ADDISON, Ala. – The 6th ranked Addison Bulldogs hosted the top ranked Wadley Bulldogs in front of a packed house at A.G. Hicks Stadium in the 1A North semifinal Friday night. What many thought would be a lopsided victory for Wadley turned into a fantastic game that went down to the wire. It was a tale of two halves, with Wadley winning the first and Addison outplaying Wadley in the second. Addison turnovers doomed their upset bid but take nothing away from Addison as they answered the call and gave top ranked Wadley all they wanted and more in a 22-14 loss.
It was a defensive first quarter, as Addison received the opening kickoff. After gaining a first down, Wadley’s Jabari Burns sacked Addison QB Elijah Roberts forcing a punt. Addison forced a Wadley three and out and got the ball back. Addison picked up another first down but was forced to punt again.
Wadley took over at their own 48 and after a penalty, facing a second and twenty, Wadley QB Demarious Spraddling found Frisco Robertson on a bubble pass and after making about six Addison defenders miss, he rambled down to the Addison 28. Six plays later, Wadley’s super man and Auburn commit Jacquez Wilkes rumbled in from four yards out giving Wadley the early 6-0 lead. Wilkes ran in the two-point conversion and Wadley led 8-0 with 2:27 to go in the first quarter.
After forcing another Addison punt, Wadley’s Spraddling hit Robertson again this time from 64 yards out for the touchdown. Wadley missed the two-point attempt and with over 8 minutes to go in the first half, Wadley led 14-0.
The next four possessions, two for each team, ended in turnovers. Addison’s Major Snoddy recovered a Fumble. Wadley’s Wilkes intercepted a pass inside his own 10-yard line. Addison’s Connor Lane got his tenth interception of the season, but Addison gave it right back on a Spraddling interception. This is how the half ended with Wadley ahead 14-0.
Addison kicked off to start the second half and pulled a little trickeration. The onside kick was unexpected, and Addison’s Trennon Burns recovered the onside kick. Addison tried to run the ball with little effectiveness, so Roberts went to the air and found Michael Lee for 11 yards and a first down. Then facing a fourth-and-a-ten from the Wadley 34, Roberts found Scout Flynn streaking down the home sideline and Flynn reeled in the catch and ran in the final 10 yards for an Addison touchdown. Roberts then found Lee for the two-point conversion and at the 9:59 mark of the third quarter, the score was Wadley 14 – Addison 8.
Wadley’s next drive had them run 10 straight running plays with Wilkes carrying the ball on 8 of them. With Wadley facing a fourth down and six to go from the Addison 36, Wadley went for it. Everyone in the stadium knew who was getting the ball and so did the fired-up Dawg Pound Defense. Wilkes took the handoff and was swarmed under with Joey Wilson leading the defense to the ball. Wilkes got a yard but needed six.
Addison took over and 13 plays later; they had gotten to the Wadley 4-yard line. Facing a second and goal from the four, Addison attempted a fade pass to the corner of the endzone, but Wadley’s Robertson made a fantastic play on the pass and picked it off ending the drive.
Wadley took over at their own 20 and two plays later they were facing a fourth and one from their own 29. Apparently, Wadley had utter disdain for the Bulldog defense, or they had extreme confidence in Wilkes. They ran Wilkes again and were stopped for no gain. Again, the Addison defense responded.
It took Addison four plays for Roberts to find Burns for the 6-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was no good and with 5:49 to go in the fourth quarter and with all the momentum the game was tied at 14.
Addison then attempted another on-side kick, this time not successful. On Wadley’s first play, Cortavion Lynch ran around the right end for 45 yards giving Wadley the first and goal from the 6-yard line. Three plays later, Wilkes bulldozed his way in from 6 yards out for another touchdown. Lynch ran in the two-point and Wadley led 22-14 with 3:59 to go in the game.
Addison took over at their own 36. Roberts gained 6 yards on first down and then found Judah Wilkins 36 yards down the field. Wilkins made a beautiful diving catch, giving Addison the ball at the Wadley 23-yard line with a little over 3 minutes to go. Three plays later, Addison was facing a fourth and one from Wadley’s 14-yard line and had to go for it. The Addison running back appeared to run into a wall of Wadley Bulldogs and lost a yard. This gave Wadley the ball with only a minute and half left in the game.
Instead of kneeling it, Wadley gave the ball to Wilkes and he gained 15 yards. No explanation for that choice of play unless the coach was trying to get Wilkes a 100-yard rushing day and that run pushed him over the century mark. Two kneel downs ended the game and Addison’s season. Wadley took the game 22-14 and will move on to play Maplesville in the state title game next Thursday in Birmingham.
Addison finishes 12-2 and put together a tremendous season that included a region championship, county championship and semi-final appearance. Addison also has the luxury of returning the vast majority of their team for the 2026 season. Should be another great year for Coach Mark Hastings Bulldogs. The Addison seniors this season are Seth Hammack, Casen Hill, Brye Dollar, Lance Kennedy, Stone Talley (injured all season), Shelton Alexander, Brodie Willingham and Trennon Burns. Thank you gentlemen for giving it your all this season we wish you nothing but success in the future.
Unofficial stats
Addison ran 33 running plays for 102 yards. Addison ran 26 passing plays for 151 yards. Addison ran a total of 59 plays for 253 total yards. Wadley ran 37 running plays for 213 yards.
Wadley ran 8 passing plays for 100 yards. Wadley ran a total of 45 plays for 313 total yards.
Addison’s Roberts went 13 completions in 26 attempts for 151 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Wadley’s Spraddling went 4 completions in 8 attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown and interception.
Addison’s Roberts led in rushing with 19 carries for 83 yards. Seth Hammack had 8 carries for 13 yards. Zane Smith 5 carries for 7 yards. Wadley had Wilkes run for a game high 112 yards on 21 carries with 2 touchdowns. Lynch had 10 carries for 88 yards.
Addison had Burns with 5 catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Flynn had 2 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Wilkins had 1 catch for 36 yards. Hammack had 3 catches for 5 yards. Lee had 1 catch for 11 yards. Snoddy had 1 catch for 7 yards. Wadley had Robertson with 2 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Wilkes had 1 catch for 6 yards.
On defense
Addison was led in tackles by Roberts and Wilkins with 6 each. Hill, Snoddy, Lane and Willingham had 4 each. Joey Wilson and Skylar Cleghorn had 3 each. Snoddy had a fumble recovery. Lane had an interception. Burns recovered an onside kick. Wadley was led by Wilkes with 8 tackles and an interception. Jabari Burns, Desmond Thomas and Jaylon Marable each had 5. Burns had a sack. Robertson and Spraddling had an interception.
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