By Marla Jones, Sports Editor • marla@southerntorch.com (Photo by Cheryl Boydston)
FYFFE, Ala. — The Fyffe Red Devils defeated the Red Bay Tigers, 45-6 in the quarterfinals of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 2A State Playoffs on Friday night.
Red Bay received the opening kickoff but Fyffe held them, forcing them to punt. On second down and with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter, Ike Rowell took it to the house from 55 yards out. The kick by Brody Dalton gave the Red Devils the 7-0 lead.
With 7:53 remaining in the second quarter, Fyffe scored on a 17-yard run by Rowell. Dalton added the extra point. With 4:30 remaining in the second, Kyle Dukes stampeded in from 19-yards out. The kick by Dalton gave the Red Devils the 21-0 advantage. With 1:00 remaining in the second quarter, Zach Pyron connected with Hunter Gillilan on a 12-yard pass to take the 28-0 lead. With :45 seconds remaining in the first half, Stiefel intercepted the ball on the 22-yard line. As time was expiring in the first half, Dalton kicked a 22-yard field goal to go into intermission with the 31-0 advantage.
The Red Devils received the second-half kickoff. Nine plays and 55-yards later, Pyron scored from 1-yard out on a quarterback keeper to take the 38-0 lead. Three plays later, Rowell intercepted the ball and returned it 18 yards. Mize carried five of the eight snaps to score on a 1-yard dash into the endzone with 26.9 remaining in the third to give Fyffe the 45-0 lead.
Red Bay put their only points on the board with 4:50 remaining in the game, scoring on a 37-yard touchdown run, to make the final 45-6.
“I thought our guys really played physical Friday night against Red Bay and I was proud of them for their efforts. It was a bad night, weather-wise, but we kept our focus,” said Fyffe Head Coach Paul Benefield.
The Fyffe Red Devils (13-0) will host the Collinsville Panthers (12-1) at Long-Ridgeway Stadium on Friday. At their last meeting on September 13, the Red Devils defeated the Panthers, 24-3. Fyffe has only allowed their competitors 36 points this season, to be ranked the number one scoring defense in all classifications. Fyffe has won 28 straight games and celebrated Coach Paul Benefield’s 250th win at Fyffe and his 295th win overall against on Friday. Collinsville has won the last nine games since their meeting on September 13.
“Collinsville has a great football team and it should be a very competitive game as a semi final game should be,” concluded Benefield. “There is only four teams left and everyone is a contender for the Class 2A title.”
