HANCEVILLE – It was a battle to get an early leg up in 3A Region 6 between the home team Hanceville Bulldogs and visiting Fultondale Wildcats.
The Wildcats won the toss and elected to receive with every intention of a quick start. And that is just what happened, taking six plays until Walter Blair found the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats up 7-0 with 10:02 remaining in the first.
Hanceville's offense looked to have the same success, but the Fultondale defense had its own opinion forcing a quick punt.
The Hanceville defense stepped up to force a three-and-out to give the ball back to the Bulldog offense.
The Wildcat defense proved to be too much, and Fultondale got the ball back. It didn’t take long for Blair to rumble in for a touchdown to push the lead to 13-0 with 8:24 left in the first.
Both teams would alternate three-and-outs until 8:08 left before halftime when Jayson Jones ran the ball in from 18 yards out to make the score 20-0. Hanceville muffed the ensuing kickoff to set Fultondale up 25 yards away from the end zone; four plays later James Adams-Smith capitalized on a 1-yard touchdown, putting the Wildcats up 26-0, with 6:41 to go before halftime.
A quick three-and-out by the Bulldogs gave Fultondale the ball back, and on the second play of the drive Jones found Willie Smith for a 66-yard touchdown with 5:17 left in the half to stretch the lead to 33-0. Unfortunately, the Bulldog offense couldn’t get out of its own way, fumbling the ball in the end zone. Elias McHenry pounced on the football for a touchdown with 4:26 to go until halftime, making it a 40-0 game.
The second half was a continuation of the first, with a quick punt for the Bulldogs. The Wildcat offense didn’t lose any rhythm during intermission, and with 8:21 remaining in the third, took only two plays before Marquis Henderson put the Wildcats up 46-0. At the 5:45 mark of the third, Jones corralled a bad snap and found the end zone 73 yards later to put the Wildcats up 53-0.
After a spectacular interception by Fultondale's Willie Smith, the Wildcat offense continued its domination. With 2:38 left in the third, Eltonte' Reese gave the Wildcats their final score of the night from 33 yards out, giving the Wildcats a commanding 60-0 lead.
Most teams would’ve quit a long time ago. Not the Bulldogs of Hanceville. Their never-quit mentality payed off as RJ Evans rumbled for 37 yards and a touchdown with 10:57 to go in the game.
In the end, the Wildcats were just too much for the Bulldogs in this 3A Region 6 matchup.
Final score: Fultondale 60, Hanceville 6
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