Andalusia Bulldogs roll to key region victory over Carroll, 45-14

Published 10:33 pm Friday, October 18, 2024

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Andalusia Bulldogs rolled to a big region victory over Carroll High School Friday night, 45-14, setting up a key matchup with Montgomery Catholic next week in the Bulldogs’ final regular season game.

Andalusia was kicking on all cylinders, scoring in all facets of the game, including a game-opening kickoff return. The defense was dominate, forcing four turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown. The defense held Carroll scoreless through three quarters.

With the win, the Bulldogs move to 4-1 in the region and are tied with Charles Henderson for the second seed in Region 2. Undefeated Catholic sits at the top of the region.

With back-to-back region wins, Andalusia Head Coach Trent Taylor said he was happy with the effort of his team, including younger players who saw playing time in the second half.

“I thought our kids did a really good job. It started with the opening kickoff for a touchdown. I’m really, really proud of them. I’m also proud that we had a lot of young men who got to go on the field tonight, some who haven’t gotten to do so all year. They worked their tails off this summer just like all the other guys. It was good to see them get some action tonight,” Taylor said.

The coach said he expects his team to continue improving as they approach the final regular season game against the undefeated Knights.

“We have to take care of us. We know what Catholic has; they have a great football team. All we can do is get ourselves ready and I think we’ll do that. If the past few weeks are any indication we’ll have a great week of practice and then we’ll go play,” he said.

The Bulldogs got things going in a hurry against the Eagles. Calvin Daniels took the opening kickoff 65 yards to the end zone to start the scoring. Cobb Stewart’s PAT made the score 7-0.

Andalusia’s offense put up the next points on a big 56-yard connection between quarterback Noah Curry and Daniels, increasing the lead to 14-0 after Stewart’s point-after.

Two sacks, the first a combined effort between Jamerrion McIntosh and C.J. Likely, and the second by Connor Ray led to another Eagle punt.

The next score came with 8:05 remaining in the second quarter when a 55-yard run by Zerrick Jones set Curry up for a 5-yard run into the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Jones, Curry and Jordyn Skanes ran the ball for chunks of yardage, but a holding penalty and a sack brought forced Andalusia into a fourth-and-25. The coaches called on Stewart who nailed a 40-yard field goal to make the score 24-0 with 2:09 remaining in the first half.

A quick three-and-out gave the Bulldogs one more chance before the half and capitalized with a 34-yard touchdown run from Jones, making the halftime score 31-0.

The Bulldogs kept the momentum on their side to start the second half when Kalvin Woods hauled in an interception and returned for a defensive score. Sophomore William Grimes knocked in the point-after to give Andalusia a 38-0 edge.

An Eagle fumble on the next series provided another opportunity for the Bulldogs, this time with some other faces in the backfield with Baryden Ware in at quarterback and Zade Newton and M.J. Berry taking the handoffs. Ultimately, it was Newton who pushed the ball in from the 1-yard line with 3:25 to go in the third quarter. Grimes’ PAT gave the Bulldogs a 45-0 lead.

Carroll did the scoring the final period, wrapping the game up with a 90-yard touchdown pass that led to the 45-14 final.

Andalusia will play its final regular season game on Friday, Oct. 25, when they host Montgomery Catholic.