COMEBACK COMPLETE: Catholic earns regional title with overtime victory
Andalusia’s Jordyn Skanes is tackled by Catholic’s Brandarius Daniels and La'Dell McQueen in the Knights’ overtime win over the Bulldogs on Friday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Catholic’s 1-3 start to the 2025 football season seemed light years away when Michael Sheffield ran nine yards in overtime to give the Knights the Class 5A Region 2 championship over Andalusia on Friday night.
“Region championship, Senior Night, it means everything to me,” Sheffield said. “The seniors, we did our thing and we got the outcome we wanted.”
Consecutive losses to St. Clair County, Eufaula and Pensacola Catholic made one of the state’s most recognizable programs an afterthought as first-year coach Jonathan Chandler tried to rebuild a program that had lost many of its most familiar names during a coaching change.
“They doubted us, they dug us down in the dirt and tried to bury us but it helped us grow,” Sheffield said. “We were seeds. We needed to get some roots and establish ourselves because we’re a young team. Once we got those roots starting to grow, now we’ve got to keep growing.We’re not done yet, but we got it done tonight.”
It looked as if the football gods -- and a talented Andalusia team -- was against the Knights in the first half, then a couple of Bulldog mistakes and a beneficial call in overtime suddenly swung the momentum to the Knights in a 23-17 victory.
“I’ve been saying it from the jump, we’re going to play ball,” senior Cayden Dees said. “Everybody counted us out. We buried our heads in the weight room, buried them in the field and just kept working so we could be a better team and we can come out here and produce.”
A 35-yard touchdown pass from Noah Curry to Jordyn Skanes gave the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter and Catholic was fortunate to only be trailing 10-3 at the half as the offense was held to 38 total yards in the first 24 minutes.
That’s when the seniors spoke up.
“The nine seniors that have stuck this out, their names need to be put up somewhere in this school because of what they’ve done throughout this season,” Chandler said. “The character they have, their parents would be so proud. They are true senior leaders. They’re very vocal. There are things they say that I don’t even have to say as a first-year head coach and that’s so refreshing. When they do speak, there’s something there to back it up. Kudos to them for taking the locker room and the rest of our team for responding.”
Three plays into the second half, Curry threw into the right flat for his receiver, but found Catholic linebacker Kenneth Bell instead. Bell returned the interception 13 yards to the Andalusia 7.
“I told them we’re not done yet, the score is 0-0, we’ve got to keep chopping,” Bell said. “We worked on it all week. I read my keys, stayed where I was supposed to be and he threw it right to me. I wish I would’ve scored but we got the turnover so I’m thankful for that.”
“The game started up front,” Dees said. “You get pressure on the QB, you can make things happen. I can’t harp on it enough. (Bell) was in the locker room and said we’re going to come out here and get the ball on defense, then he went and did it. Man, I can’t be more proud.”
And while it clearly provided a spark to the Knights, it didn’t translate into points. Three plays and a penalty later, the Knights were stuck on the 7-yard line and JP Costa missed a 24-yard field goal, leaving the score at 10-3.
“I felt like it was early in the season,” Chandler said. “We were not great in the red zone. But it just shows who our team is. We didn’t get down on ourselves, we didn’t give up. The second half was a new half for us where we can play our brand of football and move the ball down the field. I’m just proud of our kids for continuing to believe.”
Three plays and an Andalusia punt later, the Knights went to work as CJ Sankey connected with Justin Outlaw for 37 yards and a touchdown, trying the game. The Bulldogs fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Catholic responded with a 43-yard drive and a Sankey sneak on third down to give Catholic a 17-10 lead.
A determined Andalusia squad answered with a Skanes’ 4-yard touchdown run with 7:54 left to tie the game at 17-17 and it remained that way through the end of regulation.
In overtime, Andalusia took the ball first. After Curry’s one-yard run, he rolled right on second down and underthrew his receiver, then lofted a third-down pass to the right corner of the end zone for Skanes and an apparent touchdown.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as officials penalized Andalusia for illegal formation, wiping out the score. Two plays later, Cobb Stewart’s 31-yard field goal attempt was wide right.
Catholic took over at the 10-yard line with Sheffield in Wildcat formation, He ran for a yard, then got outside and sprinted to the end zone to end the game and hand the Bulldogs their fourth consecutive loss in annual battles with the Knights for region supremacy.
“It’s a ‘heavy’ package,” Sheffield said. “I trusted my blockers, got around the outside and I was able to get in the end zone.”
Catholic (6-3) will close out the regular season next Thursday at Class 7A Vestavia Hills.
“Man, man, man, we’re all looking at it like it’s another game,” Dees said. “Yeah, they’re Vestavia Hills, they’re 7A, they’ve done this, they’ve done that, but we’re going to go to work, go out there and perform and do what Montgomery Catholic is known for doing.”
The win gives the Knights the top seed in Region 2 and a first-round playoff game at home against Citronelle on Nov. 7. Catholic qualified for the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. The Knights are 15-2 in that span in playoff games on their home field.
It’s a long way from a 1-3 start to the season.
“We heard Trent Dilfer speak early in the year about outside noises and I gave that same message to them when we were 1-3,” Chandler said. “I put it all on our seniors. They’re the reason the team stuck together.”