By David Knox, Sports Editor
CLAY — What’s on the line at Minor Stadium on Friday night?
For Minor, nothing less than the Class 6A, Region 6 championship. For Clay-Chalkville, it’s at least a chance at the title.
Clay-Chalkville (6-2, 4-1) travels to Adamsville to face the Minor Tigers (7-0, 4-0) at 7 p.m. in a Top 10 matchup that will decide a lot — but not everything — in Region 6.
More on that later.
High-powered Minor is leading Class 6A — and is third among all high school teams — with 52.1 points per game and Clay-Chalkville is scoring 31.1, 15th best in 6A. But the Tenacious Tigers’ defense has been tough, allowing just 14 ppg, while Clay has been roughed up at times — such as in last week’s 44-41 win over Carver — and gives up 27.8 ppg.
The fifth-ranked Tigers beat Benjamin Russell 56-22 last week in a non-region game, and though no one doubts George Bates’ team is good, the fact is Minor has beaten only two teams with winning records — Gardendale and Pinson Valley. The Tigers’ offense overpowered both region rivals. They beat Gardendale 52-28 and Pinson 45-13.
Senior quarterback Jacure Jackson, at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, has a strong arm and plenty of athletes to throw to. His numbers: 87-of-154 passing, 2,012 yards, 26 TDs and six interceptions. Although he’s not the fastest quarterback around, he’s a load to sack or to stop once he gets going, He’s rushed 53 times for 309 yards and five scores.
Senior running back/wide receiver/kick returner Jaylond Adams maybe the most dangerous player, however, Adams has rushed 30 times for 406 yards (13.5 yards per carry), caught 29 passes for 686 yards (23.7 yards per catch) and racked up 126 yards on kickoff returns and 60 on a punt return. He returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns against Center Point.
He’s even kicked an extra point.
He’s racked up 1,2778 all-purpose yards.
Junior Delonte Evans, a 6-2, 185-pound target, is the team’s leading receiver, though, with 27 catches for 697 yards (25.8 ypr) and 10 touchdowns, plus another TD on a fumble return from his safety position.
Defensively, an undersized but quick middle linebacker at 5-7, 180, Kordell Britton leads the team with 40 tackles, six for losses, and defensive end/linebacker Stacey Willis (6-0, 190) has 37 tackles with three sacks among his 11 tackles for losses. All told, the Tigers have made 44 tackles for losses this season, 11 sacks.
Weaknesses? Probably the kicking game. They haven’t punted much. They haven’t kicked a field goal. and they’ve kicked just 9 of 20 extra points, preferring to got for two-point conversions, and they’ve made 13 of those.
The Cougars don’t have Minor’s gaudy numbers, or numbers like last year’s. But they’re solid.
Willie Miller has completed 120-of-197 passes for 1,654 yards and 18 TDs. Quentin Young, early, and Nic Jones, lately, have led the running game. Young has 610 yards on 78 carries, almost all of it before a high-ankle sprain suffered against Pinson Valley. He has seven TDs. Jones has 487 yards on 76 carries and five touchdowns. Nico Collins has 36 catches for 750 yards and seven scores to lead the receivers and Rerrill Cole has 26 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns and Roderick McCloud has 23 for 303 and three TDs.
A Minor win on Friday secures the region title, even if the Tigers lose the region finale at Walker and Pinson beats Gardendale and Carver, although both would finish 5-1, since Minor beat PV earlier this season. A Clay win means the Cougars end region play at 5-1. If Minor also finishes 5-1, Clay would win the region — unless Pinson beats Gardendale and Carver to put all three teams in a tiebreaker that wouldn’t be resolved until all the games are over Oct. 28. A Clay win and a Pinson Valley loss to Gardendale would give the Cougars the region championship, even if Minor should beat Walker next week, thanks to the head-to-head win.
Clay, ranked ninth before last week’s win and which could move up to eighth in Wednesday’s poll, has won four straight region titles. Minor hasn’t won a region since 2003.
The Cougars beat the Tigers twice last season — 50-14 in the third round of the playoffs and 49-15 during the regular season. Last year’s Minor team, by the way, set a school record for points, a number the Tigers are chasing this year. They put up 390 last year and have 365 so far this year.
Clay-Chalkville holds a 6-2 edge in games played on the field, but one win in 2011 was forfeited.
2 Comments
Melanie Gilbert
Good Luck CCHS!!!
Denise Loggins Parker Bonner
Let’s go CCHS