Tigers prevail

By Staff
Hartselle bounces back from halftime deficit to beat Benjamin Russell 24-14
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle shut out Benjamin Russell in the second half and used its running game to wear out the clock on the way to a 24-14 victory over the Wildcats at J.P. Cain Stadium Friday night in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs. Sophomore running back Marquez Jones had a career-high night for the Tigers, finishing with 264 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns.
Two long scoring plays had the Wildcats up 14-7 at halftime with Benjamin Russell slated to receive the second half’s opening kickoff. But the Tigers’ defense held strong, forcing Benjamin Russell to punt on its first possession.
Taking over on its own 20 with 8:17 left in the third quarter, Hartselle used a 12-play drive to take five minutes and 10 seconds off the clock and give the Tigers the tie when Jones scored from the 7-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, a 25-yard field goal by Ray Canafax and another Jones touchdown on a fourth-down conversion helped put the game away for the Tigers, who improved to 10-1 overall.
With the win, Hartselle advances to the second round of the playoffs and will visit Gardendale Friday. Benjamin Russell, which advanced to the Class 5A semifinals last year, saw its season end with a 7-4 record.
The teams were scoreless through the first quarter, then Benjamin Russell got on the scoreboard first when quarterback Casey Cutts broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run with 10:55 left in the second.
The extra point failed and Hartselle responded on its next drive to take a 7-6 lead. Tiger quarterback Wes Chenault found Tony Weaver for a 7-yard touchdown pass and Canafax added the extra point to put the home team up by a point.
The Wildcats had a quick response, scoring two plays later on a 68-yard touchdown run from Eltoro Freeman. Chaz Russell ran in the two-point conversion and Benjamin Russell led 14-7 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.
The second half was all Hartselle.
Canafax’s field goal put Hartselle up 17-14 with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter. After holding Benjamin Russell to a three-and-out on the Wildcats’ ensuing possession, the Hartselle offense responded with a mammoth 13-play, 51-yard scoring drive.
Facing fourth-and-goal from the Benjamin Russell 1 at the end of the drive, the Tigers chose to go for it and Jones broke into the end zone with 1:47 left in the game.