Montgomery earns weekly honor

James Montgomery loves to run the football.

The Andalusia junior running back did that a lot more during the Bulldogs’ 28-27 overtime win against rival Opp last week.

Montgomery rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns on the ground, and returned the opening kick off 87 yards for another score to earn The Star-News’ Player of the Week honors.

“I just like running the football,” Montgomery said. “I’ve been running the football since little league. I just like to play with others on my team.”

The kickoff return for a touchdown came within the opening 13 seconds of the game.

Montgomery said a “wedge” was set up and once he saw the hole, he went for it.

“I saw the big-‘ol hole and I just took the opportunity to make a play for a touchdown,” he said.

Throughout the rest of the game, Montgomery’s teammates were cheering him on to do it once again, the running back said.

Andalusia didn’t get back on board until the third quarter when senior running back Derrick Dorsey knocked the ball in from 5 yards out to cut the game to 21-14.

Montgomery’s first touchdown on the ground came with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter from the Opp 3 to tie the game at 21-all.

For the Bobcats, junior fullback Ty’Keenan White already had a touchdown for the game.

Montgomery and White are friends, but when it comes to playing against each other, getting the most TDs is a must.

“It was just me and Ty’Keenan,” Montgomery said. “In my eyes, I wasn’t about to let him beat me.”

The most crucial touchdown for Montgomery came during overtime.

The Bulldogs set up for their first offensive snap from the 10-yard line, and Montgomery took over and ran it in to tie the game at 27-27.

Being in those type of moments is what drives Montgomery to play the game.

“When the game is close like that, I like stations like that to see how I react to situations like that,” he said. “I think I handled it well.”

Being out there on the turf and running around with his teammates every week is like a “dream come true.”

“Everybody can’t play the game,” Montgomery said. “You have the opportunity to take something big and you can turn it around. In the game, we were down (against Opp). That’s why I wanted to turn the game around and I felt like I could do it.”

Montgomery and the Bulldogs will host Bullock County this week for homecoming, adding that it’s important for the team to stay focused on winning.

Montgomery is the son of James Montgomery Sr. and Roxanne Paige of Andalusia.