GSHS hosts 5A semifinal Dec. 1; winner will play for state title in T-town
GSHS hosts 5A semifinal Dec. 1; winner will play for state title in T-town
And then there were four.
The top ranked AHSAA Class 5A Gulf Shores High School football team took one step closer to an undefeated season and the school’s first state championship with a 35-14 win over Headland at Headland’s J.J. Yarbrough Stadium on Nov. 24.
The unbeaten Dolphins (13-0) host Eufaula on Dec. 1 at 7 pm. at Mickey Blackwell Stadium on County Rd. 6 for the right to travel to Tuscaloosa the following weekend for the state Class 5A championship game. Eufaula edged Demopolis 20-17 on Nov. 24 to earn their slot in the semis.
Guntersville (12-1) travels to Birmingham to play Ramsay (11-2) in the other semifinal. Ramsay defeated Moody 40-27, and Guntersville scored a 31-21 victory over Pleasant Grove in the quarterfinals.
The Super 7 State Championships will be played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa beginning Dec. 6 with the flag football girls’ tournament finals. All state championship games will be broadcast live on Alabama Public Television.
Headland, like Gulf Shores, was also playing in the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
GSHS limited the Ram offense to 112 yards through three shutout quarters before the Rams rallied late to finish with 253 yards. The speedy Dolphin defense sacked Headland quarterback Jaxon Williams five times and forced two intentional grounding penalties.
The Dolphins took control of the game early, scoring on three of four first-half possessions to build a 21-0 halftime lead. Will Langston added the point after on each of the touchdown. The Dolphins drove 79 yards in 11 plays for their first score, with running back Kolin Wilson scoring on a 6-yard run behind the left side of the line.
Headland’s only threat before the game was decided came on a first quarter turnover that gave the home team the ball on the Dolphin 40. The Dolphins eventually took over on downs after the Rams advanced to the Gulf Shores 12 yard line.
Gulf Shores quarterback Jud Harris pitched the ball to North Carolina State commitment Ronnie Royal on a reverse for a 26-yard TD run for the second GSHS touchdown. Gulf Shores capitalized on a short field from the Headland 30 yard line after stuffing a 4th-and-2 fake punt for their third score. Receiver Braden Jackson stepped inside a defender and made a leaping catch in the end zone to complete a 30-yard TD pass from Harris 2:42 before halftime.
The Dolphins added another touchdown in the third quarter on a 2-yard Royal run up the middle that capped a five-play, 43-yard drive that included a 30-yard run to the 4 yard line by Royal. Soph Jamichael Garrett forced a fumble recovered by senior Isaiah Hammac to set up the score. The visitors increased their lead to 35-0 with 5:49 left in the game when Royal scored again on a 30-yard reverse.
The Rams scored twice in the final three minutes, including a TD with17 seconds left.
Dolphin sophomore Landon Everett made nine tackles and senior Kingston Lowe had four sacks and five tackles for loss. Junior Carter Byrd contributed seven tackles. The Dolphin defense forced two intentional grounding penalties.
Wilson rushed for 153 yards on 14 carries and Royal 106 yards on 12 carries. It marked the 11th time this season that Wilson ran for more than 100 yards. Gulf Shores has scored at least 35 points in eight consecutive games