QUARTERFINAL RECAP: Pike Road, Catholic, St. James all advance to semis

COMBINED REPORTS

Pike Road 31, Benjamin Russell 28
  ALEXANDER CITY - Senior kicker Hunter Ikerman kicked a 25 yard field goal on the game’s final play to lift Pike Road to a Class 6A Quarterfinal win over Benjamin Russell at Martin-Savarese Stadium on Friday.

The win was the 11th straight for the Patriots, who will play in the semifinals for the second time in three years. They travel to Saraland next Friday for the right to play in the Super 7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Pike Road won the Class 5A title in 2021.

The Patriots led 21-20 at the half and extended the lead with a JaMichael Jones touchdown run to make it 28-20. A safety recorded by the Wildcats defense pulled them to within six at 28-22.

Then in the fourth quarter, Benjamin Russell drove down the field to take the lead on a Malcolm Simmons 5-yard run but the Wildcats missed the extra point, leaving the game tied at 28-28.
Quarterback Cason Myers was 12 of 20 for 131 yards with two touchdown passes for the Patriots. Jordan King had seven catches for 75 yards with two touchdowns and had 80 yards.
JaMichael Jones had 25 rushes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Adrian Thornton carried the ball eight times for 98 yards.
Malik Blocton led the defense with seven tackles with three for a loss. Mac Ceman had two sacks and seven tackles.

Pike Road improved to 11-2 while the Wildcats’ season ends at 10-3.

Catholic 44, Jacksonville 20

JACKSONVILLE -- Caleb McCreary threw two touchdown passes and ran for three more to help the Knights defeat Jacksonville 44-20 in the quarterfinals of the 4A state playoffs on Friday night.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Knights will advance to the semifinals against a region rival. This year, it will be Booker T. Washington, which stunned Jackson 20-17.

Catholic (13-0) defeated the Golden Eagles (9-4) 56-6 on Sept. 8 and will host BTW next Friday at Catholic.

It didn’t take the Knights but three plays to get on the scoreboard Friday as Harrison Rogers broke through and sacked Jacksonville quarterback Jim Ogle for a safety and a 2-0 lead.

McCreary extended the lead with a 35-yard touchdown pass, but the Golden Eagles countered with a Zae English scoring reception from Ogle to make it 9-7.

McCreary threw his second touchdown pass, this one to Jo Pierce, for a 16-7 lead and ran 25 yards for a touchdown after a Jacksonville field goal.  

McCreary was 10 of 13 for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while running 13 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

After Josh Griffin’s 57-yard touchdown run gave Catholic a 31-10 lead, Ogle countered with a touchdown pass to pull the Golden Eagles withing 31-17. But McCreary capped off a pair of touchdown drives with short scoring runs to finish off Jacksonville, which ends the season at 10-3.

Griffin had 74 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, while JJ Williams had 57 yards on six receptions. Rickie Williams added 142 yards on four returns. 

Williams also led the Catholic secondary with seven tackles and four pass breakups. Gavin Phelan also had seven tackles along with a pass breakup, Garrett Sanford had six tackles, including two for loss, and Rogers had five tackles, including two for loss and a sack.

St. James 28, Thomasville 26

THOMASVILLE -- In a back-and-forth game that featured little defense for much of the first three quarters, the defending 3A state champion Trojans stopped Thomasville short on a potential game-tying conversion, then held the Tigers off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter to secure a 28-26 win in the quarterfinals of the 3A state playoffs on Friday.

St. James (11-2) advances to the 3A semifinals next week at undefeated Mobile Christian. Last year, the Trojans defeated Mobile Christian 35-7 to reach the semifinals for the first time in school history.

The Trojans scored on their first possession of the game, then spent the next two quarters answering Thomasville scores.

A KJ Jackson touchdown midway through the second quarter gave the Trojans a 14-6 lead, but Thomasville answered with a quick touchdown of its own to pull within a point. 

St. James scored again in the final seconds of the first half for a 21-13 lead, but the Tigers came back early in the third quarter and scored again to pull within a point.

A Jackson touchdown pass put the Trojans back on top 28-20, but back came the Tigers with a touchdown to pull within two points late in the third quarter. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving St. James clinging to a 28-26 lead entering the fourth quarter.

With one last shot, the Tigers drove into the red zone in the final two minutes, but the Trojans held and Thomasville turned the ball over on downs.

AHSAA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS
(All games Friday for Classes 1A-6A; 7A semifinals were played Nov. 24)
CLASS 1A
South Semifinals
Elba (13-0) at Leroy (12-0)
North Semifinals
Pickens County (10-3) at Coosa Christian (8-5), Gadsden

CLASS 2A
South Semifinals
Reeltown (12-0) at B.B. Comer (13-0), Sylacauga
North Semifinals
Pisgah (12-1) at Fyffe (12-1)

CLASS 3A
South Semifinals
St. James (11-2) at Mobile Christian (13-0)
North Semifinals
Madison Academy (13-0) at Geraldine (12-1)

CLASS 4A
South Semifinals
B.T. Washington (9-4) at Montgomery Catholic (13-0)
North Semifinals
Cherokee County (12-1) at Westminster Christian (11-2)

CLASS 5A
South Semifinals
Eufaula (10-3) at Gulf Shores (13-0)
North Semifinals
Guntersville (12-1) at Ramsay (11-2) (Legion Field)

CLASS 6A
South Semifinals
Pike Road (11-2) at Saraland (13-0)
North Semifinals
Parker (12-1) at Clay-Chalkville (12-0)

CLASS 7A FINALS, Dec. 6
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa
Thompson (11-1) vs. Central-Phenix City (12-0), Wednesday, 7 p.m.

GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Dec. 6)
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa
CLASS 1A/5A FINALS
Montgomery Catholic vs. Wenonah, 1 p.m.
CLASS 6A/7A FINALS
Central-Phenix City vs. Vestavia Hills, 3 p.m.

CLASS 1A/5A SEMIFINALS
Wenonah 20, Westminster Christian 6
Montgomery Catholic 31, Satsuma 6
CLASS 6A/7A SEMIFINALS
Vestavia Hills 21, Lee-Huntsville 0
Central-Phenix City 34, Prattville 6


THIRD-ROUND RESULTS
CLASS 1A
South Quarterfinals
Leroy (12-0) 40, Brantley (8-5) 18
Elba (13-0) 49, Maplesville (8-5) 14
North Quarterfinals
Coosa Christian (8-5) 63, Hackleburg (11-2) 13
Pickens County (10-3) 18, Wadley (11-2) 14

CLASS 2A
South Quarterfinals
B.B. Comer (13-0) 43, Clarke County (7-6) 22
Reeltown (12-0) 41, Cottonwood (10-2) 22
North Quarterfinals
Pisgah (12-1) 36, Tuscaloosa Academy (10-3) 29
Fyffe (12-1) 63, Locust Fork (12-1) 33

CLASS 3A
South Quarterfinals
Mobile Christian (13-0) 42, Trinity Presbyterian (11-2) 21
St. James (11-2) 28, Thomasville (10-2) 26
North Quarterfinals
Geraldine (12-1) 55, Lauderdale County (12-1) 20
Madison Academy (13-0) 35, Sylvania (10-3) 28

CLASS 4A
South Quarterfinals
B.T. Washington (9-4) 20, Jackson (11-1) 17
Montgomery Catholic (13-0) 44, Jacksonville (10-3) 20
North Quarterfinals
Westminster Christian (11-2) 48, Brooks (8-5) 27
Cherokee County (12-1) 28, West Morgan (12-1) 27

CLASS 5A
South Quarterfinals
Gulf Shores (13-0) 35, Headland (10-3) 14
Eufaula (10-3) 20, Demopolis (10-3) 17
North Quarterfinals
Ramsay (11-2) 40, Moody (10-3) 27
Guntersville (12-1) 31, Pleasant Grove (10-2) 21

CLASS 6A
South Quarterfinals
Saraland (13-0) 31, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (12-1) 21
Pike Road (11-2) 31, Benjamin Russell (10-3) 28
North Quarterfinals
Parker (12-1) 35, Gadsden City (8-4) 20
Clay-Chalkville (12-0) 44, Muscle Shoals (11-1) 27

CLASS 7A
South Semifinals
Central-Phenix City (12-0) 21, Mary Montgomery (12-1) 7
North Semifinals
Thompson (11-1) 21, Hewitt-Trussville (9-4) 10