Andalusia was able to bounce back after a slow beginning. The team scored 350 rushing yards in the win of 56-6 against Dale County in the first regional game of both teams on Friday evening.
AHS head coach Trent Taylor had mixed feelings about the win that was lopsided.
“It’s always a pleasure to win regional wins and you can have plenty to be proud of when you win, but there are there are some things that I am unhappy about. We weren’t very effective on offense during the first second half. I’m very proud of Zerrick and Jordyn who will be our future and present for the next few weeks. We don’t have to be a monolithic team as a football team. We will be watching how this team responds to being in the middle of the road the next time,” Taylor said.
The two teams exchanged three-and-outs in the first two play of the game. Back-up running J’Marion Burnette left the game early because of an injury. Andrevius Smith kicked off the second drive for Dale County with an 8-yard run, however another punt allowed Andalusia the ball on its own 28. Zerrick Jones took advantage of the first first down of either side of an impressive 13-yard run, and then sprinted into the territory of the opposition with a 14-yard run. Jordyn Skanes got back-to-back first down runs that were 20 and 10 yards in the zone of red. Jones completed the 10-play, 72-yard run with a 7-yard touchdown run. Cobb Stewart’s punt gave the team 7-0 lead at 5:40 left in the initial quarter.
The Warriors had only one down in their next play, but were forced into another punt. The Bulldogs came back with the 35-yard touchdown run of Skanes and gained a 14-0 advantage. Defenses at home held in the first quarter as it concluded. Jones began the second quarter with a bang, and raced over 81 yards to hit the ball on the opening play. Stewart did not miss the punt to score a 21-1 lead.
Riley Tucker recovered a fumble in the first game of Dale County’s next game. After a pass that was not completed the Skanes found an opening, and scored with a 21-yard touchdown. Stewart extended Andalusia’s lead to 28-0 at 11:19 in the first half. The Warriors were again stopped in the offensive department. Jack Lathrop hit Elijah Landrum on a 15-yard strike and later Jordan Stallworth on a 14-yard throw to the 29. Three minutes after, Lathrop threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kal Crittenden. Stewart’s punt was perfect and provided the Bulldogs a 35-0 advantage.
Andalusia (3-0 and 1-1 4A Regional 2) was able to force a third-and-out and looked poised to score once more after Dale County (1-2, 0-1) recovered the ball from a mishap. The Warriors were unable to complete their drive after which the Bulldogs gained possession, and they completed a seven-play 84-yard drive. Lathrop made an 18-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Daniels for a 42-0 halftime advantage.
Andalusia was rewarded with a 22-yard touchdown run by Noah Curry on its opening second-half drive. Logan Reaves converted the PAT to give the team a 49-0 advantage. Preston Stevens had a 15-yard first-down sprint to Dale County before a turnover during downs.
Pickle Calloway racked up 41 yards on the following drive after the third quarter was over. Calloway later reached the goal line from 14 yards away in the first third quarter play. Reaves the second PAT extended the Bulldogs up to 56-0 with 11:51 remaining. The Warriors avoided a defeat after Smith ran for a touchdown of one yard on a running, but a missed two-point conversion was the final score.
Lathrop was 12-of-22 in passing, resulting in two touchdowns and 156 yards during the first half. Skanes scored 12 carries, two touchdowns and 132 yards as Jones had seven runs to gain 130 yards, and scored two times. Crittenden was able to catch five passes for 65 yards and one touchdown, while Daniels received three receptions of 41 yards, which included one touchdown.
Xavier Marshall paced the defense with 4.5 tackles. He was closely followed by Will Dalton with 3.5. Cadariyus Love also blocked three passes.
Andalusia will travel across Bullock County (1-2, 0-1) to play another regional match on the Friday of September. 15.
The article Bulldogs beat Dale County with strong ground game 56-6 appeared first on The Andalusia Star-News.
