BREMEN, Ala. – It was homecoming night at Cold Springs High School Bremen and the Eagles capped off the week with a matchup against an undefeated Shoals Christian squad. Cold Springs celebrated the occasion with one of their most dominant performances of the season, using a punishing running game and a suffocating defense to collect a 44-12 win over the Flame. Maci Brown was named the 2023 homecoming queen before the game got underway.
Cold Springs’ defense got off to a perfect start in its opening series, as Will Jackson recovered a Shoals Christian fumble at the 30. The Eagles quickly took advantage of the forced fumble, as Matt Williams scored on a 20-yard run on just the third play of the series. Josh Winfrey ran it in for the two-point conversion, and that gave Cold Springs an early 8-0 lead with 9:12 left to go in the opening period. A pair of big plays by the Flame had them at the 24, but a holding penalty quickly pushed them back to the 34. A big sack by Gabe Moore on third down forced Shoals Christian to punt.
The trio of Tycen Kilgo, Williams, and Winfrey pounded the ball right at the Flame defense, and Winfrey broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run. Mason Gable found Kilgo in the end zone for the two-point conversion, as that gave Cold Springs a 16-0 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter. A pair of big runs, plus a face mask penalty on the Eagles, had the Flame at the 28-yard line. The Cold Springs’ defense, though, stiffened and forced a turnover-on-downs. The Eagles stuck with their game plan on its next series, as Williams and Winfrey, along with Gable, continue to wear down the Shoals Christian defense. A 25-yard run by Winfrey put the ball at the 12, and two plays later, Williams scored on a seven-yard run. Kilgo ran it in for the two-point conversion, and with 5:19 left to go in the first half, Cold Springs was now up 24-0.
Cold Springs got a huge special teams play from Moore, as he blocked a Flame punt, and returned it to the 21. Gable found Clayton Terry for a 20-yard gain, and Kilgo punched it in on the next play to make it a 31-0 lead for the Eagles. Cold Springs held Shoals Christian out of the end zone to end the first half, and the Eagles went into the half with a commanding 31-0 lead.
Cold Springs continued to wear down the Flame defense to start the second half, as they got some huge first downs to keep the drive alive. The 13-play, 70-yard drive ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gable to Winfrey to give Cold Springs a 38-0 lead. A 32-yard touchdown run by Shoals Christian made it 38-6. The Eagles put in some younger players on their next series, and they found the end zone, as Ethan Day broke free for a 46-yard run to make it 44-6. The Flame returned the kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to make it a 44-12 game. Cold Springs went on to defeat Shoals Christian on homecoming night 44-12 and snap a three-game losing streak.
Winfrey finished the game with 95 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown, plus a touchdown reception for Cold Springs (3-3). Williams added 82 yards on the ground and a pair of scores. Day ended up with 55 yards rushing and a score. Kilgo added 44 rushing yards and a score, while Gable completed three passes for 36 yards and a score. Jackson recovered a fumble for the Eagles. Moore finished with a sack and a blocked punt. Bailey Gann and Justin Stewart each added tackles for loss, while Samuel Turner collected a sack.
Cold Springs will get back into region play next week with a huge game at home against Winston County.
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