CULLMAN COUNTY – Two high scoring affairs, one upset, two shutouts and two others dominating play took place around The Cullman Tribune/Cullman Sense coverage area for week six of prep football.
Operating the scoreboard at Cold Springs' Cranford Stricklin Stadium and Addison's A.G. Hicks Stadium, the scorekeepers had to stay on their toes with Cold Springs and Good Hope swapping the lead throughout the second half before the Eagles pulled it out 42-39.
That was the same case for No. 5 Addison. They had to fight off Vinemont who overcame a two-touchdown deficit at halftime. Addison answered with a late score and turned away Vinemont's upset bid by the final of 43-36.
A heartbreaking night on homecoming happened to Hanceville. The Bulldogs fell to a winless Clements Colts squad 10-7.
Homecoming was rather easy for Holly Pond in routing the Asbury Rams 54-0.
Over at West Point Stadium, the Fairview Aggies ended a two-game slump as they demolished Priceville 49-0.
The Cullman Bearcats dominated Fayette County 38-14 on the road and the Meek Tigers took care of the Vina Red Devils with ease, 48-12 in Arley.
At halftime, Cold Springs was ahead of Good Hope 12-6. Then the scoring festival began with the Eagles holding on to a 27-26 at the end of the third quarter.
Good Hope went ahead in the final stanza then Cold Springs answered the challenge and scored the game winner on a yard run by Nic Rollo with 42 seconds remaining.
This was the first meeting between the two county rivals since 2005 as Cold Springs has now won three straight, all at home, with Good Hope going into the second half of the season 0-5.
Late drama was seen in Addison with the Bulldogs staying undefeated by Chandler Cookenmaster scoring with 2:32 to play in the game. It was the only time he carried the football all night and it ended in the Vinemont end zone.
Hanceville did not allow the Clements offense to score in its assignment. It was the special teams that produced enough to give the Colts their first victory and leave a bad taste in the mouth of the Bulldogs.
Clements got a 36-yard field goal that barely got over the cross bar with little room to spare on its first series. Then with 11 seconds left in the half, James Malone scampered 70 yards on a punt return and the Colts were in the lead to stay.
Hanceville had 89 yards on 13 penalties, three turnovers and only 89 yards of total offense in the second half.
Holly Pond presented coach Mike Bates his first win at Thomas-Michelfelder Field. The Broncos broke a 21-game home losing streak, having no trouble with the first-year Asbury program out of Marshall County.
The Broncos led 28-0 after one quarter and 43-0 when the game reached halftime.
Holly Pond continues to sport the best record in the county at 4-1.
Fairview scored twice in the first, second and third quarters to enjoy a 42-0 lead on Priceville. The Aggies presented coach George Redding with his 60th career victory and their first shutout of an opponent since the middle of last season.
Cullman has now won three straight over Fayette County. The Bearcats controlled the contest from the start against the 2015 runner-up in Class 4A. By halftime, the Bearcats were up 17-0 and had a 31-6 cushion when the game entered the fourth quarter.
Meek's second straight victory has the Tigers even at 3-3. The Tigers turned a 14-6 advantage into a 30-6 spread by the half and 38-12 after the third period.
Looking at standout performers from Friday night, they include:
Noah Rice of Addison – 171 yards rushing, two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 43-36 homecoming victory over Vinemont.
Zayne Guthrie of Addison – 83 yards rushing, scored on a 44-yard run.
Garrett Boland of Vinemont – Threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 82 yards and scored twice. Accounted for 267 yards of Vinemont's offense and four touchdowns.
Colby Nicholas of Vinemont – Caught six passes for 91 yards and scored a touchdown against Addison.
Cayde Elliott of Cold Springs – Rushed for 118 yards and scored four touchdowns to help the Eagles get by Good Hope 42-39.
Nic Rollo of Cold Springs – Ran for 167 yards and set up the game winning TD with a 32-yard run to the 1-yard line.
Matt Dixon of Good Hope – Ran for two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score in this shootout with Cold Springs.
Preston Bagwell of Good Hope – Rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown, threw for 110 yards and a score, compiling 170 yards of offense.
Logan Brooks of Fairview – Rushed for 132 yards and four touchdowns during the Aggies' 49-0 rout of Priceville at West Point Stadium.
Ragan Ashley of Fairview – Ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 160 yards and a score with Fairview breaking a two-game losing streak.
Caleb Jones of Holly Pond – Scored two touchdowns in the first quarter of the Broncos' 54-0 homecoming victory over Asbury. This was the Broncos' first home win in almost five years.
Savanna Fortner of Holly Pond – The young lady was perfect in four extra points against Asbury and got in on some snaps in the second half of this game.
Ross Crocker of Cullman – Threw for 130 yards and a touchdown during the Bearcats' 38-14 win at Fayette County.
Ezra Burks of Cullman – Rushed for 77 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Cullman running game netted 160 yards in beating Fayette County for the third straight year.
R.J. Evans of Hanceville – Combined for 72 yards of offense, 39 rushing, 33 receiving in the Bulldogs' 10-7 loss to Clements. Had longest run of the night, 21 yards, and caught a 20-yard pass in the third quarter.
Regional play returns this week:
For the final weekend in September, regional play returns. It begins with a Thursday night 1A, Region 7 showdown as No. 5 Addison plays No. 8 Decatur Heritage at West Morgan High School.
The Bulldogs stand 3-0 in the region with a 5-0 record while the Eagles are 2-0 vs. regional foes and 4-1 overall.
A huge game is in 5A, Region 6 with Fairview at West Point. The Warriors are 2-1 in the standings, trailing Mortimer Jordan who is 3-0 and Hayden 2-0.
Cullman has Pell City visiting Woodard Stadium for the Bearcats' homecoming. Cullman is 1-2 in 6A, Region 7 with Pell City 2-0 and tied for first place with Oxford.
In 3A, Region 6, Holly Pond travels to Locust Fork while Hanceville pays a visit to Susan Moore. The big game is Fultondale (2-0 region) at J.B. Pennington (3-0).
Holly Pond has a 1-1 regional record with Locust Fork 2-1. Hanceville will try to end a two-game slump as the Bulldogs are 1-2 in regional play and Susan Moore 0-2.
Vinemont has a non-regional game at Mark Smothers Stadium against Priceville.
Good Hope gets Winfield at James Shabel Stadium in 4A, Region 6. The winner gets out of the basement with the Raiders 0-3 in the region and the Pirates 0-2.
Cold Springs is 2-0 in 2A, Region 7 with a game this week at West End. The Eagles share the lead with Tanner and Cleveland. The Patriots have a 3-3 record and are 1-2 in the region, waiting for Cold Springs to visit Walnut Grove.
Meek hosts R.A. Hubbard in 1A, Region 7. The Tigers and Chiefs are seeking their first regional victory. Meek is 0-2, 3-3 overall with Hubbard 0-3 and 2-4.
Each assignment has a game time of 7 p.m.
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