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 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 Davis Potter | Special to the Advertiser

It may have only been a decorated scrimmage, but Jemison’s rushing attack had the looks of being in midseason form.

The Panthers racked up 233 rushing yards on Thursday and rolled over Montevallo, 34-7, in both team’s annual jamboree at Panther Stadium.

Running back Javae Swindle led the way for the Panthers’ ground game, finishing with 94 yards on eight carries and one touchdown.

Fellow tailbacks Trahe Smith, Isa Bentley and Dustin McDaniel added to the attack, combining for 139 yards on the ground.

“We were just flat,” Montevallo coach Jamie Williams said. “(Jemison’s) got a heck of a team, and they just took it right at us.”

Bentley set the tone on the opening possession of the game. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Bentley took the handoff off the right side and raced 39 yards to give Jemison a 6-0 lead with 10:55 left in the first quarter. The touchdown run capped a 4-play, 65-yard drive.

Montevallo looked poised to draw even on its opening drive, as the Bulldogs drove the ball to the Panther 1-yard line in four plays. On third-and goal, however, the snap sailed over quarterback R.J. Scaife’s head, resulting in a turnover.

Another touchdown run – this time by Swindle – combined with a 2-yard Scott Clements touchdown pass with 2:10 left in the second frame increased the lead to 20-0 at the half.

The Bulldogs avoided the shutout when Scaife took a direct snap on fourth-and-goal and dove over the goal line for a 1-yard scoring plunge with the clock showing 59 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Jemison also plays its first game of the season next week. The Panthers will travel to Chilton County on Aug. 26.

By Stephen Dawkins

The Jemison football team that took the field for a spring jamboree Friday may have looked familiar.
When the Panthers lined up and ran a play, though, fans may have been left scratching their heads.
Jemison lost only five players combined to graduation, but coach Brad Abbott tested his team’s maturity by using the event as an opportunity to experiment.
The Panthers unveiled a new offense, a more traditional I-formation look compared to the shotgun spread they ran last season.
Jemison running back Javae Swindle, a rising junior, was the team’s primary offensive weapon a year ago—and rising senior Isa Bentley was a productive second option. The I is more conducive to a rush-heavy attack than the spread, which requires a back line up on either side of the QB, dictating which side of the field the play will go toward.
Bentley and Swindle found plenty of rushing lanes Friday in an 18-8 win over Central-Coosa in what amounted to a half of football.
Maplesville defeated Central 22-0 and led Jemison at press time, 14-6, with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Abbott also said players had trouble processing the play call, which comes from the sideline without a huddle, and then players are required to look up their responsibility on a card strapped around their wrists.
“I just felt like it was time to get away from that,” Abbott said. “We decided we would use this as a chance to look at [the offense running the I]. If it doesn’t work, we’ve been running the spread for five or six years, so we could change back if we needed to.”
The change could also benefit Scott Clements, the returning starter at quarterback.
“With the shotgun, he has to take his eyes off the secondary for a few seconds to take the snap,” Abbott said. “When he’s under center, he doesn’t have to do that.

By Stephen Dawkins

Jemison’s Justin Nemec on Wednesday signed to play college football for Faulkner.

As a senior defensive end for the Panthers, Nemec recorded 28 solo tackles and one fumble recovery.

“A lot of it has to do with his size and his quickness,” Jemison coach Brad Abbott said about Faulkner’s interest in Nemec. “He’s also got a 4.0 [GPA] and a 26 on his ACT.”

Nemec, who checks in at 6’3” and 220 pounds, actually played offensive tackle all four years of his varsity career, and only his senior season did he play defense.

Abbott’s decision to play Nemec on both sides of the ball worked out for Nemec because Faulkner recruited him as a defensive end, Abbott said.

“Just the atmosphere of it really,” Nemec said about what was attractive about Faulkner. “Everybody there is real nice. It just feels like home.”

Nemec also kicked off for the Panthers, which Abbott said demonstrates Nemec athleticism.

By Stephen Dawkins

As a kid, Javae Swindle preferred watching football on TV to cartoons.
Swindle’s passion for and approach to the game hasn’t changed—for better or worse.
“He approaches games like a kid at Christmas,” coach Brad Abbott said about his 5’5” sophomore running back.
Abbott said he would rather Swindle adopt a more businesslike demeanor, and defenses beware if an improved approach leads to more productivity.
Swindle this season rushed for a county-best 1,179 yards on 177 carries, an average of 6.7 yards per carry, and 14 touchdowns, leading the Panthers to a 5-5 regular season record and their seventh consecutive playoff appearance and earning The Clanton Advertiser’s Player of the Year honor.
Jemison extending that playoff streak was in doubt before the season because of heavy losses to graduation, but then Swindle emerged to carry the load.
Abbott expected Swindle to be effective running the football, but Swindle surprised his coach by turning a weakness, catching passes, into a strength (Swindle tied teammate Patrick Sims for the most receptions by a county player with 28, for 349 yards and three touchdowns).
Swindle’s recognition of a weakness and willingness to improve gives Abbott hope that Swindle could become a more complete player—a scary thought for opponents that had to account for Swindle whether he was running the football, lining up at quarterback, catching passes, playing cornerback, returning kicks or returning punts.
What could he improve on?
“I want to get bigger, try for a better 40 time and become more of a punishing back instead of someone that’s just always juking,” Swindle said.
Don’t doubt him.
“He’ll run in between the tackles,” Abbott said. “He works hard in the weight room, so I think he can become that kind of guy.”

By Stephen Dawkins

Of the 46 players named to The Clanton Advertiser’s 2009 All-Area Football Team, 14 are from North Chilton County schools Jemison and Thorsby.
First-team selections, pictured to the left, were:
• Patrick Sims, tight end, Jemison, Sr.
• Hunter Cowart, offensive line, Jemison, Jr.
• Justin Nemec, defensive line, Jemison, Sr.
• Isa Bentley, linebacker, Jemison, Jr.
• Erick Camarillo, linebacker, Thorsby, Jr.
• Dustin Wilson, linebacker, Thorsby, Jr.
• Javae Swindle, defensive back, Jemison, So.
Second-team selections were:
• Kalup Nunn, running back, Thorsby, Jr.
• Marcus Bray, wide receiver, Thorsby, Jr.
• Cody Greer, wide receiver, Jemison, Sr.
• Dillian Simmons, tight end, Thorsby, Sr.
• Cole Langley, offensive line, Thorsby, Sr.
• Darius Smith, defensive line, Jemison, Sr.
• Jacob Chapman, defensive back, Jemison, Sr.
Selections were made based on coaches’ nominations, statistics and team success.
An effort was made to present the 24 best players on the first team—and the next 22 best on the second team—so positions were adjusted accordingly.

By Stephen Dawkins

The Advertiser’s annual football honors, not surprisingly, feature a North Chilton flavor.
Our player of the year is Jemison running back Javae Swindle.
Though many close to the program were probably already aware of his ability, Swindle burst onto the county football scene as a sophomore, leading the area in rushing yards and receptions. Swindle also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and intercepted three passes on defense.
Swindle was often focused on by opposing defenses, and he found a way to get his yards anyway. More than a little bit of that had to do with his supporting cast.
If Swindle was contained early in a game, several other Panthers could be turned to, and the offensive line contintued trying to open up holes.
Swindle, the fresh face, provides an interesting contrast to our coach of the year, Maplesville’s Brent Hubbert, who has been around Chilton County football for most of his life.
Hubbert, and Swindle, are deserving of the honors, but another development in county football that deserves special recognition is the progress made by Thorsby under first-year coach Billy Jackson.
Sure, the Rebels only won two games, but that’s two more than they won in 2008.
The significance of the season is best measured in attitude instead of wins and losses, though. Jackson convinced his players that if they gave it their all, success would follow.
The Rebels continued to play hard even as their losing streak grew to 17 games, and it paid off in the end.
The success was limited, but it was there. And with a core group of juniors that should be stronger and more experiened next season, Thorsby should be able to build on that success.

– Dawkins is the sports editor for The North Chilton Advertiser.

By Stephen Dawkins

Even with as much passion as fans show for high school football in Chilton County, gate revenue from games just isn’t enough to keep the programs going—especially when you consider that football is often counted on to provide for athletic programs that don’t make as much money.
So, coaches and athletic directors have to get creative. This year, they’re getting really creative.
Raffles and camps and such serve their purpose well, but it takes fresh ideas to keep the money coming in. Three local schools—Billingsley, Jemison and Maplesville—this year are holding alumni football games, which will be played with equipment and officials by former players and students.
Maybe I’ve been jaded by this make-money-quick society we live in, but the first thing that entered my mind when I heard this proposal was, “That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
Now that I know more about the games, though, it sounds like a pretty good idea.
Participants must sign releases and will wear regulation equipment provided by the schools.
Jemison coach Brad Abbott said he expects at least 60 participants in the game—and more than 70 could end up playing.
Abbott said the game could raise more than $5,000 for the program.
“It’s been a verypositive thing,” Abbott said. “A lot of talk has been going on about it.
“I’ve even heard from former cheerleaders, saying they wanted to cheer during the game. We’ll definitely do it again in the future.”
The best part is these games should be wildly entertaining (Jemison’s game was postponed from Dec. 12 and will be played at 7 p.m. Thursday).
Some of these guys are going to find out they’re not in nearly as good of shape as they thought (I’m right there with you). But no matter how many former players can’t get out of bed Sunday, current players will be better off because of it.

– Dawkins is the sports editor for The North Chilton Advertiser.