(Photo by Marla Jones)
By Amy Thrash, Sports Reporter
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — The Fort Payne Wildcats defeated the Albertville Aggies 42-21 on Friday night. This is the Wildcats first win under new coach Chris Elmore.
The Wildcats got off to a fast start against the Aggies. Donald Winchester dashed to the end zone with a 13-yard touchdown. The PAT by Alex McPherson was good, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead with 6:17 remaining in the first quarter .With 1:15 left in the first quarter, the Wildcats faked a punt and Matthew Shaddix ran a 51-yard touchdown giving the Wildcats the 14-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Jordan Bain connected with Matthew Shaddix for the 21-yard touchdown pass, giving the Wildcats a 21-0 lead. With 4:29 left in the second quarter Jordan Bain scored on a quarterback keeper from 5 yards out, making the score 28-0.
The Albertville Aggies recovered a fumble on Fort Payne’s opening drive and scored on a 36-yard touchdown with 11:05 remaining in the third quarter. The Wildcats went three-and-out on their next two possessions. The Aggies scored again on a 69-yard touchdown with 5:55 left in the third quarter. With 23.9 seconds left in the third, the Aggies score on a 29- yard run, cutting the lead to seven.
At the start of the fourth quarter Winchester dashed down the field for a 27-yard touchdown, giving the Wildcats the 35-21 lead, with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats defense forced a turnover on downs . With 2:34 remaining in the game, Shaddix scored from the 1-yard line. The final score was Fort Payne 42, Albertville 21.
“I was really proud of our kids for how they completed and executed when our backs were against the wall,” said Head Coach Chris Elmore. “When you start out 0-2, that 3rd game can be the fork in the road. Our players and assistant coaches did a great job of rising to the challenge and played some good football to get the first win of the season and hopefully get back on the right track.”
Hunter Lee is Coach Elmore’s Defensive Player of the Week, and Junior Marquez is the Offensive Player of the Week.
The Fort Payne Wildcats will travel to Huntsville to play the Jemison Jaguars at 7PM.
