Thursday, April 25, 2024

THE WEST ALABAMA WATCHMAN

Keeping Watch On Our Community

Sports The Latest 

Longhorns clinch AISA 1A Region 2 crown in style

Michael Clements , , , , , , ,
10-21-16 -- Toxey, Ala. -- Marengo Academy's Gavin Tate hauls in a 34-yard pass during the second quarter of the Longhorn's win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.
10-21-16 — Toxey, Ala. — Marengo Academy’s Gavin Tate hauls in a 34-yard pass during the second quarter of the Longhorn’s win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.

“We’ve got to be us and do what we do,” said Marengo Academy head coach Webb Tutt before Friday’a game against region foe South Choctaw Academy. And that’s exactly what the Longhorn’s did, en route to a 41-0 shutout to claim the AISA Class 1A Region 2 championship. The ‘Horns used ball control and a 27-point second quarter to send the Rebels reeling into halftime. Down 34-0, South Choctaw opted to utilize a running clock in the second half.

10-21-16 -- Toxey, Ala. -- Marengo Academy's Jacob Beck returns an interception 65 yards for a touchdown during the Longhorn's win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.
10-21-16 — Toxey, Ala. — Marengo Academy’s Jacob Beck returns an interception 65 yards for a touchdown during the Longhorn’s win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.

After holding South Choctaw on the opening possession of the game, a bad snap sailed over the Rebel punter’s head and the somewhat miraculous kick led to good field position for the Longhorns to start their first drive. The drive saw a 22-yard run by Cameron Peppenhorst and ended with a 3-yard dive by Robert Tutt to put what would be the winning points on the board. Hayden Megginson’s PAT gave the Longhorns a 7-0 lead with 7:33 to go in the first quarter.

Later in the first, the Rebels made their only serious threat of the night. After a Peppenhorst fumble, the Rebels seemed to have some momentum, but a defensive stand and another high snap moved the Rebels out of the red zone. The quarter ended with the Longhorns holding onto the 7-0 lead.

In the second, a Landon Houlditch catch and runs by Weldon Aydelott put the ball on the Rebel 21-yard line. Aydelott would take it in from there, and with Megginson’s PAT, the Longhorns stretched it to a 14-0 lead with 9:58 to go in the second quarter.

After a failed Rebel fake punt gave the ball to the ‘Horns at the 47, Gavin Tate hauled in a 34-yard pass that was added to with a late hit. A couple plays later, Aydelott added a 4-yard scoring run to his stat sheet. The PAT gave the Longhorns a 21-0 lead with 6:52 left in the first half.

10-21-16 -- Toxey, Ala. -- Marengo Academy's Collin Sheffield goes over the top of a block for a sack during the Longhorn's win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.
10-21-16 — Toxey, Ala. — Marengo Academy’s Collin Sheffield goes over the top of a block for a sack during the Longhorn’s win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.

Jacob Beck got into the scoring stats when he picked off a South Choctaw pass and raced 65 yards for a touchdown. The PAT gave the Longhorns a 28-0 lead with 4:01 to go in the half.

After another defensive stand that included Collin Sheffield leaping over a defender for a sack, the Longhorns quickly moved the ball down the field to get into scoring position. The drive was highlighted by a 32-yard run by Peppenhorst and a 25-yard completion from Beck to Houlditch. Aydelott took it in from 4 yards out, but the PAT failed and the Longhorns settled for a 34-0 lead to close out the first half.

After some discussion, the decision was made to utilize a running clock in the second half. The ‘Horns made a fair catch at their own 44-yard line on the opening kick of the second half. They promptly marched 56 yards on their first posession, with Gavin Thompson taking it in from a yard out. Megginson hit the PAT, giving the Longhorns a 41-0 lead with 7:32 to go in the third.

The running clock made quick work of the remainder of the game and the Longhorns claimed the AISA Class 1A Region 2 crown with a 41-0 victory over the Rebels.

“We were able to move the football on the ground. That’s our forte,” Tutt said after the game. “The interception was big, for a touchdown, and that broke the game open,” Tutt added. “They’ve got a good ball club and it was just our night tonight. We’re going to rest up next week and try to keep the momentum going.”

Tutt said that the Longhorns first round playoff opponent should be the winner of the Crenshaw/South Montgomery game which will be played next week.

10-21-16 -- Toxey, Ala. -- Marengo Academy's Cameron Peppenhorst breaks into the open for a 32-yard run during the Longhorn's win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.
10-21-16 — Toxey, Ala. — Marengo Academy’s Cameron Peppenhorst breaks into the open for a 32-yard run during the Longhorn’s win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.

Offensively, the Longhorns tallied 247 yards on the ground on 36 carries. They added 71 yards through the air, for a total of 318 yards of total offense. Peppenhorst led the ground attack with 105 yards on 9 carries. Aydelott, playing with an injury, added 53 yards on 11 carries, with three of those carries resulting in touchdowns. Beck was 3-for-4 for 71 yards through the air. Houlditch had two catches for 37 yards and Tate had one catch for 34 yards.

The defense was led by Sheffield who had five tackles and three assists with two sacks. Daniel McCray also had five tackles and three assists. Austen Day contributed five tackles and one assist. Aydelott added four tackles with an assist and Brad Collins tallied four tackles. Beck and Houlditch each had one interception, with Beck’s going for a touchdown.

The Longhorns (8-1, 6-0) will not play next week and will have two weeks of recovery time before the first round of the AISA Class 1A playoff begins.

10-21-16 -- Toxey, Ala. -- Marengo Academy's Gavin Thompson (20) goes ariborne, over the block of Alex Owens (62), for a 1-yard touchdown run during the Longhorn's win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.
10-21-16 — Toxey, Ala. — Marengo Academy’s Gavin Thompson (20) goes ariborne, over the block of Alex Owens (62), for a 1-yard touchdown run during the Longhorn’s win over the South Choctaw Academy Rebels.