DOTHAN, Ala. – One of the most grueling and toughest high school football seasons ever in Alabama has entered the final week of regular-season play.
A season some speculated might not get off the ground has made it to its 11th and final week, fighting through the coronavirus and weather issues with many weekly changes.
The Wiregrass was no exception.
Of the 33 Alabama teams in the Dothan Eagle coverage area, there were 94 schedule changes over the 11 weeks between cancellations, added games and date and game site changes – an average of 8.5 changes a week.
The majority of those changes – 44 – were cancelled games because of COVID – an average of four per week. The 44 cancellations include Barbour County’s complete schedule being wiped out by its decision in mid-summer not to play this year. It also included six games Dothan High had lined up before and during the season that eventually got canceled.
Eleven games were added to the schedule to replace games lost during the season and seven games, including all five home contests for Zion Chapel, were moved to bigger stadiums to help allow more fans to attend because of COVID-19 restrictions at its local stadium.
A total of 24 games were moved from one night to another for various reasons with the majority (14) because of potential worries with Hurricane Sally interrupting play. Seven games were moved from one venue to another because of stadium construction or other work at the stadium of the scheduled home team.
All 33 teams had some sort of schedule change, either by COVID or weather. Of those, 23 had a game canceled by COVID, either on its side or with the opponent. The other 10 – Eufaula, Ashford, Dale County, Abbeville, Elba, Geneva County, Elba, Kinston, Samson and Abbeville Christian – avoided any COVID issues for game nights, but had a weather or an updated addition to the schedule.
Overall, 11 area teams had to forfeit a game and seven received a forfeit.
This week’s schedule: Even in the last week, there are schedule changes, including a game moved to another night and a couple of cancellations.
The Geneva County-Slocomb game was moved from Thursday to Friday to avoid potential weather issues. Three games were cancelled within the last week and forfeited by Carroll (at Tallassee), Charles Henderson (versus Brantley) and Providence Christian (versus Florala).
This week’s schedule II: Only 14 games are on the schedule this week as many teams had the week off on its original schedule.
The week opens Thursday with Northside Methodist hosting Ashford at Rip Hewes Stadium.
Only eight AHSAA games are scheduled among area teams on Friday with Dothan traveling to McGill-Toolen and Enterprise to Navarre (Fla.) among the big schools.
In AHSAA games played in the Wiregrass, Rehobeth is at Wicksburg, Houston Academy at G.W. Long, Geneva County at Slocomb, Cottonwood at Houston County plus Pleasant Home against Zion Chapel at Enterprise’s Bates Memorial Stadium. Samson travels to Marengo in another game.
All three AISA teams are in action with Abbeville Christian at home against Macon-East, while Pike Liberal Arts travels to Monroe Academy and Lakeside School visits Springwood.
Of the two Georgia teams, Early County is at Berrien and Seminole County is at home against Mitchell County.
Big-time wins: Last week’s wins by Abbeville and Enterprise were ones of historical feats for the two programs.
Abbeville beat No 4 state ranked and previously unbeaten G.W. Long 32-13 in a Class 2A, Region 2 contest, while Enterprise knocked off No. 3 state ranked and unbeaten Auburn 38-27.
For Abbeville, it was its second win ever over a top four ranked team in its history, according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society website. The Jackets’ other such was over Class 2A No. 3 ranked Cottonwood in 1991 (12-6).
Enterprise, meanwhile, beat its highest ranked opponent since 2004 when it downed Class 5A No. 2 Charles Henderson 28-7 in 2004, but it was the biggest win over a school in the biggest state classification since beating top-ranked R.E. Lee 21-14 in the 1993 state playoffs.
Two selected to North-South game: Two area senior players have been selected to play on the South team for the 62nd Annual AHSAA North-South game in December.
The two are Eufaula wide receiver Rodarius Thomas, a South Carolina verbal commitment, and Goshen defensive back Will Snyder.
The North-South game is set for Dec.18 in Mobile at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitley Stadium.
Recap left out: The Rehobeth-Northside Methodist game from last Thursday was inadvertently left out of the Dothan Eagle print edition on Saturday and Sunday. Details of the game are below:
Rehobeth scored three straight touchdowns in the first quarter to overcome an early deficit and stayed ahead of Northside Methodist in earning a 45-35 win in a non-region contest at Dothan’s Rip Hewes Stadium.
Brandon Austin rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns off 21 carries and Mason Rivers added 92 yards and two scores off seven carries to pace Rehobeth (6-3). Trey Turner added 71 yards on five carries. Quarterback Peyton Stephens completed 5-of-9 passes for 105 yards with a TD pass to Kase Keasler, who caught two passes for 81 yards.
Christian Crespo added a 28-yard field goal for Rehobeth and was 5-of-5 on extra-point kicks.
For Northside Methodist (5-5), Cason Eubanks had a combined 337 yards rushing and passing yards, completing 13-of-21 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and rushing 16 times for 153 yards and one score. Tyler Small caught five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown for NMA and Luca Mancil added an 18-yard TD reception. Tyler Grantham added 57 yards rushing and two TDs on 14 carries.
Defensively for Rehobeth, Jamal Maloney had 11 tackles, Dustin Roberts had nine tackles and Kendcrick Dunn had seven stops.
The Knights struck first on a 10-yard Grantham touchdown run, but the conversion attempt failed, leaving it 6-0.
The Rebels then surged to a 21-6 lead by the end of the first quarter with Rivers scoring on runs of 15 and 29 yards and Austin on a 5-yard run. A fumble recovery by Zaveion Helms and a Baker Hataway interception set up the last two scores.
Grantham helped the Knights cut the gap to 21-14 with a 3-yard touchdown run and the Knights converted a two-point conversion off a pass.
Austin pushed the Rebels up 28-14 on a 19-yard run late in the second quarter, but the Knights cut it to 28-20 at halftime behind a Eubanks to Luca Mancil 18-yard TD pass. Rehobeth eased out to a 42-20 advantage in the third quarter off a 49-yard Stephens to Keasler TD pass and an Austin 10-yard TD run.
The Knights cut the margin to 42-28 on a 75-yard Eubanks to Small TD pass in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Rebels’ Crespo sealed the Rehobeth win with his 28-yard field goal with 2:08 left in the game.
The Knights’ Eubanks scored on a 56-yard run in the final minute to make the final 45-35.
