit there by Kaden Denson.

- [Rick] Yeah, that was a great job of keep playing, you know, after the ball is caught.

And you see that Dorian Crittenden has had quite a day.

Says long is 35 yards.

I would've thought had a little more than that.

But he has been consistent.

Over eight yards a carry.

And Andalusia is six minutes and 38 seconds away.

- [Mickey] Cherokee County I think called timeout, stopping the clock at 6:38 to play.

- [Rick] You know, if you think about it, I mean, Cherokee County, I mean, they threw their best shot.

I mean, they got after Andalusia and had a great drive, came all the way down the field, scored on a Cornejo run to make it seven to seven.

And if you think about it, Andalusia has been controlling this game ever since.

- [Mickey] So, I guess we're gonna review whether or not the receiver had possession before the ball was knocked loose.

It was ruled incomplete on the field.

So, we have another review here in the game.

- [Rick] Yeah, and the question is, is there a possession and a football move?

Now, Mickey, I'm sure you're gonna ask me what is a football move?

And I'll tell you, I'll be darn if I know.

But we're gonna look right here.

You see, I don't think that ball's ever really put away.

Obviously it's in his hands, but that ball never gets totally locked into the body.

Pretty good hit in the secondary.

Timed extremely well.

And you notice that he goes right for the ball right there.

And guess who?

Kaden Denson.

Who is impressive as he is offensively I think is an even better defensive player.

He really has great ball skills.

Showed that tremendously last week against a very good Catholic passing team and showed it again on that play.

- [Mickey] Didn't take long to review that one.

Tim Porter taking the headsets off and will fill us in on what he saw.

- After further review the play on the field stands.

The pass was not complete.

Cherokee loses one timeout.

They have one challenge remaining.

- [Mickey] So, Coach Kelley rolling the dice there and losing on that one.

So, it will be second and 10.

(whistle blows) - [Announcer] Second down and 10 from the 28.

- [Mickey] Here comes a blitz right up the middle.

Hopper running for his life and just has to get rid of it to avoid the sack.

Good pressure up the middle there by Andalusia's Joshua Riley along with Garrett Blackston.

- [Rick] Yeah, that's the old NFL AA blitz, brought both linebackers in the gaps between the center and guard, and the linebacker to the top of your screen came clean as a whistle and just know where to go.

And, you know, I mean, that's a pretty good strategy right here to pressure, you know, try to get them out of the rhythm, try to force the hot throw, which I'm sure the Cherokee County has not done a lot of because they're a run based offense.

- [Mickey] Third and 10.

They bring the blitz again.

Hopper's pass over the middle, it's complete for a first down.

That is Amos making the catch.

It's a gain of 16 out to the 44.

- [Rick] Really nice throw that time by Hopper.

And again, that's that dig route over the middle that has been very successful for Cherokee County.

Put that ball right on the numbers.

- [Mickey] That is only the second conversion on third down in the game for Cherokee County.

First down at the 44.

Hopper eludes one defender, now just takes off and gets what he can out to the 48 where he was wrapped up by Andalusia's Xavier Marshall.

- [Rick] Yeah, that time Andalusia came with just a three man rush.

Dropped everybody in coverage.

Nowhere to go with a football.

A good job by Hopper of pulling the ball down and picking up four yards.

- [Mickey] So, it'll be second down and six.

Hopper keeps.

Breaks a tackle.

And he's gonna be about a yard shy of a first down.

- [Announcer] Hopper carries across the field.

Stops at the 30.

- [Mickey] This is Hopper's fifth rushing attempt of the game.

Third down and a yard.

- [Rick] Yeah, we're definitely in four down territory here, and I think that's gonna get it right there.

Looks like an Andalusia defender jumped off side.

You know, the final chapter of this story is to be written.

- Encroachment on the defense.

Five yard penalty.

The yardage will result in a first down.

- [Rick] But you gotta remember that Jacob Cornejo last week had 309 yards rushing in the big semifinal win.

This point he's got 87 yards.

You know, what a job the Andalusia defense has done.

A very, very good back.

- [Mickey] Yeah, I think it's safe to say Cherokee County's done punting in this game.

You don't punt down three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

- [Rick] Absolutely not.

- [Mickey] Hopper back to throw.

Feeling the heat, and he's gonna go down back at the 48 yard line.

Like a missile shooting through there, Cameron Johnson of Andalusia getting credit for the sack presented by High Ed.

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- [Rick] Well, they overloaded that side.

The tackle bailed to the outside to pick up the widest rusher.

The guard was covered and had to block the man on him and there was nobody at home to be able to pick up Cameron Johnson.

Really well executed blitz that time by Andalusia.

- [Mickey] So, second down and 21.

Hopper with some time now.

Pass downfield and nearly intercepted.

It was off the fingertips of Amos, just too high for him to pull it in.

- [Rick] And I'll tell you, Andalusia is dialing them up right now.

They came off that edge pressure and only rushed two men that time.

Dropped both defensive ends into the short flats right there, giving Cherokee County lots of different looks to try to handle.

- [Mickey] So, Coach Kelley looking over his play sheet on what he wants to call here.

- [Rick] He's having to go deep into that playbook now.

- [Mickey] Third and 21.

Here comes the corner blitz.

Hopper takes off and keeps it.

Runs into a wall there as number 23 Jaeden Jackson right in the gap there to make the stop.

- [Rick] Boy, that was a great job by Jackson.

It was just a three man front.

He was double teamed in the inside, and he just busted through both of them right there.

You know, that running back number.

Don't let it fool you, folks.

Six foot, 275.

I mean, he's all defensive lineman.

- [Mickey] Time ticking away here in the fourth quarter and the hopes for Cherokee County.

Fourth and 20.

Here comes extra pressure again.

Hopper steps to his lift, and he's gonna be sacked again.

And that'll take us to a timeout on the field.

Andalusia three minutes away from a state championship.

Back to Auburn in a moment.

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- [Mickey] And three minutes exactly to go in the fourth quarter of the 4A State Championship game.

And a sea of red here at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

A lot to cheer about as the Andalusia Bulldogs are on the verge of another state championship, which would be the third in school history.

They won it back in '76 and 1977, and they are three minutes away from another.

And two big sacks by the Andalusia defense today, and both coming on that previous Cherokee County drive as the Bulldogs take over at the Warriors 43.

And here's number nine Crittenden spinning out of trouble.

Takes a shot from behind.

But still close to a 10 yard gain as Crittenden's day is MVP-like for sure.

Wouldn't you say, coach?

- [Rick] Oh, I would say exactly.

How about that spin move, huh?

- [Mickey] Yeah.

- [Rick] I mean, I didn't see this kind of quickness from him last week.

You know, he played exceptionally well last week, but he's been a little bit different ball carry today.

And of course that offensive line, I mean, we can't say enough about them.

They have been just outstanding.

Crittenden now is up to 239, eight yards a carry.

Pretty good day's work.

- [Mickey] What a day for Dorian Crittenden.

Second down and one.

Crittenden gets the call again, and he's gonna have the ALDOT first down as he spins inside the 30 down to the Cherokee County 27.

They'll stop the clock momentarily to move the chains.

- [Rick] Well, he has just pounded a very tough and really a gritty Cherokee County defense.

They just have, every game plan's been pretty simple for the most part.

We're coming right at you.

They've run left, they've run right, they've run power, they've run zone.

They've run 'em all really, really well.

You can hear the Andalusia crowd.

They can sense what's coming now.

We're under two minutes.

- [Mickey] I think it's gonna be a fun ride back down to South Alabama for this bunch.

Victory formation for Andalusia.

- [Rick] And the Andalusia Bulldogs for the first time since 1976 are gonna be state champions.

Hats off to both teams.

Two really good football teams.

- [Mickey] Good sportsmanship being shown up at the line of scrimmages as some of the Andalusia linemen and Cherokee County linemen exchanging handshakes.

- [Rick] Really classy.

Good point, Mickey.

- [Mickey] Under a minute now to play.

Second down.

And they'll just take the snap, go to a knee.

(crowd cheers) We'll have to snap it one more time.

- [Rick] I don't think they'll mind doing it.

- [Mickey] Nope.

Lathrop to a knee, and that will be the final play.

Final seconds will begin to tick off the clock here inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

First of three state championship games today.

This was old school football in this one.

Coach Rhoades broke it down at the top of the telecast.

His keys to the game was all about running the ball, stopping the other team's rushing attack.

And this was a game won in the trenches today by the guys in red.

- [Rick] Yeah, it really was.

I mean, you said it all right there.

I mean, the numbers are the numbers.

368 total offense.

261 rushing to 114.

That young man right there showed a lot, Jacob Cornejo.

And we'll hear a lot more about him as his career goes on.

But today is a day for the guys in red and black.

- [Mickey] And it is official, Andalusia wins it 28 to 7 as they now officially put that score on the Children's of Alabama Super 7 scoreboard, as we take a look at the action up until this point.

Two more championship games to go here.

We got the 2A game coming up at three o'clock, and tonight, Coach Rhoades and I will be back with you at seven o'clock for the 6A championship game between Mountain Brook and Saraland.

And I believe our Susan Carothers has the winning coach down on the field.

- All right, coach, for the first time in 45 years, that blue map trophy is headed to Andalusia.

Tell us how it feels.

- You know, it's just so surreal right now.

I mean, I'm so excited for our kids and our town, and, you know, you saw the turnout tonight, this afternoon, this morning whenever we played.

But like I say, I really don't have words, you know?

It's just something that, you know, I happened to be a senior the last time we did it, and, you know, it doesn't seem like 45 years to me, but I'm super proud of our community.

- Tell me what's special about this team.

- Well, you know, it's crazy.

I told them in January when we started our off season, after two or three weeks, we always meet before we go out and start lifting.

I said, guys, there's something different about y'all.

You know, like any team, we have our ebbs and flows, but, you know, I think more than anything, just the mental toughness of this bunch.

The way they've handled, you know, the last two weeks.

Being down 21 at half in Anniston and then, you know, having to play a team that, you know, blew you out a week ago and, you know, finding a way to win.

There's just something special about 'em mentally.

- All right, go celebrate.

Thanks, coach.

- Thank you.

- [Mickey] All right, thanks, Susan.

Congratulations to Trent Taylor and the Andalusia football team, 4A state champions.

Coming up momentarily, it'll be the Google trophy presentation down on the field.

And we'll have live coverage of that for you coming up in just a moment.

Stay with us.

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- [Mickey] And time to send it down to the field for our Google trophy presentation here for the 4A State Championship.

- [Announcer] Now from Andalusia, head coach Trent Taylor.

(crowd cheers) Congratulations to both coaches for a great season.

(crowd cheers) Now presenting the most valuable player award, Garrett Peyton from Coca-Cola and JT Lawrence, assistant director of the AHSAA.

The 2022 most valuable player award for the class 4A championship is given to Dorian Crittenden from Andalusia High School.

(crowd cheers) And now to present the 2022 state runner up trophy for class 4A, central board member Mike Welsh from district six and Kim Vickers, associate executive director of the AHSAA.

The 4A state championship runner up, led by head coach Jake Kelley, the Cherokee County Warriors.

(crowd cheers) And now to present the 2022 state championship trophy for class 4A is Alvin Briggs, executive director of the AHSAA, and central board member Tod Hawthorne from district two to Trent Taylor, head coach of the Andalusia Bulldogs.

(crowd cheers) - [Mickey] And the celebration ensues down on the field.

The Andalusia Bulldogs your 4A state champions here with a big win over Cherokee County at the Super 7.

- [Rick] Well, this has been quite a football game by two really, really great football teams.

And I'll say this, three weeks ago, Andalusia high school lost maybe the best running back in the state.

Never blinked.

Other guy stepped in.

Most valuable player of this playoffs.

Great offensive line play, great defensive play.

And Andalusia brings home a blue map for the first time in 45 years.

Congratulations to the Bulldogs.

Well deserved.

- [Mickey] And a little history made by the Andalusia football team with the State Championship victory here at Jordan-Hare today.

That'll wrap up our coverage of the 4A State Championship game.

Two more games on tap today.

But coming up next, it's the AmFirst post-game show.

Thanks for joining us.

We say goodbye for now.

Coach Rhoades and I will be back tonight for the 6A State Championship game.

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Several generous sponsors stepped forward to help make APT's statewide broadcast of the Alabama Super 7 Championships possible.

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Call 1-800-239-4000 or give online at aptv.org to help us bring you even more special programming in 2023, including the state basketball championships in February and March.

Thank you.

- Be a great coach.

We need you.

- Our kids need you.

- Motivate them.

- Challenge them.

- Inspire them.

- Pay attention and know the facts.

- Every injured youth is a loss.

- So let this be our goal.

- Our collaborative goal.

- Our unified goal.

- Our name is our mission.

- Coach safely.

(whistle blows) - It's the mission.

(whistle blows) - It's the purpose.

- It's the law.

- [Coach Jana] Coach safely, win without losses.

- [Narrator] You're watching Alabama Public Television.

Broaden your horizons.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] This is the AmFirst post-game show.

- For the first time since 1977, the Andalusia Bulldogs are state champions.

They get it done over Cherokee County today, 28 to 7.

Just imposed their will.

Great crowds, great fan bases, a great day here at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

And we're pleased to be joined by, we should say we're pleased to welcome, one of the great sponsors, a representative of one of the great sponsors that makes this event as special as it is.

Allison Green, Drive Safe Alabama coordinator for the Alabama Department of Transportation.

I did that all without looking at my notes.

Allison, how are you doing?

- You're good.

Very good.

How are you?

- I'm good, I'm good.

How special is this day, this whole week, this event for the Alabama Department of Transportation and especially the Drive Safe program?

- Yes, this event gives us a unique opportunity.

It's an opportunity to reach teenagers and their parents to talk to them about the importance of highway safety.

- And that's the prime audience of course.

And you have some fun toys here, if you will, for people to experience, don't you?

- You know, we have a driving simulator, and that is just a really great way for people to safely find out how dangerous it is to drive impaired.

So, that's one of our key messages is never drink and drive, never drive under the influence of drugs.

That is actually one of the leading causes of fatal crashes in Alabama.

- And why is it important for that program to be in front of as many high school students and their families as possible?

- Really what we're finding out is car crashes are the second leading cause of deaths of teenagers in this country and certainly in Alabama.

And one of the reasons is lack of experience.

They just haven't had the experience yet.

And then of course distracted driving is huge among that population.

So, we wanna be able to teach people how to do it safely, so they can get to their destinations on time and safely.

- And this isn't your first rodeo obviously.

You've been doing, you guys have been a part of the Super 7 for years.

How long have you been doing the program?

- You know, it's been about seven years now that we've been part of the program.

And so this, like I said before, is a great opportunity to reach a lot of people around the state because people are of course invested in their high school team.

- And do you get positive feedback?

What kind of feedback do you get from the students themselves, from parents, from people in the community?

- Yes, we're hearing, you know, that of course this is a powerful message for them because they know someone they've lost in their school to a crash.

And so, this is something that reaches people at the heart level.

- Yes.

Now you all didn't always have bright skies and sunshine, you had snow.

Did you not want to, oh, we've gotta, Allison Green, thank you so much.

We've gotta throw it to the post-game, to the champions, the Andalusia Bulldogs.

- [Moderator] Any questions.

You guys, be sure to pass the mic.

- You know, as far as opening comments, I mean, what a crowd, our community.

I mean, this has been something 45 years in the making.

1977 was the last time we won a state championship.

But I can't say enough about this group.

You know, several people have asked over the last couple weeks, and I think it's just their mental toughness.

To be down three weeks ago, 21 nothing at halftime, and then to play a team in the fourth round that beats you soundly.

For these guys to do what they've done over the course of the year, but certainly through the course of the playoffs, has just been remarkable.

- [Moderator] Questions for coach or players.

Over here.

- [Reporter] What was the message to the team in that 21 nothing playoff?

- You know, obviously I'd love to give you some answer that would be written in a book some point.

But the truth of the matter is, I simply told 'em don't pay any attention to the scoreboard, just play every play.

It was kind of our message.

You know, we played a tough Jackson team, got a tough draw in the first round, a very talented team.

And for whatever reason on that night I just said, guys, just play every play.

Every play has its own identity.

Play it.

And I reminded them of that at halftime.

I said, just play every play, and, you know, forget about the scoreboard.

And obviously that's what they did.

- [Reporter] Yeah, Dorian, no one wants to have a teammate go down, but talk about how you stepped up in the absence of Jamarion and just kind of, you know, what it meant as a support but also just kinda you embracing the role.

- It was just a big role.

So, I stood up and did what I had to do.

- [Reporter] Can you talk about that and that transition?

- Yeah, I mean, you know, we obviously knew we had two talented running backs to begin the year.

And, you know, Dorian was a guy that had started for us on defense all year long.

He had gotten some carries.

But we felt like at that time he could, you know, his role was on defense.

Of course now I'll be the first to tell you, he didn't spend much time over there under the tent and the defense was on the sideline.

He was continuing to pester Coach Boseman.

Hey, I'm good, I'm good.

But, you know, they have really alternated all year long.

And obviously when Jamarion took the lick late in the game against Anniston, we took Dorian off defense.

And, you know, so, you know, there were a lot of guys that had to step up that point.

You know, big interception today by Xavier Marshall.

Xavier was a young man that, you know, had to step up and really fill the role that Dorian played all year.

- [Moderator] Question back here, and then I'm coming back to you.

- [Reporter] Dorian, I see the tears kind of just left over in your eyes here.

Can you describe this feeling for us right now?

- I don't even know how to explain it.

It's just...

This is the biggest game I ever played in.

And I just, I mean, I don't even got no words.

I'm so happy.

- [Moderator] We had a question ready from Josh.

- [Josh] Trent, it was clear you guys were gonna hand it to him and that was sort of this team's identity.

Particularly up front, what allowed you guys to be so effective?

'Cause it didn't take a genius to figure out what you guys were- - Yeah, you know, I think four seniors on the offensive line and, you know, the fifth guy's just a junior but he started for us last year so 10th grade.

You know, the job that Coach Windham does, Josh, is just unbelievable with those guys.

They have a bond.

You know, one of the funnest things we coach in football is offensive line 'cause those guys are really a team, you know, on the team.

And, you know, Coach Windham does a great job with those guys.

But, you know, we knew what we had there as far as offensive line, and, you know, that was kind of it.

We had two big backs that we knew we could hopefully establish the game.

And the guys like KD and Tycamren started loading the box.

And had done a great job for us to allow us to get to this point.

- [Reporter] Coach, you mentioned the interception.

I mean, that was a 14 point swing right there I felt like.

I mean, just talk a bit more how big of a play that was.

- You know, it is funny.

I mean, Xavier the job he's done all year when he has Dorian on defense has really been more, you know, he plays outside linebacker but we usually involve him in rush from passing down.

So, for him to be even a part of the coverage was kind of a unique call for us, to be quite honest with you.

We were just doing a simple, you know, cover three.

He was bumping flats.

And, you know, sometimes it's not what you do as a coach, it's what the kids do.

- [Moderator] Question right here and then we're coming back here.

- [Reporter] Coach, I know it's all about the players today, but you accomplished something that only one other man in Andalusia history has ever accomplished, playing for a state championship and coaching for a state championship, your coach Don Sharp.

How does that feel?

- Well, you know, obviously we finally got Coach Sharp to come back to the Catholic game in the regular season, and he told me then that was the first time he'd been on the sideline for 34 years.

I don't know if we'll ever get him back, you know, 'cause it didn't turn out obviously the way we wanted it to.

But the emails, I think it was Tuesday night he said, now this is my last email, and I got four more after that as he asked what the itinerary was and that kind stuff.

So, he's been coaching all along.

- [Moderator] Over here, and then coming back to you.

- [Reporter] Just for each one of you guys, coach mentioned 45 years in the making.

Some of your parents probably weren't even alive at that point.

What does that mean to you guys?

- It means a lot to me to get to experience this moment with my teammates.

He's done a really great job this year coaching us.

- I'm just glad that we got a chance to do something with everybody else.

And we always had the community behind our backs.

- Yeah, I think one thing to note there is that, you know, we've been to the semifinals, you know, five previous times in the last seven or eight years.

And so, you know, we talked to our kids about when we out today that this means so much to all those guys 'cause, you know, being the bridesmaid it seems like so many times, but to finally get here and then to take advantage of the opportunity to coach.

You know, winning is hard.

You know, I don't care what level of football you play, winning's tough.

And, you know, to accomplish what these guys have done is really, really special.

- [Moderator] Question here.

- [Reporter] Coach took the team to victory today (mumbles) KD's number.

Just talk to us about what KD means to this team and his overall performance.

- You know, I think the saddest thing is for KD is we were gonna get him to some camps this summer.

Pulled his hamstring during spring training and so didn't get the opportunity to do that.

But listen, I'm not even gonna tell you what we timed him in the 40, but it was fastest time that I've ever timed as a coach.

And this young man has got some special talent and deserves to be playing.

- [Moderator] Question right here.

- [Reporter] This one's for Cameron.

So, people may know your mom won a state championship in basketball.

I just want to acknowledge that first.

How many Christmas tree cakes you think are gonna be waiting for you on your doorstep when you get home?

- A lot.

(everyone laughs) - [Moderator] Other questions?

- [Reporter] Coach, can you talk a little bit about your defensive leaders?

And the defense has played so well all season long and of course you had some offensive stars.

Talk to us a little bit about some of those folks on defense that have led that group.

- You know, I think the thing that probably makes this group so special is there's not, I mean, well Garrett's probably what, 145 pounds.

Linebacker.

You know, I don't think there's one kid that stands out as the leader.

You know, the job that Coach Williamson has done with these guys, and not just this year, but obviously over the previous five years, and these guys will tell you now, it's a complicated defense.

There's nothing simple about what he does.

And so, you know, the big joke at our place is every afternoon after practice defend.

'Cause these kids go to practice, and then there's at least, what, 20 to 30 minutes?

- 45.

(everyone laughs) - 20 or 30 minutes is Coach Williamson time, which is a whole different time than everybody else's.

But, you know, they sit in there, and, you know, he continues to go over the same thing again and again.

So, you know, as far as one leader, my answer would be that there's not one guy.

They're just a unit, you know, in themselves.

- [Moderator] Coach, I know y'all got a celebration right next door.

Congratulations again, champions.

Hopefully you don't have to wait another 45 years to do it.

- I hope not.

- Hi, I'm Lionel Richie.

And I have traveled all over the world, but I consider Tuskegee, Alabama as my home sweet home.

I have such a pride in this state, and I know that there's something I need to tell you that's of great importance.

Vote.

Register to vote and get your voter ID today.

It really is easy.

Easy like Sunday morning.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) (car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - [Narrator] Are you an enthusiastic sports fan?

Want to have fun and get in on the action?

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That'd be awesome!

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Want to stay active?

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Yes!

- [Narrator] Then you'd make an excellent high school sports official.

(whistle blows) We need more officials in Alabama because with no high school officials, there are no high school sports.

Sign up today at highschoolofficials.com.

(upbeat music) (crowd cheers) - [Narrator] When you're here, you see why greats like Aretha and the Stones wanted to play with the locals.

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And when you're here, you can take it all in.

- [Announcer] State of Alabama is proud to use Wilson footballs.

For athletes to perform their best, they require the best.

- Let's go straight to the press conference with Cherokee County.

- Goodbye to those guys is tough.

It's hard to talk about, but...

It's been a good year.

I think we exceeded expectations.

And, you know, this town, I told 'em early on in the summer, if you wanna set a place on fire, be ready to roll against trying.

And they went to work in the off-season program.

We were ready for it.

And so, from from day one, it's just been a blessing.

And they've been so much fun to coach.

They allow us to coach 'em.

They allow us to coach 'em hard, love 'em hard.

It's a big family.

And I spend a lot of time with them, but I tell you what, I couldn't ask for a better bunch and a better city and a better community than what I got.

And, you know, a lot of guys coming back and that's exciting to me because now that I've been here, kind of experienced, know what to do different, you know.

And, you know, so hats off to Andalusia.

They got a great team.

You know, they did the things they needed to do to win this one and so congratulations to them.

But, you know, a lot of thanks to center and Cherokee County and, you know, this season we just had.

- [Moderator] Question for coach and players.

Let's go here first then we'll... - [Reporter] Coach, have you heard anything on Jeb as far as his injury?

- Yes, so they reset his ankle on the field.

He kind of dislocated it there.

We had a similar injury at practice last year, so, you know, they're gonna put that thing back in place, which they already did and get over there and x-ray it.

And I know it's stable, and they're gonna see what they need to do to get him on the track.

But I can promise you, you know, he's a tough kid.

He'll be back.

The one last year was around, you know, two months, I think 12 weeks.

And so, I know he'll be ready to roll come baseball season.

- [Reporter] And it seemed like after the injury, I mean, that sort of sparked you guys to score on that drive there.

I mean, just talk about that.

- Yeah, I mean, it's just, you can't test the waters against a team that is gonna attack you.

And I felt like they were making first contact on both sides of the ball.

You know, in the line of scrimmage, it is key with us, you know, because of what we do and what we want to do and kind of the identity of our team.

And so, you know, they attacked us, and when we attacked them, good things happened.

And so, you know, it's a game of execution.

And, you know, we just, we didn't make enough plays to stay in that thing, especially in the second half.

You know, we had to call timeout because we couldn't get lined up to the play that we wanted to run, that we put in at halftime.

And then when we had to call timeout, they challenged the play and got the ball back.

And so, that was huge.

If we just ran out there and ran the play, you know, at least we would've held onto the ball, had a chance to tie it up right there.

And then they pinned it and downed us on to one.

So, it just field position game, and the breaks in the game just didn't go our way.

And sometimes it's like that.

But the thing is like I said, I'm just appreciative of the seniors we have and the players we got coming back.

And I think they know that we're more than capable of running this thing back year in and year out.

You know, we lift every single day.

We was in Elpalaca's at six o'clock this morning.

And so, our routine is a certain thing that that's what we gotta do.

And so, we'll be back.

- [Moderator] Question over here.

- [Reporter] This is for each one of you guys.

Man, I know this game didn't come out like it's supposed to.

This been a special season, and what's it mean to be at Cherokee County now with, you know, you got the new locker room, new weight rooms.

With the juice you're catching off this game, what does it mean like just to be a Cherokee County Warrior at this time?

- It feels pretty good.

You know, we came a long way from where we were last year.

You know, it just feels good.

- There's a lot of support in our community, and we really appreciate that.

- It feels good.

We came farther than what people thought we was gonna do.

Being in a new weight room and stuff like that, it helps us.

It helped us a lot.

And that's it for us.

- [Moderator] Got question right here.

- [Reporter] Coach, just talk about how you reach to the culture of guys coming back, like Cornejo here.

Just really good guys coming back and wanting to run in the back.

- Yeah, I mean, you know, Jacob, Tristan, Meet's brother Tae.

You know, we've got, we're losing, you know, 10 seniors, but, you know, Jack, Malachi, I don't know if you can actually replace those guys and the intensity that Jack brings.

It's hard to talk about, you know.

And I remember taking the job, talking to them at middle school when I first got here, you know, 'cause I wanna make a point at getting in their face, you know, and just letting 'em know this is who I am and this is what I expect and this is what I need you to do so we can get this thing going in the right direction.

And they've done so much and that, but like I'm truly excited about what we got returning for sure.

- [Moderator] Another question.

Got one right here.

- [Reporter] I know there was a point where, you know, the interception, you know, that was sort of 14 points right there.

I mean, just talk about, I mean, if you would've scored on that possession, I mean, you were getting in down towards the 20 there.

If you'd scored on that possession, you'd make it one possession game.

But the kid just made a great play on the interception there.

- Yeah, I mean, and the thing is we practice every phase, different personnel groups throughout the week depending on what the game presents itself, so we can go spread and throw it around if we need to.

It's just, you know, with what we just went through in the north and throughout region six, we just kind of developed our identity that we gonna run the football and use that to open up the passing game.

And, you know, so when you face good teams, a lot of times it presents unique matchups, and so they're really, really strong in the box, and we were down two scores, so we needed to sling it around a little bit just to loosen them up.

We had it going, really I don't think anybody was necessarily open.

So, Cade is kind of pressed a little bit.

You know, nobody wanted to throw that thing in the end zone more than he did.

It's just, you know, guy made a good play.

- [Reporter] The other coach said that that guy was just in the right place at the right time basically.

- And that tends to happen.

I mean, you know, when you, you know, do things and whatnot and play hard, I mean, like I said, the kid made a good play, but I would've preferred for Cade to have like threw it at their mascot on the sidelines or something, you know.

That's what I told him when he came back 'cause I knew once we got the ball back, we'd probably be in the same scenario.

You know, but hats off to them.

They executed a little bit better.

- [Moderator] Couple more questions.

- [Reporter] Coach Glover and I was talking this week about you guys, the preview of this game, and he said, you know, that team's super physical, they're really physical, and you've changed that identity.

I think it starts in that weight room.

Can you talk about the importance of that?

Even like you said, lifting today, the day of the State Championship game.

- I mean, it is huge for us because we, let's see, first round game we were winning, second round game we were losing by one, third round game, I don't even know, I think we were up seven maybe at halftime or it was seven points or tied, and then in the fourth round game it was 14 to nothing.

But in all those close games, we kind of came back out in the third and fourth and just kind of broke them and imposed our will.

And so that's straight weight room.

I mean, it is nothing.

It's five days a week.

It's on the four week cycle that we're on, you know, and keeping track of our percentages.

And then in the off season now, we're gonna focus on all that that we do anyway, but the nutrition aspect to make sure that we're putting the right things in our body to experience the full growth and potential that we can.

And so, yeah, it's been a huge factor.

But, you know, having big games throughout the year allows us to financially get what I want to put in that weight room, you know, so we've got a lot of new equipment that just got paid for in the last four weeks because I'm telling you, if there's something that anybody has that I feel like is gonna benefit my program with our guys, we're gonna get it no matter what.

And so, the support we have allows us to kinda do those things.

- [Moderator] Coach, I know y'all wanna get back with the players.

Congratulations, guys.

A great, great, great run this year, and we hope to see you back next year.

That's the plan, isn't it?

- Yes, sir.

- A great season for Cherokee County.

A great season for Cherokee County ends in disappointment.

No matter how good a season you have, Coach Duwan Walker, if you get here and don't get it done, it's a disappointment.

- Yeah, you hit the reset button, but they've, what we just witnessed, and you can hear it in Coach Kelley's voice, that you better get used to seeing Cherokee County on this stage.

You can hear it in his voice.

He's very passionate about it.

And the one common denominator that I've seen, and he just said it, you know, they have invested in their program.

And all the teams that have played on this field, the community has invested in that program, and this is the results that you get from it.

- Let's look at the highlights from the 4A championship game.

Andalusia getting its first title since 1977.

Let's go back to the first half.

And we knew we were gonna see a lot of running game today, didn't we, coach?

- [Duwan] Oh yeah.

You know, obviously they're gonna put the ball, they're gonna run the football, and that's what he said.

He said, you know, our identity is to run the football, and they stuck to that.

Now both defensive, hats off to Andalusia defense, hats off to, I mean, it was a war the first half, and both teams made the plays at the right time because in a game, you never know which play is going to be that play.

Andalusia made some great plays.

- [Kevin] That was a big play right there.

The first touchdown.

They threw that short wide receiver screen, and Kaden Denson took it the distance for the touchdown.

- [Duwan] And, you know, we talked about it before the game started, you know, the teams that make the mistakes would be the team that probably would come up on the short end of the stick because the football is the game.

And any time you get down to this point on this level, on this stage, you're gonna have the team that can capitalize on those mistakes.

- [Kevin] And there was Jacob Cornejo.

You knew that he was gonna pound the rock, and he got in the end zone there, and Cherokee County was fighting right back.

- [Duwan] I'll tell you what, Dorian Crittenden.

If it's one name you remember it's Dorian.

Dorian, he's a senior that went out today.

Man, he ran with authority.

- [Kevin] And that was the other running back, Zerrick, scoring that touchdown for the Bulldogs.

But Dorian Crittenden was the work horse.

Finished the day 31 carries, 246 yards, and two touchdowns, and the MVP award.

He's the first senior to be an MVP here at the Super 7 this year.

We've seen junior after junior along with the eighth grade quarterback from Thompson, Trent Seaborn.

- Well, I tell you what, Dorian Crittenden, the offensive line did a great job.

They won the trenches.

Like Coach said, they was the first to make contact today.

But Dorian Crittenden, and I'll just call him DC because he ran like a beast today, and I won't be surprised if he ran all the way back to Andalusia.

- And you know they're excited.

We're gonna head to a break.

First championship since 1977.

And Coach Trent Taylor played on that team, and he led this team to the blue map.

All right, we're gonna run to break here from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

We are far from done here today.

Come back with us.

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Ensure that these essential extracurricular activities continue to enrich the lives of students in Alabama.

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(gentle music) - As the longtime coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, Coach Paul Bryant led the team to six national championships, 24 bowl games, 13 conference titles, and three undefeated seasons.

He is widely considered the greatest college football coach of all time.

Hello, I'm John Croyle, defensive end on the 1973 national championship team that went 11 and 0 regular season.

In his 25 years at Alabama, Coach Bryant's teams compiled 232 wins, 46 losses, and participated in 24 consecutive ballgames.

He was national coach of the year three times.

His players received 67 all American honors, and numerous Tide players went on to distinguished NFL careers.

Coach Bryant remains an integral part of the Alabama football tradition.

He established a scholarship fund for the children of former players to attend the university.

And to this day, Tide fans wear houndstooth in his memory.

- Hi, I'm Mike McKenzie, programming director for Alabama Public Television.

Several generous sponsors stepped forward to help make APT's statewide broadcast of the Alabama Super 7 Championships possible.

Now I'd like to ask for your financial support as well.

Call 1-800-239-4000 or give online at aptv.org to help us bring you even more special programming in 2023, including the state basketball championships in February and March.

Thank you.

(car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - We are back here at Jordan-Hare Stadium after the 4A championship game.

We saw Andalusia beat Cherokee County 28 to 7.

And Allison Green from the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Drive Safe program, we had to cut you short earlier to get to the winning team press conference, but we didn't cover everything we needed to cover.

So, I wanted to ask you about a couple of very important initiatives that you're involved with.

And first of all, that's seatbelt safety.

How important is that?

- Yes.

You know, if there was one safety tip I could give, it was buckle up.

Buckle up every person in the vehicle, every time you get in the vehicle.

We're finding out that 60% of the people who are dying on Alabama roads are not wearing a seatbelt.

And so, many of those are actually survivable crashes if we could just get the people to buckle up.

- 60% without a seatbelt?

- That's right.

- There's really no excuse in not wearing your seatbelt is here?

- It takes two seconds, and those two seconds could be the difference in life and death, literally.

- Absolutely.

And then also, we don't think about this, but the importance of being safe and driving through work zones.

- Yes, for the folks coming out to the game tonight, ALDOT has a lot of road improvement projects all across the state.

So, the chances that you're gonna see one of those blue rebuild Alabama signs are pretty strong.

Please look for those work zones.

Slow down.

We are lowering those speed zones for your safety as well as for the safety of workers.

And when there are no workers present, those roads are still in a less than desirable condition, so you wanna be able to drive the speed limit that's set so that you don't have a crash.

- Allison Green, thank you so much for what you do with the Drive Safe program and with the Alabama Department of Transportation.

It is life of death, and people need to pay attention.

Thank you so much for being with us and all the support that you give to the state of Alabama and especially to high school athletics.

- Thank you.

- All right, we're gonna run to break here on the post-game show from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Kevin Scarbinsky here.

See you shortly.

(car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - Be a great coach.

We need you.

- Our kids need you.

- Motivate them.

- Challenge them.

- Inspire them.

- Pay attention and know the facts.

- Every injured youth is a loss.

- So let this be our goal.

- Our collaborative goal.

- Our unified goal.

- Our name is our mission.

- Coach safely.

(whistle blows) - It's the mission.

(whistle blows) - It's the purpose.

- It's the law.

- [Coach Jana] Coach safely, win without losses.

- [Narrator] You can rely on APT for high school football.

Join us live for the Alabama High School Super 7 Championships presented by Protective.

Tune in November 30th through December 2nd to join the squad.

Alabama Public Television's coverage of the Alabama Super 7 Championships is made possible by these generous sponsors.

- Welcome to the Alabama High School Athletic Associations Football Championships!

Congratulations to the 14 boys teams and the two girls flag football teams for making it to Auburn.

I want to extend my best wishes to the cheerleaders, the bands, the schools, and the communities who are there to show their hometown spirit.

You all have so much to be proud of.

Win or lose, enjoy the games and celebrate your success.

Congratulations again and best of luck to all of you.

- [Announcer] This is the AmFirst pre-game show.

- We're back here at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

We've crowned six state champions.

We have two more to go.

Up next, the 2A State Championship game between B.B.

Comer and Fyffe.

Pleased to be joined here on the sideline, Coach Duwan Walker.

Coach, this next one with is gonna be very interesting.

Fyffe the only undefeated team to make it to the Super 7.

- Fyffe, you know, everybody know exactly who Fyffe is.

You know, this is a place where they are every year.

They change a classification and they're still here.

So, you know, we're very well now.

It's going to be a fight.

It's going to be a fight because we have B.B.

Comer in here, and they're here to really stake a presence, and it's going to be a good one tonight.

- As you mentioned, Fyffe here for the seventh time in the last nine years.

They did it in class 2A.

They bumped them up to 3A.

They won a state championship in 3A in 2020.

Then their enrollment changed, they went back to 2A.

And here they are again.

That's a program with a winning tradition under Coach Paul Benefield, who is number three on the all time Alabama list of winning coaches behind Terry Curtis and Buddy Anderson.

- Wow.

I tell you, he is very familiar with this stage, and he'll have his guys ready to go.

You know, obviously he has perfected this whole process.

His kids will know what to expect, know what to understand, so already a thumbs up for them.

- So again, we've got the regulars against the newcomers, if you will.

We're gonna head to a break.

We'll be right back here on the AmFirst pre-game show here from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] What is a protector?

Is it always a hero bigger than life?

Look and you'll find protectors all around us.

At Protective, it's at the heart of who we are.

For more than a century, millions have relied on us to make retirement more about wishes than worry.

- [Announcer] Welcome back to the AmFirst pre-game show.

- We are back here in Jordan-Hare Stadium, getting ready for the 2A State Championship game between Fyffe and B.B.

Comer.

Joined by Coach Duwan Walker, I'm your host, Kevin Scarbinsky.

And we had a chance to talk to both head coaches.

So, first let's hear from the head coach of B.B.

Comer.

That would be Adam Fossett.

We're here with Coach Adam Fossett from B.B.

Comer, getting ready to play in the class 2A State Championship game.

First of all, coach, congratulations on getting to this final game.

First time for the school since 1995.

How excited is everyone about this opportunity?

- It's huge.

Like, it was, last night was electric.

Crowd was electric.

The kids were on fire and played well.

And just proud of our program, proud of my coaches, and the players and everything that they've put in.

Man, the community's really behind them and supporting 'em.

And, you know, I keep telling everybody this is more than just football.

It's a special time for this community, special time for these kids.

And football is just kind of the tool that is being used to bring all these people together.

- You beat Highland Home in the semifinals, you jumped out quickly, were ahead 36 to nothing at half-time.

Is that one of those games where everything just seems to click?

- Yeah, like the first half was really, everything was lining up, everything was going well.

You know, we talked to the guys all week about what it took and the big thing for the week was discipline.

You know, be disciplined in everything that you do.

You know, we didn't have school, we practiced all week.

We went to a movie early in the week as a team.

And, you know, I tried to kinda keep 'em busy, but I also wanted to give them some free time to enjoy their family, enjoy the time.

So, figuring out that schedule and getting that together was kind of tough on the front end.

But they responded, they answered the call and played very, very well, especially in that first half.

- What movie did you guys go to see?

Was there a special message behind it?

- No, not a special message.

We just, we went to the new Black Panther movie.

It was kind of a last minute thing, but it was well worth it.

And the guys enjoyed it.

And man, it was a good day.

- Your running back Kamor Harris had a big game obviously in the semifinals.

Is he the key to making your offense go?

- I think him and Devin Harvey are both the keys to making our offense go.

They're able to play off of each other, you know.

One thing I've said throughout the season is that we have numerous weapons.

And when Devin and Kamor are playing at their top level, like they did last night, we can move the ball, we can score.

And that's huge, you know, for us to be able to do that.

You know, a couple plays last night on the first drive, Devin hits Kamor on a check down, and he takes off and scores.

And that really starts the game off for us.

I think it was, it may have been the fourth play of the game, you know, where we just take it and score.

So, you know, playing well, and those guys turn around and play defense too, you know.

2A football you're playing both sides of the ball.

But they turn around and play defense, and Devin plays safety, Kamor's playing linebacker.

So, you know, we ask a lot of those guys.

We expect a lot of those guys.

And I told Kamor at one point in time last night in the first quarter, I think it was after the second score, coming off the field, I said, lead this team.

And he did.

You know, he did a great job leading the team offensively and defensively and just finishing it out.

- This is your fifth year at B.B.

Comer.

You've made a habit of getting to the playoffs.

Fourth time.

Is this the logical next step that you wanted to take?

- Yeah, it is.

You know, like we've...

I've talked on occasion about the program and how it's developed, you know.

Last night one of the cool things after the game was that first year group, there was some seniors from that first year group that went two and eight.

They were down there celebrating and congratulating the guys and congratulating me and stuff like that.

And that's important to me 'cause I'm looking at a total program.

I'm looking at the whole body of work.

And that body of work is what has gotten us here.

So, you know, for us to be here, man, it's a blessing for us to be here.

The guys have worked hard.

And we're looking forward to it.

You know, I want the guys to, I want everybody, I want the coaches and everybody involved with the program to really enjoy the moment.

We're gonna make sure that we're prepared, and we're gonna give everything we have on Friday.

- Big challenge, obviously against Fyffe.

They're undefeated.

They're putting up huge numbers offensively.

They've scored over 60 twice.

They've hit 70 this year.

How do you slow those guys down and give yourself a chance to win in the fourth quarter?

- You know, I think ball control is gonna be key.

We've gotta control the ball.

We've gotta be able to make some stops on defense obviously.

Special teams has to show up and be huge for us.

But at the end of the day, we gotta line up and play football.

And, you know, Coach Benefield does a great job there.

A ton of respect for him and what he's done there.

Great man, great guy.

And, you know, I'm looking forward to Friday.

Looking forward to that kickoff and the battle of it.

So, you know, we've gotta prepare and get ready to go.

But man, Friday's gonna be a special day.

- It will be.

Well, coach, again congratulations.

Good luck to you.

That's Coach Adam Fossett from the B.B.

Comer Tigers, getting ready for the 2A State Championship game.

(car engine revs) (car beeps) (car engine revs) (drink slurps) (phone text beeps) (car slides and screeches) (car screeches and crashes) (car beeps) - Hi, I'm Lionel Richie.

And I have traveled all over the world, but I consider Tuskegee, Alabama as my home sweet home.

I have such a pride in this state, and I know that there's something I need to tell you that's of great importance.

Vote.

Register to vote and get your voter ID today.

It really is easy.

Easy like Sunday morning.

(gentle music) - Hi, I'm Mike McKenzie, programming director for Alabama Public Television.

Several generous sponsors stepped forward to help make APT's statewide broadcast of the Alabama Super 7 championships possible.

Now I'd like to ask for your financial support as well.

Call 1-800-239-4000 or give online at aptv.org to help us bring you even more special programming in 2023, including the state basketball championships in February and March.

Thank you.

- [Announcer] You're watching Alabama Public Television.

Broaden your horizons.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] You can rely on APT for high school football.

Join us live for the Alabama High School's Super 7 Championships presented by Protective.

Tune in November 30th through December 2nd to join the squad.

- [Announcer] Welcome back to the AmFirst pre-game show.

- Here we are back at Jordan-Hare Stadium, preparing for the 2A State Championship game between B.B.

Comer and Fyffe.

And Fyffe coach Paul Benefield in his 31st year overall, his 26th year at Fyffe, his alma mater.

He has 336 career wins, third on the all time list in the state of Alabama.

Let's hear what Coach Benefield had to say about getting ready for this championship game.

We're here with Coach Paul Benefield from the Fyffe Red Devils, getting ready to play B.B.

Comer in the 2A State Championship game.

And coach, congratulations again for getting back here.

Again, this has become a familiar destination for you and the Red Devils, hasn't it?

- You know, we love Auburn.

You know, we've been really lucky to come out on top sometimes when we play down here.

I don't know if every time.

But just, you know, it's a blessing to be in this game, win or lose.

- Your team has just put up incredible offensive numbers.

You're over 40 10 times this year.

You've scored 50 plus five times, hit over 60 twice, and hit 70 one time.

What is so good and makes your offense work so well this season?

- Well, our kids are pretty strong on the front.

Not just gigantic big, but, you know, they play extremely hard, and we've had a one two punch at running back.

You know, it's worked well for us.

But, you know, a lot of times our defense puts us in situations to score more points.

So, that's something that's overlooked sometimes is our defense that's played really well.

- Tell us about those running backs that are the engine for your offense.

- Well, Brody Hicks is a senior and he's one of 'em.

And then Logan Anderson's a sophomore.

And they both are over, well, Logan's close to 2,000 yards, and Brody Hicks is over 1,000.

So, you know, that's the main two.

Hunter Mansion runs wing back some, and he's got better as years went on.

So just, you know, a lot of misdirection and power.

Football's about it.

- How do you determine the rotation?

Is it a feel thing?

Do you have a set plan going into the game as far as series by series?

- Nah, it's just kind of, you know, how everything's going and what the defense has given us.

And you never know running what we run, you don't know from week to week what you're gonna see, and so I have to kind of adjust on the fly.

And it's, you know, you just, people don't see our offense a lot 'cause it's toe to toe and two tight ends.

So, we never know what we're gonna see.

Usually nine men on the line though.

- Yes.

So, the ball's gonna be in the ball carrier's hands.

You're not putting the ball in the air a whole lot.

- Not a lot.

- Not intentionally, right?

- Right, that's right.

We have thrown I think 10, 12 touchdown passes.

So, about one out of every two we throw has been touchdown.

- Is there any concern, you guys have just not had a lot of, you haven't really had any close games.

Your closest margin of victory in your last regular season game, you beat Sulvenia by three touchdowns.

Is there any concern that when you get into a championship game, if you do find yourself in a tight game in the second half, any worries there because your team hasn't experienced that?

- No, sure, us coaches always got worries.

It don't matter if we, if every game's close, you know, we'd still be worried.

But the Sulvenia game went into the fourth quarter before it, you know, it's 28, 21, 14, and then the first Pisca game was close.

And, you know, up until the middle of the fourth quarter there too.

So, we've been in some close games.

We just hadn't been in a 21, 20 type game.

But we, you know, our starters have had to play, you know, pretty much to the last drive in some games.

But it's always a concern, you know.

- Well, we're looking forward to seeing you line up against B.B.

Comer in the 2A State Championship game.

He's Coach Paul Benefield with the Fyffe Red Devils.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) - [Umpire] Strike three, you're out!

- Hike!

(whistle blows) - Two, three!

- [Narrator] Encore Sports Medicine.

(gentle music) - [Boy] My grandpa was always telling me about it.

- [Girl] But the civil rights thing happened like a million years ago.

- [Boy] Still, he thought it was important that I know what it was like.

- [Girl] So, we followed the Civil Rights trail to Alabama.

We saw Dr. King's church.

- [Boy] The bridge in Selma.

The church in Birmingham.

And I finally knew what he was talking about.

- [Girl] Some things you just have to experience for yourself.

- [Narrator] Start your civil rights journey at alabama.travel.

- [Narrator] A game without a crowd is just a scrimmage.

A performance without an audience is just a rehearsal.

Without your presence, high school sports and the performing arts aren't possible.

Ensure that these essential extracurricular activities continue to enrich the lives of students in Alabama.

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- [Announcer] Welcome back to the AmFirst pre-game show.

- I think we've got a dance off going on here in Jordan-Hare Stadium before the 2A State Championship game between Fyffe and B.B.

Comer.

Coach Duwan Walker, you wanna compete?

You wanna do a little dance off right here?

- Let's save it for the second half.

- We don't wanna embarrass ourselves or the viewers at home so we'll stay, we'll let the kids handle that in the stands.

But we have a very interesting match up here, and it's been a long time for B.B.

Comer.

And I noticed with Coach Fossett, I talked to him last night, he had his entire, about right behind where you're standing, his entire team he brought out to the 5A State Championship game.

And I asked him about that.

Why would a coach do that?

- Well, very interesting.

You know, when we were at Prattville High School, our first championship game in '04, we were playing Hoover.

And the first time we made it to Legion Field was the day of the game.

And when we went, when we took the field, we had players looking up, seeing the big lights, looking at the jumbotron.

You even had coaches, even myself, I mean, we're looking up.

It was the first time we have experienced a stage like that, so the next time we were in a championship game, the first thing coach talks about, we're gonna get our kids there early, we're going to make sure that we get in the stadium, feel the atmosphere, and make sure that they are, you know, you just want to get there and make sure that you feel comfortable with it.

- And we're gonna see the teams coming into the stadium.

One of the great amenities is part of the Super 7, the visitors from B.B.

Comer, the Tigers, a true tiger walk, as they made their way into Jordan-Hare Stadium.

That's one of those special things, isn't it, coach?

Those special moments.

- [Duwan] That's without a doubt.

You can see it in their eyes.

They're not intimidated.

They are ready for war.

They're looking forward to a fight tonight.

- [Kevin] And again, they've been here last night, so it's not their first time in this stadium.

Hopefully they got all of the wide eye jitters out of the way so they can just focus on football today.

- [Duwan] That's exactly right.

Put the phones up and now it's time to play football, so they're going straight to the locker room.

- [Kevin] And there are the Fyffe Red Devils, the Devil Walk, I guess you would call it, as they make their way into Jordan-Hare Stadium.

They are very used to this stage in terms of state championships and playing for the blue map.

Again, seven times in the last nine years they've been here.

- [Duwan] First class program.

As you can see, Coach Benefield has set the standard with Fyffe.

And I'll tell you the bar is set high.

- Coach, how do you approach it?

The numbers that Fyffe has put up this year offensively, just off the chart.

You know, so many times over 40 points, 50 points, twice over 60 points, and once they hit 70.

Is that a little intimidating?

If you're the opposing team and especially if you play defense, and at 2A a lot of guys are playing both ways.

Is that a little intimidating?

- You know, the thing that really sticks out, they don't throw the ball a whole lot to score that type of points.

B.B.

Comer is gonna have to do a really good job of ball control.

They're gonna have to keep the football away from Fyffe.

And also whenever they're on defense, they gotta get all 11 to the football and great eye integrity because that's where Fyffe can sneak behind you.

The few times they do throw the ball usually results in points.

- Because he said they see a lot of nine man fronts, Coach Benefield said from Fyffe.

And that's what you have to be concerned about also as a defensive coordinator, don't you?

- That's exactly right.

They're 12 personnel team, that mean two tight ends.

They love to play with two tight ends and sometime even 22 personnel.

Well, they got two running backs and two tight ends, but they're going to run the football, they're going to impose their will, and they're very, very good at doing that.

- And it's demoralizing for a team when you cannot stop the run, isn't it?

- Yeah, you know, B.B.

Comer gonna have to do a great job early on.

I mean, they gotta get out fast and make sure that they make Fyffe play behind the chain some today.

They gotta win first down, make it second and long so they can now kind of predict exactly what Fyffe is going to do whenever those play actions might come.

- When you were coaching defense at Prattville for Coach Bill Clark, would you rather face a team that threw it all over the yard or would you rather man up, go toe to toe, and just try to beat them at the point of attack with a team that just ran it, ran it, and ran it at you?

- You know, pick your poison.

You have to take away what they do best, and we always like to do that.

Once we do that, now if they do something different than what you have prepared for, it's new to them too.

So, we always felt like the field was always leveled off, but we have to take away what they do best.

And Fyffe they do a little bit of everything really good.

- I love the way Coach Clark describes just exactly what you described.

He says, make them play left-handed.

What does that mean?

- That's exactly right.

- [Kevin] Exactly what you've been describing, right?

- If they can run the football, we know we have to stop the run, make them throw the football, do the things they're uncomfortable with doing.

But the key to the game today is going to be ball control.

Keep the ball away from Fyffe, keep the chains moving, and no matter what get ready to play the next play.

- Let's take a look, coach, at the first six games so far in the Super 7, I should say Super 7 plus one because we started with the flag football game.

The Auburn girls won the first football championship for that school in school history.

And then of course we have had, we'll go backwards in reverse order, 7A Thompson just looked so good winning their fourth straight championship, led by an eighth grader, coach.

An eighth grader at quarterback.

- [Duwan] Hey, we're gonna start looking in the eighth grade.

We've been doing it wrong.

Let's fix this.

But an eighth grader that is really, I mean, he's special.

He's special, and he showed it on that night.

- [Kevin] And he was the MVP of course And then 5A Ramsay got it done.

We're waiting for the 6A later tonight, Mountain Brook and Saraland.

And then Ramsay of course won their second title in six, seven years since 2016.

Always dangerous for me to do math in my head.

And then 4A Andalusia just got it done.

3A St. James, their first State Championship with KJ Jackson throwing the ball all over the lot and hitting big play after big play.

We're about to see the 2A state champion decided.

And then in 1A Leroy.

And baby Johnny Manzel, Braden Hubner running for 270 yards.

- I'll tell you, he put on a show.

He was really special.

Whatever he tried worked.

He was a musician.

- [Kevin] He really was.