Hanceville Back Runs For 369 yards Into Spotlight 

             Hanceville High School senior tailback Diamond Simmons has had some big games this season, but none were bigger than Friday's showdown in Class 3A, Region 5 in a battle of unbeatens between Hanceville and Hamilton.
            Simmons spearheaded a 42-24 win over the host Aggies with 369 yards rushing on 23 carries and grabbed the AHSAA's Week 9 Prep Spotlight in the process. He scored four touchdowns on runs of 60, 28, 90 and 70 yards as the Bulldogs (9-0) clinched the Region 5 title with a 7-0 record. He also made two interceptions on defense.
             Hamilton (8-1), finished second at 6-1 after going 14-1 last season to win the region and reach the Class 3A finals.

            Simmons' performance edged out a record-setting effort by Trinity Presbyterian senior place-kicker Andy Pappanastos, who booted four field goals in Trinity Presbyterian’s 40-21 win over Montgomery Academy Friday night to become the AHSAA’s career field goal leader. He had field goals of 24, 37, 41 and 44 yards to give him 14 this season and 46 overall.

            Pappanastos came into the contest one behind state leader Philip Doyle of Birmingham's Huffman High School (1983-86). Doyle's 43 field goals were a national record at the time but has since been surpassed by four others including current NFHS national record holder Jimmy Stevens of Oklahoma City Heritage Hall (OK) with 50. Pappanastos is now just four away from tying that mark with at least two games remaining in the Wildcats season.

            His four field goals in one game is a career high and one shy of the state single-game mark set by Ricky Beck of Geneva in 1970 and tied by Tim Rogers of Mountain Brook in 1990 and Josh Woodard of Decatur in 2001.

            Trinity (6-3)  travels to Elmore County Friday night for the final game of the regular season and is at Gordo Nov. 5 in the first round of the Class 3A state football playoffs.

            Item of interest: Plainview saw its streak of 22 straight state playoff appearances come to an end despite an off week. The Bears, who have had 11 region titles in that span, finished tied with Geraldine at 4-4 in Class 3A, Region 7. The Bulldogs beat Plainview 14-6 in their head-to-head battle in week three of the season and claimed the fourth playoff spot behind Sardis, Madison Academy and Sylvania in the nine-team region. Plainview had two trips to the 3A finals, two trips to the 3A semifinals and six trips to the quarterfinals in the playoff streak from 1989-2010.

Other top performances reported:

Troy Minnifield, Saint Jude: Completed 8-of-13 passes for 363 yards and seven touchdowns in the Pirates' 67-0 win over Fayetteville.

Sean Ward, Fruitdale: Rushed 25 times for 271 yards and five touchdowns (5, 65, 28, 43, 1 yard) as Fruitdale downed Saint Luke's 46-24. He also had two catches for 49 yards and a sixth TD and recorded 11 tackles, forced one fumble and made one interception on defense.

Jim Furlow, Oak Grove: Rushed for 343 yards on 23 carries with touchdown runs of 9, 13, 7, 21 and 40 yards in a 61-32 win over Tarrant.

Jeremy Johnson, Carver-Montgomery: Completed 25-of-36 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines beat Benjamin Russell 42-17 to clinch second place in Class 6A, Region 4 with the win.

 Jacob Kennedy and Terrance Hollingsworth, Berry: Kennedy completed 9-of-12 passes for 206 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 124 yards on nine carries in the Wildcats’ 56-16 win over Hubbertville. He also had five tackles on defense. Hollingsworth ran for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, caught three passes for 77 yards and one TD and also completed a 65-yard TD pass. He had one interception on defense.

 Justin Sanderson, Marion County: Anchored an offense that rolled up 369 yards and seven touchdowns in the Raiders' 63-28 win over previously unbeaten Lynn with a game-high 153 yards on 26 carries. He had TD runs of 1 and 4 yards. Sean Wallace, who had 105 yards on nine carries, also scored twice on runs of 59 and 7 yards. DeShawn Reibesehl added two rushing TDs and Colbey Cole had the other.

Trent Thrash, Fyffe: The sophomore running back carried 17 times for 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-6 victory over Sand Rock. Thrash scored all three TDs in the first half on runs of 11, 9 and 98 yards.

Johnathan "Rudy" Ford, New Hope: The junior running back carried 31 times for 255 yards in a 42-41 loss to Sylvania. Ford's totals included TDs of 31, 55, 2 and 6 yards in the fourth quarter as the Indians nearly wiped out a 42-14 deficit in a game they had to win to qualify for the playoffs. Ford’s other TD came from 1 yard out.

Deion Moore, Houston County: The Lions' quarterback rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries and four touchdowns and was 15-of-21 passing for 122 yards and two more scores in a 51-50 win over Cottonwood. Moore also had two interceptions on defense.

Brody White, Crossville: The freshman quarterback/safety carried 17 times for 107 yards and completed 10-of-16 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns (20 and 12 yards) as the Lions downed DAR 21-6. White also recovered a fumble for a touchback in the second half, ending a DAR scoring threat with Crossville leading 14-6.

Kaleb Beck, Dadeville: Completed 21-of-28 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards on 14 carries in the Tigers’ 32-31 win over Beauregard, which clinched the region title and kept Dadeville's season perfect in the 4A battle of unbeatens.

Elijah Jenkins, Parker: Was 18-of-25 passing for 270 yards and three TDs and rushed for 70 yards on 10 carries in a 41-35 overtime win over Pleasant Grove.

Eli Williams, Pleasant Grove: Rushed for 255 yards on 24 carries with TD runs of 18, 12, 27, and 46 yards in the 41-35 overtime loss to Parker.

Cameron Echols-Luper, Auburn: Completed 6-of-14 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and ran for 128 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns in the Tigers' 24-16 win over rival Opelika.

Conner Bryant, Alma Bryant: Rolled up 306 yards total offense in a 47-27 victory over Mary Montgomery to keep the Hurricanes' playoff hopes alive. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns and also ran 14 times for 108 yards and three TDs, as the Hurricanes finished with a school-record 492 yards of total offense.

Dustyn Moseley, Jackson: Completed 14-of-21 passes for 232 yards and a score (6 yards), and scored on two runs (1 and 7 yards) as unbeaten Jackson defeated Thomasville 28-9 to claim the Class 4A, Region 1 title. It also snapped a 23-game Tigers winning streak.

Jason Smith, McGill-Toolen: Threw touchdown passes of 59 and 6 yards and returned the opening kick of the second half 75 yards for another score as undefeated McGill-Toolen (9-0) upset defending 6A state champion Daphne 38-28. The loss snapped Daphne's winning streak at 23 and dropped the Trojans to 8-1 this season as the Jackets claimed the Class 6A, Region 2 championship. Smith also caught a 33-yard reverse pass that set up a field goal just before halftime that gave McGill-Toolen the lead for good, 24-21.

Chester Rogers, Lee-Huntsville: Had 19 receptions and three touchdowns in a 48-26 loss to Muscle Shoals.

Garrius Chappell, Montevallo: Rushed for 232 yards on 28 carries with TD runs of 3 and 34 yards in a 35-20 win over Hale County to clinch a playoff berth in Class 3A, Region 4.

Curtis Williams, Collinsville: The senior wide receiver/safety caught four passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns and also intercepted two passes, returning one 48 yards for a TD, in a 49-13 win over Valley Head. Williams' TD receptions covered 43 and 34 yards. All three of his scores came in the first half.

Zach King, Sylvania: The junior quarterback/safety intercepted a two-point conversion pass with 55 seconds remaining, preserving Sylvania's 42-41 victory over New Hope. King closed with six tackles. He also carried 13 times for 79 yards and one touchdown (20 yards) and completed 6-of-15 passes for 133 yards and two TDs (40 and 26 yards). King also threw for a two-point conversion.

Rocqueze Harris, Carver-Montgomery: Had 10 tackles and two interceptions, one he returned 35 yards for a TD, as the Wolverines beat Benjamin Russell 42-17.

Alex Plagenhoef, Providence Christian: The Eagles senior, normally a tight end in kicking situations, was called on to use his foot and responded with a 37-yard field goal with 23 seconds left, giving Providence Christian a 17-16 win over Houston Academy, the Eagles' first win in four games with their nearby rivals. Plagenhoef also had seven tackles on defense, including one in a goal-line stand inside the 2. He also had two receptions for 26 yards in the game. Teammate Nick McCallister led Providence with 11 tackles including three for losses.

Cody Trusty, Cottonwood: Caught 10 passes for 125 yards and four touchdowns (20, 21, 20 and 15 yards) and added a 5-yard touchdown run in the Bears' 51-50 loss to Houston County. Trusty also had 12 tackles on defense.

Harrison Collier, Carroll: Collier was credited with 17 tackles on defense and had a fumble recovery in the Eagles' 34-20 win over Rehobeth.

Chris Green, New Brockton: Threw an 11-yard pass to Jerrell Thomas in overtime and then made a fourth-down tackle to help preserve the lead in the Gamecocks' 23-16 OT win over Samson. He finished the game with 14 tackles on defense, 69 yards rushing with a 5-yard touchdown and 120 yards passing, including the winning TD. 

Jordan Chunn, Madison County: Rushed for 176 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns, threw a 46-yard TD pass and made 16 tackles in a 41-25 win over Southside-Gadsden.

Wes Bentley, Pelham: Made 13 tackles as Pelham kept its playoff hopes alive with a 23-14 win over Homewood.

Torrandine Harris, Midfield: Sparked the Patriots on defense with 3½ sacks, a blocked punt and fumble recovery as Midfield beat Fayette County 34-6 to win the Class 4A, Region 5 title.

Emil Harris, Saraland: Rushed for 293 yards and 4 touchdowns as Saraland rolled past W.S. Neal 42-28.

Tyler Rogers, Mobile Christian: Ran for 201 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns covering 63, 19 and 17 yards in Mobile Christian's 52-17 win against Cottage Hill Christian. Teammate R.J. Mix added TD runs of 70, 45 and 6 yards and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown for the Leopards.

Chris Johnson, Escambia County: Completed 14-of-25 passes for a career-best 290 yards and four touchdowns (71, 26, 96, 14 yards) in a 33-0 win over Monroe County. Teammate Carl Staples had five catches for 136 yards and TDs covering 71 and 26 yards.

ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 
Ron Ingram / Director of Communications / 334-263-6994