PLAYOFF FOOTBALL: Lowndes, Macon East advance to AISA title games; Catholic, Tallassee advance in flag
COMBINED REPORTS
AISA FOOTBALL
Lowndes Academy 41, Banks Academy 14
HAYNEVILLE -- Jeremy Hardy broke loose for three touchdown runs in the third quarter to help Lowndes Academy pull away for a 41-14 win over Banks Academy in the Alabama Independent School Association Class AAA semifinals at Mac Champion Stadium on Thursday.
With the win, Lowndes Academy (10-2) secured its fifth consecutive trip to the state finals next Thursday at Cramton Bowl. The Rebels will face Chambers Academy, a 53-22 winner over Southern, in the AAA finals at 7 p.m.
Chambers defeated Lowndes 27-0 in a regular season meeting in LaFayette on Sept. 26.
Braydn Stokes ran 20 yards for a touchdown and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass for another score, but the Rebels were clinging to a 14-6 lead at the half.
That’s when Hardy took over, scoring on runs of 33, 4 and 25 yards in the third quarter to give the Rebels a 35-6 lead.
After the Jets scored their second touchdown, Hardy put an exclamation point on the win with a 99-yard touchdown run, finishing the night with 278 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries.
Stokes added 48 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Defensively, Huston Hampton led the Rebels with seven tackles.
Macon East 36, Evangel Christian 6
CECIL - Sam Wallace rushed for a touchdown, caught a pass for a score and threw for another to lead the Knights to their second-straight berth into the AISA Class A 8-man championship with a win over Evangel Chrstian on Thursday at Knights Field.
Wallace finished with 101 yards rushing and had four receptions for 46 yards to lead Macon East. Brandon Fitch added a touchdown pass to Conner Wallace for 6 yards.
Macon East (12-0) will face Escambia Academy in the title game on Thursday at noon at Cramton Bowl. The Knights won the earlier meeting, 28-26, to end the regular season.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Catholic 31, LeFlore 0
MOBILE -- Hayden Fitts ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more as the Knights defeated LeFlore in the second round of the 1A-5A state playoffs on Wednesday at LeFlore.
Fitts completed 6 of 12 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns, but threw two interceptions. The junior quarterback also rushed eight times for 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns and had a team-leading 10 tackles on defense.
Catholic (19-4) will return home to play Tallassee in the 1A-5A quarterfinals next week.
The Catholic offense jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. The Knights also scored on safeties in the second and fourth quarters, one by Avery Sadler and another by Ireyda Perez-Mendez.
Kallie Hampton led the receiver corps with three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown. Sadler had a pair of receptions for 35 yards and Haley Ishman had an 18-yard touchdown reception.
Zariyah Thomas had seven tackles, including a pair of sacks, while Frances Rogers had three tackles and an interception. Ishman also had an interception.
Wednesday’s win was the 10th shutout by the Catholic defense this season. The Knighrs have allowed just one touchdown in the last seven games.
Tallassee 40, Satsuma 0
TALLASSEE - The Tallassee Tigers kept their recordd perfect at 12-0 while advancing to the Class 1A-5A Flag Football playoffs with an easy win over Satsuma at J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium on Tuesday.
Cheyann Easterling was 17 of 25 with five touchdown passes. She ran for 37 yards on four carries with another score. Tate, Osborne, Reese Gough, London O’Neal and Lila Kate Fulgham had TD receptions.
Tallassee got 223 of its total 251 yards through the air. Satsuma recorded 125 yards in offense, the first time in five games the Tallassee defense has allowed more than 100 yards in a game.
Tallassee will travel to Catholic next Tuesday.
AHSAA Flag Football
Here are the pairings for next week’s quarterfinals in the AHSAA flag football playoffs:
CLASS 1A-5A
Tallassee (12-0) at Catholic (19-4)
Marbury at Brew Tech (13-3)
Boaz (13-1) at John Carroll (11-6-1)
Northside (19-1) at Moody (18-3)
CLASS 6A-7A
Opelika at Central-Phenix City (17-0)
Alma Bryant (13-1) at Smiths Station (12-3)
Prattville (15-7) at Spain Park (14-5)
Vestavia Hills (26-1) at Homewood (12-4)
AISA Championship Round
Thursday at Cramton Bowl
CLASS A
Macon East (12-0) vs. Escambia Academy (11-1), noon
CLASS AA
Abbeville Christian (10-1) vs. South Choctaw Academy (9-3), 3:30 p.m.
CLASS AAA
Lowndes Academy (10-2) vs. Chambers Academy (11-2), 7 p.m.
AHSAA Flag Football Second-Round Results
CLASS 1A-5A
Tallassee 40, Satsuma 6
Catholic 31, LeFlore 0
Brew Tech 31, Valley 0
Marbury 24, B.C. Rain 8
John Carroll 47, Anniston 18
Boaz 27, Wenonah 6
Moody 46, Westminster Christian 0
Northisde 20, Ramsay 0
CLASS 6A-7A
Central-Phenix City 39, Spanish Fort 0
Opelika 15, Dothan 7
Smiths Station 26, Daphne 13
Alma Bryant 20, Auburn 13
Spain Park 14, Oxford 0
Prattville 7, Austin 6
Homewood 26, Decatur 13
Vestavia Hills 32, Hewitt-Trussville 0