By Stephen Dawkins

Jemison had a 21-0 lead Friday night before Dallas County picked up a first down, with less than 2 minutes to play in the first half.

The Panthers’ fast start, explosive offense and suffocating defense allowed them to take a 33-14 win on Homecoming despite five fumbles and nine penalties.

Still, coach Brad Abbott said the mistakes weren’t the result of a hangover from last week’s close loss to rival Chilton County in the season opener.

“We lost our focus in spurts,” Abbott said. “I thought we could have got maybe two more scores there before the half. But we had a good week of practice. I was pleased with the play of all the guys. It’s a region win.”

The positives from Friday far outweigh the negatives.

Jemison (1-1, 1-0 Class 4A, Region 4) scored on its first two possessions. Junior Javae Swindle, after running for a long touchdown the first play from scrimmage last week, took Jemison’s second play from scrimmage 64 yards for a score and a 6-0 lead.

Senior quarterback Scott Clements connected with junior Eddie Hubbard for a 23-yard touchdown about 3 minutes later, and a Clements pass to freshman Randy Satterfield gave Jemison a 14-0 lead.

Swindle scored on a screen pass from Clements with 3:33 left in the first half, and the point-after made it 21-0.

Unofficially, Clements completed 18 of 19 attempts for 239 yards and four touchdowns, including one to Satterfield in the fourth quarter.

That came after DCHS (1-1, 0-1) got on the board with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

Abbott said Jemison’s usual snapper in that situation was out of the game with an injury.
The Hornets got even closer on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Justin Moore to Keymiya Harrell about halfway through the fourth.

Swindle was Jemison’s leading rusher with 99 yards, unofficially, on eight carries.

By Scott Mims

You could say Thorsby defied the odds Friday night to beat the Francis Marion Rams 37-14 to go 2-0.
The victory was sweet because the Rebels have won as many games as they won all year in 2009 — and they won Friday night with two main starters on the sidelines, Marcus Bray and Tanner Bush.
“It feels good to be 2-0, doesn’t it?” coach Billy Jackson asked the team after the game. They answered, “Yes sir.”
The first half was hard fought on both sides. Andrew Farris connected with C.J. Melendy for a 38-yard touchdown in the first, but the Rams’ LaDarius Tabb returned the ensuing kickoff for a 78-yard sprint to the end zone. Demetre Williams tacked on 2 extra points.
Thorsby gave up a fumble on its next drive but forced the Rams to punt. Then it was Farris charging over the goal line for a short TD.
In the second quarter, the rescue squad was called out to check on injured Frances Marion player Radge Turner. He got back on his feet, but a personal foul was called against Thorsby.
Toriance Herring scored a 25-yard touchdown with 6:44 left in the half, putting the Rams up 14-12.
Tabb recovered a Thorsby fumble but the Rebels’ Bo Hoffman had a sack in the backfield. Then Trent McClain intercepted and went on to score a 41-yard touchdown.
Farris took part in Thorsby’s last three touchdowns, passing to Stephen Mims and Nathan Oldroyd for 38 and 12 yards, respectively, and running one himself from 24 yards out.
In his post-game speech, coach Billy Jackson acknowledged that the Rams (0-2) were bigger and faster than the Rebels position for position, but the Rebels played with a lot of heart and wouldn’t quit.
“They rose to the occasion tonight,” Jackson said. “We are by far not where we want to be, but we’re trying to make strides.”

By Stephen Dawkins

When Kalup Nunn first hurt his knee last season, in Week 9 against Hale County, he was bummed about missing the remaining game on the schedule.

But then came the prognosis: torn ACL, torn MCL, torn PCL, cracked tibia… and probably the end of Nunn’s football career with one year left at Thorsby.

That Nunn will be a crucial component of Thorsby’s offense, defense and special teams when Class 2A, Region 4 opponent Francis Marion visits Susan Bentley Field at 7 p.m. Friday is a testament to Nunn’s hard work—and is one of the reasons the Rebels are expecting to have their best season in years.

“The doctor said he’s never seen any kid come back from that injury,” Thorsby coach Billy Jackson said. “It’s been just remarkable how he’s recovered.”

Nunn said the three months of daily rehab were not enjoyable, but he kept in mind how much he wanted to play his senior season with his teammates.

Nunn’s recovery turned out to be a team building exercise, with several fellow seniors working out with Nunn and rejoicing when he passed a physical and was cleared to play.

The senior ran for 56 yards on six carries—and recorded a sack on defense–in a 33-6 season opening win over Verbena, and he says he’s faster than he was before the injury.

“It was a rough road, but I just kept at it,” Nunn said. “I couldn’t let my teammates down, so I just stayed at it and worked out as hard as I could.”

—

Who will win?

After an impressive, season opening, 33-6 win over Verbena, Thorsby has as confident a football team as it has had in years. Francis Marion won’t be able to slow down theh Rebels this week. Pick: Thorsby Picks record: 3-2

By Stephen Dawkins

The Thorsby Rebels on Friday showed just how far they’ve from year one to year two of coach Billy Jackson’s tenure with a 33-6 win over Verbena.

Last season, Thorsby’s meeting with its county rival in Week 1 resulted in a hard fought 14-6 loss. This season’s opening game was the Rebels’ coming out party.

“We’re not there yet by any means,” coach Billy Jackson cautioned, but he did note his team’s improvement and credited that improvement to his coaching staff, especially strength coach Keith Williams. “They’ve got confidence in themselves because of the time they spend in the weight room.”

Thorsby is now halfway to its 2009 win total with nine games left to play.

Verbena, meanwhile, heads into region play next week against Wadley still with many questions to answer.

The Red Devils moved the football well on occasion behind the running of junior quarterback Bay Lucas (who led the team with 58 rushing yards, unofficially) and backs Dustin Short and Kelly Dorsett, but mistakes cost the visitors.

Verbena finally scored with 1:13 left on a three-yard run by Dorsett, a senior, but the game had been decided much earlier.

Thorsby senior Marcus Bray intercepted a pass on Verbena’s first possession and ran it back for a touchdown, and Eduardo Rico added the extra point.

Neither team could take control until Thorsby senior quarterback Andrew Farris led his team on a 91-yard drive that cumulated with Farris faking a handoff and running it up the middle three yards for a score with 16 seconds remaining in the first half.

The hosts ended any suspense on their first possession of the second half when, on third down with 13 yards to go for a first, Farris found Bray across the middle and then watched the receiver break several tackles and race down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown.

Thorsby scored later on a beautifully executed reverse pass from Farris to a wide open junior Stephen Mims and on a fumble recovery in the end zone by senior Dylan Crocker.

By Stephen Dawkins

Jacob McKinney’s interception in his end zone saved a 27-26 win for Chilton County on Thursday over football rival Jemison.

The visiting Panthers fought back from a 20-8 third quarter deficit and were a two-point conversion away from taking the lead with 22 seconds remaining in the game when McKinney, expecting a playaction pass, jumped in front of a slant route.

“We talk about playing the next play no matter what happened the play before,” said CCHS coach Brian Carter, who improved to 2-1 in the rivalry. “We made the last play.”

Most in attendance—and there were a lot of them for the season opening clash—probably would have thought that deciding play would have gone in Jemison’s favor because the visitors had all the momentum.

A four-yard run by senior J.J. Agee and a point-after by Zach Headley about 3 minutes into the second half gave CCHS a 20-8 lead, which seemed insurmountable because Jemison had only mustered one first down on eight plays from scrimmage.

But the Panthers clawed back into the game thanks to deep passes by senior quarterback Scott Clements and long runs by junior running back Javae Swindle.

Clements connected with junior Chase McCary on the drive following Agee’s score, but the two-point attempt failed.

CCHS sophomore quarterback Cameron Cummings answered with a three-yard run and Headley added the extra point to make it 27-14, but with 8:15 left in the game, Clements faked a handoff right, rolled left and found Eddie Hubbard down the visitors sideline. Hubbard caught the ball over his shoulder and outran the defense, but the two-point conversion failed to leave the score at 27-20 CCHS.

The Jemison defense held Chilton to a three-and-out on the next possession, and the Jemison offense marched 69 yards for the last score of the game, a three-yard run by Swindle.

Then came McKinney’s heroics.

“It’s incredible; there’s nothing like it,” the senior said about earning a win over a rival in his last season.

Swindle finished with 157 yards on 13 carries, but 124 of those yards came on only two carries, one of which was a 65-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage.
But the story of the first half was the CCHS running attack. With a quarterback, Cummings, who had never before thrown a pass in varsity action, the Tigers stayed on the ground to build their lead.

Cummings ran 20 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and Agee added 103 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Senior Joe Looney also punished the defense with several tough runs.

Senior Dylan Jackson (nine tackles and an interception) and Richard Hilliard (eight tackles and a fumble recovery) were the standouts on the CCHS defense.

Clements completed eight of 15 passes for 203 yards.

By Stephen Dawkins

Coaches Brad Abbott and Brian Carter, good luck convincing your players Thursday night’s game is just one of 10 on the schedule.
The annual Chilton County-Jemison clash is the season’s most anticipated game, played as the first game of the season, leaving coaches with difficult tasks afterward: the winning coach will have to bring his team down off a high and focus on the next game, and the losing coach will have to pick his team up because all the region games remain.
But downplaying the game beforehand is useless because everyone knows what’s at stake: bragging rights.
“The kids think about this game all summer during workouts,” said Abbott, the Jemison coach.
That’s the result of the county’s two largest schools—and two fiercest rivals—opening the season against each other (on a Thursday, no less, to ensure the entire county is focused on the game).
So many fans are expected to fill Tiger Stadium that tickets have been pre-sold at both schools in an effort to cut down on long lines at the ticket booths.
Coaches differ on their opinions of the best way to handle the hype, and these strategies can change from year to year.
“We’ve basically just kind of approached it as business as usual,” said Carter, the CCHS coach. “We don’t look at any game being bigger than any other game.”
But players that have played in the game before, like much of Jemison’s experienced roster, don’t need a different coaching style to tell them this game is different.
“We have a mature team, so our kids are jacked up and we hope to keep it that way,” Abbott said.
Which team best handles the emotion surrounding the game could come out on top. Nerves or over-exuberance can cause mistakes like turnovers and special teams gaffes.
Abbott and Carter agreed that home field advantage might be overstated because of the schools’ proximity.
“Both teams are going to have so many fans that it feels like a home game to either team,” Carter said.
Also consider that the road team has won the last three games in the series.
One thing is for sure: Fans can expect to see both teams’ best effort. Neither Abbott or Carter had injuries to report, and Carter summarized why.
“They’re not going to miss this one,” he said.

—-

Who will win?
Both Chilton County and Jemison feature speedy backs, experienced linebackers and strong offensive and defensive fronts. The only apparent difference between the two teams is at quarterback, where Jemison is leaning on a third-year starter while CCHS is breaking in two new talents. In a tight defensive struggle, the experience under center (or in the shotgun) will be the difference. Pick: Jemison

By Stephen Dawkins

Thorsby and Jemison volleyball squared off in the championship match of the Thorsby-hosted Super Saturday Tournament Saturday, Aug. 21 at Jemison.

Jemison came out on top over Thorsby, winning 25-13 and 25-13 to take the title.

“The longer we played, the better we got,” Jemison coach Leighsa Robinson said.

Jemison defeated Shelby County twice and Vincent once to reach the match, propelled by the tournament’s most valuable player, Kasi Wells.

Wells had 61 assists and 15 aces to lead the tournament.

Her Jemison teammates also had strong showings in the tournament. Emily Smithey had 28 digs in the tournament, Shelby Griffin had 22 kills, and Kortney Robinson had 8 blocks.

Thorsby’s run to the championship included two wins against Sylacauga and a win over Fayetteville before meeting Jemison in the final.

“We played hard all day long until the championship game,” Thorsby coach Ginger Williams said. “Then we simply ran out of gas.”

It was Thorsby’s first tournament appearance during the regular season according to Williams.

Thorsby standouts include Holly Smith who had 42 assists and 14 aces, Kendra Dawson who had 12 digs and five aces, Desiree Evans who had nine kills and eight digs, and Jennifer Spivey who had nine kills and six blocks.

Boyd Wayne Littleton of Jemison passed away Friday, Aug. 20.

His loving wife is Tammy Littleton, and daughters are Andrea Littleton Cain and Haley Littleton.

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at Martin Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22 at Robinson Springs Baptist Church.

By Justin Averette

Thorsby beat Class 4A West Blocton in two scrimmages Friday night.

The second-string teams played 24 minutes first, with the Rebels winning, 13-6. After the break, the varsity starters squared off for another 24 minutes, which saw Thorsby come back to win, 8-7.

During the second scrimmage, both teams turned the ball over. Thorsby gave up two interceptions, including one in the end zone, but Dylan Crocker recovered a Tiger fumble that led to the Rebels’ game-winning touchdown.

West Blocton scored earlier in the second scrimmage off a short run by Justin Clements with 19:12 to go in the half.

Thorsby wouldn’t answer until 2:15 to go in the game with a 23-yard pass from quarterback Andrew Farris to Stephen Mims.

Despite the interceptions, the Rebels had several big offensive plays. A reverse to Marcus Bray gained 54 yards on Thorsby’s first drive. Kalup Nunn and Farris had several nice runs.

During the first half, backup quarterback Nathan Oldroyd completed his first seven passes, many of them to receiver C.J. Melendy.

Oldroyd had an 8-yard touchdown run. Bo Hoffman also ran in from 3 yards out to account for the team’s second touchdown of the first scrimmage.

B.B. Evans had a 49-yard reception in the game, while Hoffman had a 37-yard run.

From staff reports

Thorsby won four out of five volleyball matches on opening night Thursday, but coach Ginger Williams said her varsity, which split two matches, must improve.

The varsity defeated host Sylacauga, 2-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-22), but lost to Central-Coosa, 2-0 (15-25, 19-25).

“We did not serve the ball well at all,” Williams said. “To put it plain and simple, we did not play our ball game.”

Holly Smith recorded 15 assists and eight aces against Sylacauga.

Jennifer Spivey had four kills, and Desiree Evans chipped in three kills.

Thorsby’s junior varsity defeated Sylacauga, 2-0 (25-13, 25-22); and Central-Coosa, 2-0 (25-19, 25-21).

The middle school team topped Sylacauga, 2-0 (25-21, 25-13).