REFORM – Pickens County prevented Addison from reaching its goal of a trip to the 1A state championship game, defeating the Bulldogs 23-6 Friday night in the Alabama High School Athletic Association semifinals.
A 19-yard run by quarterback Zach Thomas broke a scoreless tie late in the second quarter. This came after Pickens County stopped Addison on fourth down by inches at the Tornadoes 33-yard line.
Thomas threw a 48-yard pass to Demetrius Windham that put the ball at the Addison 19. Thomas ran it into the end zone on the next play and the Tornadoes moved ahead 6-0.
Addison got a chance to get on the scoreboard before the half ended. The Bulldogs drove to the Pickens County 18, but had to settle for a 35-yard field goal attempt from Zeb Maze.
The kick was short and the Bulldogs missed out on an opportunity, leaving the field for halftime down by the margin of 6-0.
A good start in the third period by the Bulldogs had them gaining 42 yards on three running plays before a bad snap out of the shotgun formation was mishandled by QB Noah Rice and the Bulldogs lost possession at the Pickens County 42.
The Tornadoes didn't score on this drive, but after the Bulldogs had to punt on their next series, Pickens County used the passing game to extend the lead.
A 46-yard hookup between Thomas and Windham followed by a 2-point pass from Thomas to Windham allowed the Tornadoes to take a 14-0 lead with 1:05 left in the third.
The Bulldogs' next series ended with a fumble that Pickens County collected at its 41-yard line. Following a major penalty that backed them up to their 29, the Tornadoes drove downfield and got a 22-yard field goal from Caleb Bonner to increase the margin to 17-0 with 8:00 remaining.
Addison was unable to maintain possession as Bryant Ridgeway had a pass intercepted and the Tornadoes drove it from the Bulldogs' 21 to the end zone and put the game out of reach.
Aaron Billups took it in from the 2 with 6:30 to go, giving the home team a 23-0 advantage. The Tornadoes missed the extra point.
Addison's final drive came after the Bulldogs held Pickens County on downs at the 47.
The Bulldogs avoided a second straight shutout in two years to the Tornadoes when Ridgeway hit tight end Collin Guthrie for a 10-yard score on the final play of the contest.
The TD was set up by a 20-yard run from Maze as Addison showed pride and never gave up, in spite of a tough time and being unable to contain the Tornadoes' passing game. The Tornadoes managed 192 yards passing and a touchdown while they ran for 185 yards and put the ball into the end zone twice.
Addison missed the extra point with the Bulldogs' season ending one game shy of a berth to the 1A championship. Addison finishes at 13-1, reaching the semis for the first time since they won the state title back in 2005.
The Bulldogs ran for 222 yards and passed for 25 to finish with 247 on the night. Maze ran for 94 yards with Rice gaining 49 yards and Ben Robinson compiling 44 yards in his best effort of the playoffs.
Addison is now 0-5 all-time vs. Pickens County, losing to the Tornadoes three times in the playoffs. Pickens County will represent the north region in the title game next Thursday at 3 p.m. against Maplesville who defeated Linden in the semifinals in the south region of the playoff bracket.
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