Hartselle beats elements, Boaz
By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
With a football that seemed, at times, to be almost uncatchable, Hartselle receiver Braddock Wilson made the most of the Tigers’ only reception Friday night against Boaz in the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
Luke Bole found Wilson at the goal line on the game-clincher with 46 seconds remaining. The ball was tipped by a defender into Wilson’s hands and he fell into the end zone for the score that sent the Tigers to a 14-3 victory over the Pirates in a playoff game that was played in a constant rainstorm and delayed in the first half by lightning.
The win was Hartselle’s 12th of the season and marked the first time the Tigers had gone 12-0 in school history.
The win also sends Hartselle to the third round of the state playoffs where the Tigers will host Russellville at J.P. Cain Stadium Friday at 7 p.m.
Wilson was supposed to run a five-and-out route, but Godsey spotted an opening in the Boaz secondary in the middle.
The touchdown reception was the fifth of the season for Wilson.
The catch was also Hartselle’s only completion of the night. Bole finished 1-of-5 passing in the win.
But Wilson made the catch that counted the most.
Daryn Raley blocked a punt that set up Hartselle’s first touchdown of the night as the Tigers rallied from a 3-0 deficit.
The game was delayed for 65 minutes in the first half due to lightning, but the teams came back to close out the final 2:25 of the second quarter before returning to the locker rooms at halftime.
After the delay, Hartselle kept Boaz pinned deep with a solid punting game.
Hartselle finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with the help of a blocked punt by Daryn Raley.
The Tigers’ 14 points was a season low, but the offense was successful moving the football and keeping the Boaz defense on the field.
Boaz had just two first downs in the second half and never seriously threatened down the stretch.
Hartselle’s defense, which is allowing just under eight points a game this season, held the Pirates’ all-purpose threat Drew Phillips in check, especially in the second half to key the victory.
Phillips ran 30 tmes for 186 yards after having 124 yards on the ground in the first half alone.
But Phillips, who came into the game with a team-high 17 touchdowns and finished his season with 2,194 yards rushing, never made it to the end zone Friday.
Boaz scored its only points of the night on a 28-yard field goal with 3.1 seconds left in the first quarter by Blake Spruiell to cap a drive that was set up by a Hartselle fumble.
Hartselle finally got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter with the help of a blocked punt that gave the Tigers the ball at the Boaz 2-yard line.
Daryn Raley got in front of the Pirates’ punter and was able to block the punt that gave the Tigers a 7-3 lead at the half.
Hartselle has blocked two touchdowns in the last two games.
Hampered by a field that had literally turned into a shallow pond, Marquez Jones turned up the heat on the Pirates with several big runs in the second half to ignite the Tigers’ offense.
Jones finished with 126 yards rushing on 29 carries. It marked his 10th game this season where he has reached the 100-yard mark.
Jones gave Hartselle its first lead of the game with a short run on third-and-goal.
Dylan Stephenson, who has been good on 37 of his 43 extra point attempts the season, was perfect on his two attempts Friday.
Boaz got the ball back following the second Hartselle touchdown, but the Tigers’ defense came up big with several stops and a late Phillips pass fell incomplete as the game ended.
