CULLMAN, Ala. – Cold Springs completed a nine-win regular season with a 57-20 victory over Tanner on Thursday, Oct. 29, while Good Hope’s loss at Scottsboro on Friday settled the Raiders into third place in their region.
Cullman, Fairview, Holly Pond and Hanceville closed their seasons with road losses Friday, Oct. 30. Vinemont had already completed its regular season and secured a playoff berth.
Cold Springs, Good Hope and Vinemont will represent Cullman County in the postseason.
Neighboring Addison and Meek also qualified, with Meek winning its fifth straight game on Friday and Addison entering the playoffs unbeaten. The first round begins Friday, Nov. 6.
Rankings referenced below reflect the Oct. 28 Alabama Sports Writers Association poll.
No. 10 Cold Springs 57, Tanner 20
Cooper Johnson rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries as Cold Springs defeated Tanner on senior night Thursday, Oct. 29, in Bremen.
After falling behind 7-0, the Eagles scored 27 unanswered points before halftime. Johnson scored on runs of 1 and 11 yards, Cason Alexander added a 3-yard touchdown and Sam Hunt kicked a 30-yard field goal.
Tanner opened the second half with an 87-yard touchdown pass to cut the margin to 27-14. Johnson answered with another 1-yard touchdown run, and Ethan Day added the 2-point conversion for a 35-14 lead.
Lathan Shuford recovered a fumble before Day scored on a 3-yard run. Johnson recovered the ensuing kickoff, and Day added a 34-yard touchdown run to help extend the lead to 49-14.
Tanner scored again before Brandon Chasteen connected with Eli Voce for a 20-yard touchdown. Jay Andrews added the final 2-point conversion.
Day finished with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Alexander added 59 yards and a score.
Chasteen completed five of nine passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Voce caught three passes for 33 yards and a score.
Cold Springs finished 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Class 2A, Region 5, securing a home playoff opener as the region’s No. 2 seed.
No. 2 Scottsboro 49, Good Hope 14
Parker Johnson returned the opening kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown just 10 seconds into the game, but Scottsboro answered with 35 consecutive points to defeat Good Hope.
The Raiders finished the regular season 7-3 overall and 6-2 in Class 4A, Region 8. Scottsboro completed a 10-0 regular season and won the region championship at 8-0.
After Johnson’s return helped give Good Hope a 7-0 lead, Scottsboro tied the game on a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.
An interception ended the Raiders’ first offensive possession, and the Wildcats scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass on the next play to move ahead 14-7.
Scottsboro added a 2-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-7. The Wildcats recovered a Good Hope fumble on the ensuing kickoff and scored on an 8-yard run two plays later. A 27-yard touchdown pass following another Raider punt made it 35-7.
Good Hope responded with its only offensive touchdown drive. Johnson connected with Ayden Young for gains of 20 and 24 yards, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helped move the Raiders closer.
Web Buchanan completed a 9-yard pass to Karson Hollis, and Johnson added a 3-yard completion on fourth down to keep the possession alive. Johnson then found Young for a 5-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 35-14.
Scottsboro answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass before halftime to take a 42-14 lead. The second half was played with a running clock, and the Wildcats completed the scoring on a 48-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.
Johnson completed 4 of 6 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Young caught three passes for 49 yards and a score.
Good Hope will enter the playoffs as the region’s No. 3 seed.
West Morgan 35, Cullman 13
Cullman pulled within 8 points entering the fourth quarter, but two late touchdown runs by Kylen Stover helped West Morgan close out a 35-13 victory in Trinity.
The Bearcats finished 3-7 overall after completing Class 5A, Region 5 play at 2-5.
An early interception gave Cullman possession at West Morgan’s 25-yard line. The Bearcats followed with a rushing touchdown, but the extra-point attempt failed, leaving them ahead 6-0.
Jabarie Wiggins answered with two rushing touchdowns for West Morgan, and Kolton Kritinar added both extra points to put the Rebels ahead 14-6.
Brantley Phillips connected with Will Smith for a second-quarter touchdown. Kritinar’s extra point gave West Morgan a 21-6 halftime lead.
Cullman scored the only points of the third quarter when Wynn Shannon threw a touchdown pass to Nelson Hollingsworth. Ismael Esteban’s extra point cut the deficit to 21-13.
Stover scored on a fourth-quarter run, and Kritinar’s kick made it 28-13. Colby Jones then intercepted a Cullman pass before Stover added another rushing touchdown. Kritinar supplied the final extra point.
Wiggins and Stover finished with two rushing touchdowns apiece. West Morgan improved to 7-3, while Cullman’s season ended after the Bearcats entered the game already eliminated from playoff contention.
Cherokee County 42, Fairview 14
Fairview answered Cherokee County twice in the first quarter, but the Warriors scored the final 28 points to defeat the Aggies in Centre.
Fairview finished 5-4 overall and 4-4 in Class 4A, Region 8.
Cherokee County capitalized on a Fairview turnover with a touchdown and successful extra point to take a 7-0 lead. Ayden Batz returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, helping the Aggies tie the game.
The Warriors regained the lead at 14-7 with 3:53 remaining in the first quarter. Easton Fitch answered with an 85-yard touchdown, and Fairview pulled even at 14 before the period ended.
Cherokee County added 14 points in the second quarter to take a 28-14 halftime lead, then scored 14 more in the third. Neither team scored in the fourth.
Fairview had been eliminated before Friday’s game. Guntersville’s victory over Brewer the previous week secured a 5-3 region finish, and the Wildcats held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Aggies.
Cherokee County finished the regular season 7-3 overall and 7-1 in the region, earning the No. 2 playoff seed.
Falkville 38, Holly Pond 6
Falkville built a 14-0 halftime lead and pulled away after the break to defeat Holly Pond in the season finale for both teams.
The Blue Devils scored 6 points in the first quarter and 8 in the second. Holly Pond scored its 6 points in the third, but Falkville added 16 during the period to extend the margin to 30-6.
Falkville supplied the final 8 points in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos finished 2-8 overall and 1-6 in Class 3A, Region 6. The loss was their seventh straight after a 2-1 start. Holly Pond’s victories came against J.B. Pennington and Hanceville.
Falkville finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Class 2A, Region 7. Both teams had been eliminated from playoff contention before Friday.
Elkmont 48, Hanceville 8
Hanceville trailed 14-0 at halftime before Elkmont pulled away in the second half, leaving the Bulldogs with a winless 0-10 season.
Elkmont scored all seven of its touchdowns on the ground.
Two rushing touchdowns and successful extra points gave the Red Devils their halftime advantage. A 40-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point run extended the margin to 22-0 after the break.
Two more rushing touchdowns, each followed by an extra point, pushed the lead to 36-0. Another rushing score made it 42-0 after the kick failed.
Hanceville scored in the fourth quarter on a rushing touchdown and successful 2-point run, cutting the deficit to 42-8. Elkmont answered with a 30-yard touchdown run for the final points.
The Bulldogs finished 0-7 in Class 3A, Region 6. Elkmont closed at 2-8. Neither team qualified for the playoffs.
Meek 38, Berry 28
Meek scored 16 fourth-quarter points to hold off Berry and earn its fifth consecutive victory, finishing the regular season 7-3.
The Tigers led 22-14 at halftime, but Berry scored the only 6 points of the third quarter to cut the margin to 22-20.
Both teams added 8 points in the fourth, leaving Meek ahead 30-28. The Tigers added 8 more to build a 38-28 advantage and held the Wildcats scoreless the rest of the way.
The victory followed region wins over Waterloo, Belgreen, Phillips and Red Bay. Meek had already secured third place in Class 1A, Region 7 with a 5-2 region record and will open the playoffs on the road.
Berry finished the regular season 4-6 overall and 4-3 in Class 1A, Region 5. The nonregion result did not change either team’s playoff position.
Teams off Friday
Vinemont had already completed its regular season at 6-4 overall and earned fourth place in Class 3A, Region 6 at 4-3.
West Point’s season ended the previous week at 0-10 overall and 0-7 in Class 4A, Region 7.
Addison was also off Friday after finishing 10-0 overall and winning Class 1A, Region 7 at 7-0.
Sammy Confer and Jared Spears contributed reporting.
