Demopolis pulls away from Shelby County early

Demopolis scored 14 points in a span of 14 second Friday night on the way to a 40-12 dispatching of Class 5A, Region 3 foe Shelby County. The Tigers wasted little time wresting away control in the first meeting between the two programs since 2009.

Kejuan Gracie hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Stevenson with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter to put Demopolis up 7-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Kyjuan Rhone recovered a fumble and returned it for a score to push the lead to 14-0.

The Tigers’ first quarter dominance continued when Brandon Franklin handled all five plays on an 82-yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 10-yard run. Tavian Brown later cashed in a scoop-and-score opportunity when the Wildcat punter dropped the ball on his own 22.

The Tigers later added a score on a 6-yard Antonio Besteder run and a 33-yard Rashad Boone rush.

Shelby got its points on a 58-yard pass from Chase Holliman to Tyrese Goodman in the second quarter and a 54-yard Goodman run in the fourth quarter.

Besteder paced the Tigers with 184 yards on 18 carries. Demopolis (5-1, 3-0), which his now 5-1 all time against Shelby County, travels to Central-Tuscaloosa next week.