Author: Emily Wooten

Sylvania runs through Fayette County for first-round playoff victory
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Sylvania runs through Fayette County for first-round playoff victory

Sylvania’s Braiden Thomas (22) stiff-arms Fayette County’s Mason Dixon (3) during a run for a touchdown Friday night. Mandy Helton / Special to Southern Torch

By Roger Scott
Special to Southern Torch

SYLVANIA, Ala. — Sylvania rushed for more than 380 yards behind senior back Braiden Thomas and sophomore Aiden Parham to cruise to a 35-6 victory over Fayette County.

Fayette County (8-3 overall and 4-2 in 3A, Region 5) visited Rams Stadium in the first round of the AHSAA Football Playoffs.

“I thought our guys played well. Found a way to win the game and dominate the game for the most part. We turned the ball over three times, and our defense held them out [of the end zone] all three times,” said Sylvania Head Coach Tyler Vann.

“I think it shows what this team is about. When adversity hits, they continue to fight. Really proud of the way they played,” Vann said. “Any time you can have [more than 380 yards rushing] and dominate the ball game its going to be a good night.”

The Tigers received the opening kickoff and picked up a couple of first downs before Sylvania forced a fumble at its own 43-yard line. Thomas gained 17 yards on a rush, and quarterback Jaxon Smith completed a 15-yard strike to sophomore receiver Josh Scott.

Thomas then carried it in for the 13-yard touchdown with 6:38 in the first quarter. Conner Andrade’s PAT was good for the 7-0 score.

Fayette County had a promising second possession but was plagued with false start penalties and failed to convert a fourth-and-13 pass at Sylvania’s 19-yard line.

The Rams couldn’t capitalize, though, as Smith and Parham mishandled the exchange on a handoff and turned the ball over to the Tigers. Fayette County put itself behind the chains with penalties and again failed to convert on fourth down from the Sylvania 30-yard line.

Thomas and Parham went to work on the ground and Scott hauled in a pass from Smith to move to the Tigers’ 16-yard line. Thomas then took in a direct snap for the touchdown. Sylvania led 14-0 with 7:00 in the second quarter after Andrade’s PAT.

“On offense, thanks to our line, Braiden and Aiden were able to have big night. [Thomas] ran for more than 220 yards, and [Parham] had another 150 or so,” Vann said.

Sylvania defensive players wait for the call from the sideline Friday night vs. Fayette County in the first round of the AHSAA playoffs. Mandy Helton / Special to Southern Torch

The Rams forced a punt on the Tigers’ next drive, and Parham then scampered 70 yards for another Sylvania touchdown at 5:08 left in the half. The PAT was good for the 21-0 lead.

“I thought the kickoff unit did a really good job. Landon Pritchett stood out as our special teams player of the week,” Vann said. “I liked the way our guys played up front on both sides of the football, and our linebackers played well. Proud of the whole group, he said.

Fayette County got on the board with its next possession on a 34-yard touchdown pass by Blake Johnson. The 2-point attempt was no good. At the half, the score was 21-6 in favor of Sylvania.

After a Sylvania turnover in the third quarter, Johnson completed a pass to Cooper Sanford to move to the Sylvania 11-yard line, but Griffin Haygood picked off Johnson’s fade pass in the corner of the end zone to end the threat.

Sylvania dominated most of the second half, as the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and Thomas bolted for scores of 51 and 42 yards to make the final score 35-6.

“Huge win for [us]. Moving forward, it’s day-by-day and trying to find a way to win this week and move on to the next round,” Vann said.

Sylvania travels to Madison Academy for its second-round matchup Friday night.

Sylvania stomps Glencoe to earn homecoming win
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Sylvania stomps Glencoe to earn homecoming win

Sylvania’s offensive line sets for a play against Glencoe Friday night in a 3A, Region 6 matchup.  |  Photo courtesy of Mandy Helton

By Roger Scott
For Southern Torch

Sylvania smothered Glencoe 42-7 Friday night as the Rams bank another region win behind an attacking defense and a balanced offense.

The Rams racked up 470 yards of offense for its homecoming game and limited the Yellow Jackets to one touchdown in a dominating performance.

Sylvania (5-1 overall, 3-1 in 3A, Region 6) received the kick and moved the ball 60-yards before missing a field goal on its opening drive. The Rams then held Glencoe to a three-and-out on its opening drive.

After the punt, sophomore back Aiden Parham picked up 16 yards on a run off right tackle, and Josh Scott hauled in a 55-yard pass from Jaxon Smith to the Glencoe 3-yard-line. Braiden Thomas finished the drive with a touchdown at 2:42. Conner Andrade’s kick made the score 7-0 with 2:42 in the first quarter.

On its next drive, the Yellow Jackets didn’t find much running room. Sylvania’s defensive line stuffed the run, and Ashdon Cooley blocked a punt that Thomas recovered and returned to the 25-yard line. Thomas then finished the drive with a run for the score. Sylvania led 14-0 after the PAT with :44 left in the first quarter.

“Offensively we did a really good job up front moving them. Didn’t start the way we wanted to. They were doing some things we haven’t seen this year on defense with their linebackers running through. We went with some different options, and our line made good adjustments with their movement and steps,” said Sylvania Head Coach Tyler Vann.

To open the second quarter, Sylvania forced a short Glencoe punt. Parham then took a short pass from Smith and found a seam for the 62-yard touchdown. Andrade was good again to bump Sylvania’s lead to 21-0.

In the second quarter, Glencoe’s Garret Gaskin caught a first-down pass from quarterback Nolan Fairley, and Austin Mann ran for another first down. The Rams defensive clamped down along the line and stuffed two runs, and Scott broke up a fourth-down conversion attempt to force the change of possession at the Rams 31-yard line.

“We played really well on defense. We handled their rushing game, which we knew we had to do. I think they had 76 yards rushing at the half, and that’s pretty much all they do,” Vann said.

A catch by Scott, a Thomas run, and a scramble by Smith marched the Rams down the field. Thomas capped the drive untouched on a 4-yard run for the 28-0 lead.

On its next drive, Fairley picked up a first down, but on the next play faced pressure from Cooley and was intercepted by John Robert Dixon. With Griffin Turner in at quarterback, Scott picked up 12-yard and 21-yard gains through the air. The Rams couldn’t finish the drive, however, and turned the ball over on downs at the 39-yard line.

Glencoe received the second-half kickoff and had its best drive of the night. After picking up two first downs, Fairley ran the ball around right end for the 52-yard score. The PAT was good for the 28-7 score with 7:12 in the third quarter.

After the kickoff, Sylvania moved the ball quickly downfield behind a Thomas run and a 25-yard completion from Turner to Watkins. Parham punched it in from two-yards-out and Andrade’s PAT increased the lead to 35-7.

“I felt like we could have run the ball more if we wanted to, but I saw this week as an opportunity to work with our passing game. We threw the ball well; quarterbacks missed a few throws and our receivers had a couple of drops. But this was a good game to work on the things we needed to,” Vann said.

On Glencoe’s next possession, Connor Montgomery picked up 30 yards around left end to the Sylvania 30-yard line. Ky Shankles recovered a bad snap on the next play, but the Rams were forced to punt just before the end of the third quarter.

Glencoe was again forced into a short punt on its next possession. Sylvania began its drive on the Glencoe 28-yard line. Shawn Gimm gained six yards on a carry before Turner completed a short pass to Watkins, who scampered into the end zone for the score and 42-7 final score.  

“We have to continue to get better, continue to work on us. If we want to finish second in the region and host a playoff game, we have to put in the effort we need every single day to improve,” Vann said.

The Rams finished with 270 yards through the air and 200 on the ground. Thomas finished with 91 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, Parham and Watkins each had a touchdown, and Scott led the Rams with 95 yards receiving. Quarterbacks Smith and Turner combined to complete 12 of 24 passes.

Sylvania travels to Plainview on Thursday, while Glencoe (2-4 overall, 0-4 in region play) hosts Piedmont on Friday.

Sylvania rushing attack, takeaways overwhelm Pisgah
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Sylvania rushing attack, takeaways overwhelm Pisgah

Sylvania’s Brant Kittle (33) celebrates after the offense pushes the Pisgah defensive line for a big gain on Friday night. Jason Corbin / Special to Southern Torch

Rams' running game finishes with 350 yards; defense forces six turnovers

By Roger Scott | Special to Southern Torch

PISGAH, Ala. — In a highly-anticipated showdown between neighboring teams, Sylvania’s offense ran wild and the defense had six takeaways against Pisgah en route to a 34-7 victory Friday night.

Braiden Thomas and Aiden Parham found room all night behind an offensive line that created space for the running backs, while the Rams’ defense forced turnovers that killed several promising drives for the Eagles.

“I was really pleased with our run game — our line and our backs. We missed a few blocks up front, but we were able to run the ball well,” said Sylvania Head Coach Tyler Vann.

“On defense, we forced six turnovers — and they were forced — our guys had to make plays to make them happen.”

Pisgah received the opening kick, and on its first play handed off to Legion McCrary, who ran around left end for a big gain that included a penalty at the end of the run. 

Pisgah was flagged for holding on the next play and then missed on a pass, but McCrary was able to reverse field on second down for a 22-yard gain. On 3rd-and- 4, the Rams’ defense stopped Eagles’ quarterback Mason Holcomb on a designed run and broke up a fourth down pass attempt to take over on downs.

Sylvania quarterback Jaxon Smith was intercepted by Luke Gilbert on its opening drive, and the Eagles took over on its own 30-yard line.

After a 15-yard gain through the air, McCrary gained another first down on the ground and the Eagles continued to chew up yards with another first down on a pass from Holcomb to Gilbert. 

Holcomb moved the ball to the 3-yard line on a quarterback keeper, then McCrary punched it in for Pisgah’s only score of the evening with 2:07 left in the first quarter. Dalton Johnson added the PAT for a 7-0 lead in favor of the Eagles.

On Sylvania’s first play after the kickoff, Parham ran 63 yards for the score. Conner Andrade’s PAT was good, and the game was tied at 7-7.

After the kickoff, Holcomb completed a pass to Jakob Kirby for a first down, but Sylvania’s Jonah Gurley snagged the interception on the next play.  The Rams moved the ball on the ground behind Parham and Sylvania quarterback Jaxon Smith, and Thomas capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown. The PAT was good, and Sylvania held a 14-7 lead with 9:40 in the second quarter.

Pisgah navigated down field on its next drive, but a holding penalty against the Eagles erased a touchdown throw from Holcomb to Grant Smith. A few plays later, John Robert Dixon intercepted Holcomb in the end zone for a touchback.

“I was really pleased with our defense. We flew to the football. When you get multiple hats on the ball, you can afford to miss one or two tackles,” Vann said. 

“I look forward to seeing what our defense can do the rest of the year,” he said.

Thomas had a 46-yard gain on the next drive, and then punched it in from two yards out for the score. The PAT was no good, and Sylvania increased its lead to 20-7 just before halftime.

Sylvania received the kickoff to open the second half, and the Eagles defense stayed stout and forced a turnover on downs on its own 42-yard line.

The Rams returned the favor and forced a Pisgah punt with 9:19 in the third quarter. After a first down on the ground, Smith connected with freshman receiver Landon Watkins, who outran defenders for a 71-yard touchdown. Andrade’s PAT was good, and Sylvania blew the game open at 27-7 with 6:23 in the third quarter.

“If we’re going to make a deep run in the playoffs, we have to throw it better. We want to be multiple, and it’s something we’re going to work on moving forward, Vann said. “Jaxon did some good things, and I had us in some bad plays.” 

Pisgah cost itself field position on the kickoff with a penalty, and started the next drive at its 15-yard line.

Luke Gilbert took a screen pass from Holcomb for a big gain, but Thomas stripped the ball at the 44-yard line on the tackle and Sylvania gained possession of the ball.

Kirby intercepted Smith’s pass on the next drive and returned it to the Sylvania 47-yard line to give Pisgah a spark, but Dixon and Gurley broke up a long pass in the end zone, and Brant Kittle brought down Holcomb on fourth down to give the Rams the ball.

Parham then ripped off a 34-yard gain, Smith picked 14 yards on a run to the 10-yard line, and Thomas took a screen pass in for the score. Andrade was good again on the PAT, and the Rams went up 34-7 with just over eleven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Pisgah opened its next possession at its 36-yard line, and on third-and-12, Holcomb found a streaking Kirby on a pass to the Sylvania 16-yard line. Kittle pressured Holcomb as he dropped back and freshman Travis Owens scooped the interception for another Sylvania takeaway.

On a third-and-6 play that capped Sylvania’s impressive performance on the ground, a host of Rams piled in behind Thomas for a 26-yard, rugby-style gain. Sylvania was unable to complete the drive, however, and turned the ball over on downs at the Pisgah 48-yard line.

Holcomb completed a 17-yard strike to Smith, and hit Kirby on a screen pass, but Kittle and Owens again combined to knock the ball loose. Owens recovered the fumble at the Sylvania 36-yard line, and the Rams ran out the clock to close the game.

Sylvania finished with 358 yards rushing and more than 460 yards of total offense. Parham and Thomas both eclipsed 100 yards; Thomas finished with 147 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns, while Parham finished with 168 yards on 16 carries. Watkins finished with 87 yards receiving, and Smith was 5-of-10 for 103 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

For Pisgah, Holcomb finished with 217 yards passing and three interceptions, while McCrary had 65 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

Sylvania and Pisgah both return to region play this week. The Rams are at home against Glencoe, while the Eagles host Whitesburg Christian.

Sylvania muscles past Geraldine to earn region victory
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Sylvania muscles past Geraldine to earn region victory

Braiden Thomas (center, 22) gains first-down yardage against Geraldine Friday. Mandy Helton / Special to Southern Torch

By Roger Scott | For Southern Torch
roger@southerntorch.com

GERALDINE, Ala. — Sylvania earned an important 41-24 win over Geraldine Friday night at Coolidge Isbell Field.

The Rams’ defense forced multiple turnovers and relied on their offense as Geraldine failed to capitalize on good field position in the 3A, Region 6 battle.

“On the whole, I was pleased with our effort, despite the injuries we had during the game. We had guys come in and step up, and I was proud of them,” said Sylvania Head Coach Tyler Vann.

Sylvania received the opening kickoff and moved down the field in six plays behind running backs Braiden Thomas and Aiden Parham and a 17-yard strike from Jaxon Smith to Josh Scott.

Parham went around left end from four yards out for the touchdown with 8:54 left in the first quarter. Sylvania’s two-point conversion attempt was no good.

“Jaxon did a good job managing the game, putting the ball where it needed to go, and making good decisions,” Vann said.

Geraldine went to work on its own 35-yard line after the kickoff and moved the ball behind a steady dose of running back Caleb Hall and direct snaps to Carlos Mann.

Sylvania’s defense pressured Bulldog quarterback Jaxon Colvin on third down, and he couldn’t connect with Mann in the end zone. Garcia kicked the field goal, and with 1:26 left in the first, Sylvania led 6-3.

Geraldine’s defense played tough on Sylvania’s next possession and forced a punt early in the second quarter. Colvin then found Mann behind the defense on a wheel route for a 66-yard score, allowing Geraldine to grab a 10-6 lead at 9:43 in the second quarter.

On Sylvania’s next possession, the Bulldogs missed a key opportunity for an interception on a tipped pass from Smith that landed in receiver Roman McKeehan’s hands at the Geraldine 32-yard line.

Thomas then caught a pass and Parham moved a pile of Bulldogs to the 14-yard line before Smith connected with Scott in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. Andrade’s PAT was good, and Sylvania led 13-10 with 4:00 left in the second quarter.

Vann was pleased with the Rams’ offensive line and running backs against the Bulldogs.

“I felt like early in the game [the offensive line] opened some holes for our backs; they’ve been playing well all year,” Vann said. “They were able to find the holes and gain yards down the field.”

Mann found room down the left side on the kickoff to give the Bulldogs good field position at their own 45-yard line, but Sylvania defensive back Griffin Haygood tipped a Colvin pass that Jonah Gurley caught for the interception.

Jonah Gurley (25) celebrates an interception with Drenon Townsel (52). Mandy Helton / Special to Southern Torch

Parham took a short pass from Smith and followed his blockers for a 56-yard gain to the Geraldine 4-yard line. Thomas then capped the scoring drive, and after the PAT, the Rams held a 20-10 lead with 3:00 left in the half.

The Rams created another Geraldine turnover when Ryan Koger caused a fumble on a Colvin completion to Cody Satterfield. Geraldine’s defense returned the favor by forcing a turnover on downs and then moving the ball into field goal range, but Garcia’s attempt was blocked at the end of the half.

Vann believes the defense was key to the Rams’ win.

“Defensively, we played a good game. We made Geraldine drive the ball down the field [throughout the game], even though we had a couple of bad plays where we got beat deep. We played hard,” Vann said.

In the second half, Hall cut across the field on the kickoff for a long return to the Sylvania 18-yard line. Mann scored another Bulldog touchdown with 10:53 in the third quarter. The PAT was good, and Geraldine closed the score to 20-17.

On Sylvania’s next possession, Smith was injured on a quarterback run. Sophomore Griffin Turner entered the game and engineered a scoring drive that included completions to McKeehan and Scott to the Geraldine 8-yard line.

Parham finished the drive, and Andrade’s PAT was good for the 27-17 lead with 6:48 in the third quarter.

“I was proud of the way Turner came in after Jaxon went down with an injury and managed to drive us down the field for the score. That’s impressive as a sophomore coming in with a bad situation in a must-win region game for us. He did a good job,” Vann said.

On Geraldine’s next possession, after a couple of runs on direct snaps to Mann, Colvin dropped back and was hit by Ashdon Cooley as he released the pass. Scott snagged the interception and returned it 50 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was good and Sylvania held a 34-17 lead.

“I was proud of Josh [Scott], as well as [freshman] Travis Owens, who was our Defensive Player of the Week,” Vann said.

With 2:01 left in the third quarter, Mann again got open on a deep route and caught the throw from Colvin to move to the Sylvania 8-yard line. Mann scored off right end, and Garcia’s PAT made the score 34-24.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs recovered a Thomas fumble. Colvin couldn’t connect with Mann in the end zone, and missed again on a fourth-down pass to turn the ball over to the Rams at the 28-yard line with 7:36 left.

Thomas fueled Sylvania’s last drive, and he outran a Bulldog defender for a 48-yard touchdown with just over 5:00 left.  Geraldine couldn’t move the ball on its final possession, and the game ended with the final score of 41-24.

Sylvania (3-1 overall, 2-1 region play) is scheduled for a matchup against Pisgah, who is ranked as the No. 4 team in 2A.

Geraldine is now 3-2 overall and also 2-1 in region play. The Bulldogs are off this week and host Ohatchee Sept. 30.

Sylvania rumbles to victory over Ohatchee
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Sylvania rumbles to victory over Ohatchee

By Roger Scott | For Southern Torch

SYLVANIA, Ala. — Sylvania used balanced offense and a stout defense to overwhelm Ohatchee 42-14 in a 3A, Region 6 matchup Thursday night.

The Rams piled up the points and yardage while building a quick lead over the Indians in the first half.

Sylvania’s first drive covered 70 yards in just over 2:30. Aiden Parham found running room behind the Rams’ line three times and caught a 22-yard pass from Jaxon Smith. Parham then punched it in from three yards out with just under 9:30 left in the first quarter. Conner Andrade’s PAT was good to give Sylvania the 7-0 lead.

The Rams’ defense forced a three-and-out on Ohatchee’s first possession.

On Sylvania’s next drive, freshman Landon Watkins gained seven yards around right end before Parham took it to the house on a 76-yard scamper. Andrade made the score 14-0 with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

After the kickoff, Sylvania’s defense went to work again as sophomore safety Josh Scott intercepted a pass from Ohatchee quarterback Bryce Noah and returned it to the 3-yard line. Two plays later Smith found Watkins for the touchdown with 4:50 left in the first quarter. After the PAT, the Rams led 21-0.

“Overall, we graded fairly well on the offensive side of the football, a lot of guys executed well and finished blocks up front,” said Sylvania head coach Tyler Vann.

“Our backs did a good job running the ball well… I felt like the things we did early kept [Ohatchee] off balance.”

“Defensively, our guys played pretty well. We stopped the run early and got up 21-0,” Vann said.

On its next drive, Ohatchee gained multiple first downs on the ground behind Noah and senior running back Devin Howell. Noah then bounced outside for a 20-yard gain early in the second quarter to move the ball to the Sylvania 9-yard line. Nathan Jones drove it in to give the Indians’ its first score with 8:09 left in the second quarter. The PAT was no good.

“The double teams did get to us late in the first quarter and second quarter and they were moving us up front a little more than we would have liked,” Vann said. “We’ve got to do a better job keeping the intensity the entire game on defense no matter the score and get to the ball and tackle better,” Vann said.

After the kickoff, behind Parham and sophomore receiver Roman McKeehan, the Rams quickly moved the ball into the Indians’ territory. Parham then scored his third touchdown of the night on a 23-yard run with 5:50 left in the second quarter. Andrade’s PAT gave Sylvania the 28-6 lead.

Ohatchee punted on its next possession with 3:00 left in the half, and Smith completed consecutive passes to Watkins, senior tight end Brant Kittle and McKeehan to move the ball to the Ohatchee 27-yard line. Scott hauled in a pass from Smith with :09 seconds left, but the touchdown was negated by a blindside block penalty. Sylvania held a 28-6 lead at halftime.

At top, Aiden Parham looks for room to run against Ohatchee.  Above, Sylvania's defense swarms to the ball. Photos courtesy of Mandy Helton

Ohatchee couldn’t move the ball into scoring position and turned the ball over on downs with its opening possession of the second half. Sylvania didn’t capitalize on the good field position, however, as Noah picked off Smith’s pass with 4:25 in the third quarter.

“We have to do a better job taking care of the football; we threw one interception on fourth down and we fumbled one in the end zone that Ky [Shankles] was able to jump on,” Vann said.

The Rams’ defense was solid again and forced another Ohatchee punt. Vann said he was pleased with how his younger guys are playing on defense.

“We missed some tackles, and some guys weren’t in the right spot, but that’s what happens when you’re playing a lot of young guys,” Vann said.

“They’re growing up and I’m glad to see them getting a lot of reps. It’s good experience.” 

Watkins then took a short pass from Smith and sprinted 49-yards to the Ohatchee 5-yard line. Parham finished the drive with a touchdown, and Sylvania led 35-6 at the end of the third quarter.

“Special teams were really good. Andrade was a bright spot; he kicked the ball well. We lost contain one time on kickoff and we were perfect on extra points,” Vann said.

Ohatchee moved the ball in the fourth quarter and added their next score with 7:38 left in the game on a pass from Noah to Howell. Noah added the two-point conversion for the 35-14 score.

Scott recovered Ohatchee’s onside kick attempt, and Smith completed a 21-yard pass to Watkins to move Sylvania into scoring position. Parham got hit while crossing the goal line, and Ky Shankles jumped on the ball for the final Sylvania touchdown with 5:38 left in the game.

Sylvania’s defense forced another punt and the Rams ran out the clock on offense.

Sylvania finished with more than 450 yards of offense, with 249 coming on the ground. Smith finished 12-15 for 204 yards with one touchdown and one interception, Parham rumbled to 161 yards on 16 carries and four touchdowns, and Watkins had 97 yards receiving and a touchdown.

This week, Sylvania visits Geraldine in a key region game, while Ohatchee hosts Piedmont.