Hawks end year with loss

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
MADISON - Madison Academy’s football team added a new chapter to school history Friday night by defeating Danville’s Hawks 21-3 in an opening round Class 3A playoff game at Bill Washington Stadium and became the first team to record 11 wins in a season.
The win enabled the unbeaten Mustangs to move on in their quest for a state championship. They will face Winfield, a 21-0 winner over Colbert County, at home Friday at 7 p.m. The visiting Hawks, who finished fourth in Region 7, ended their season at 7-4.
The Mustangs had a hard time getting their offense going, scoring only seven points in the first half. They also had to stave off a red zone scoring threat by Danville in the third quarter to protect their lead. It was a different story in the final period, however, as they scored 14 points on back-to-back possessions.
The Hawks went ahead 3-0 on the strength of a 29-yard field goal by Mario Cortez with 8:24 left in the second quarter. His kick capped a 36-yard drive on eight plays.
The Mustangs answered with a drive that covered 84 yards on eight plays and was culminated by Jordan Kerr’s 9-yard touchdown run. Timothy Menees booted the extra point to give his team a 7-3 advantage with 4:20 left in the first half.
The Hawks missed an opportunity to score and take the lead in the third quarter when a second down and goal play from the 6-yard line resulted in a lost fumble. Madison Academy’s Zayne Riggins covered the ball on his own 9-yard line. From there, the Mustangs marched 91 yards on 17 plays and upped their lead to 14-3 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kerr with 6:13 left in the game. Menees kicked the PAT.
They scored again with 1:22 left in the final period on a 12-yard pass from Clouser to Denver Ricketts. Menees kicked the extra point to make the score 21-3. “I thought Chris Clouser did a good job leading the team in his third start,” Cohu said. “He helped us come up with the big plays we needed to win.
Madison Academy chalked up 201 yards passing and 115 yards rushing while Danville had 62 yards rushing and 50 yards passing.
Kerr paced the Mustangs in rushing with 85 yards on 16 carries. Clouser completed 15 of 24 passes for 201 yards.