Jamal Hourel scored five touchdowns as the Andalusia Bulldogs held off Dadeville for a 44-26 victory in the second round of the AHSAA football state playoffs.

Dadeville was the first to crack the scoreboard as they traveled 75 yards on eight plays before Margarius Buchanan connected with Ty Stone for a 4-yard score. The two-point attempt failed, giving the Tigers a 6-0 lead.

The Bulldogs responded right away when Jaylon Washington returned the kickoff 78 yards for the touchdown. Chase Hopkins nailed the extra point to give Andalusia a 7-6 lead with 5:22 left in the first quarter.

Andalusia used a little trickery with an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and Tyquise Jenkins recovered the ball for the Bulldogs.

Hourel then picked up a first down with a 21-yard run on his first carry of the game. B.J. Anderson followed with a 16-yard run for back-to-back first downs. A few plays later, Hourel capped the drive off with a 3-yard touchdown. The extra-point just missed, leaving the Bulldogs with a 13-6 lead.

Dadeville tied the game up on the following drive after a rushing touchdown from Buchanan.

Andalusia drove down the field on the next drive, but the Bulldogs coughed the ball up on the Dadeville 3-yard line.

A few drives later, Dadeville took over at midfield when Buchanan connected with Tre Johnson for a what looked like a first down, but Zack Woods ripped the ball out of Johnson’s hands to give the ball back to the Bulldogs.

Hourel needed just one play to go 42 yards for the touchdown. Hourel broke several tackles on his way to the end zone. Hopkins was good on the extra-point to give Andalusia a 20-13 advantage.

After the Bulldogs forced a punt from the Tigers, Hourel found the end zone for the third time with an 8-yard burst up the middle. Hopkins was good on the extra-point to give Andalusia a 27-13 lead.

Dadeville got in the end zone just before halftime on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Buchanan to Isaiah Hicks to cut the score to 27-20.

In the second half, the Bulldogs drove down the field on their second drive, but the drive stalled near the Tigers’ 10-yard line. Hopkins drilled the 27-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 30-20 lead with five minutes left in the third.

Dadeville started to drive on the next series, but Buchanan lost the ball and it was recovered by the Bulldogs.

A few drives later, Buchanan turned the ball over again, this time on an interception from Jenkins.

Penalties put the Bulldogs in a first-and-25 to start the drive, and on the first play Ethan Wilson connected with Jaxon Rudolph for 24 yards.

Wilson picked up the first down with a 4-yard run on the following play.

Hourel then capped the drive off with his fourth touchdown of the game with a 28-yard run. Hopkins was good with the extra-point to give Andalusia 37-20 lead with 7:33 left in the game.

The Bulldogs’ defense forced a turnover on downs for the Tigers on the following possession, and Will Clark helped stop the Tigers with a sack.

When the Bulldogs took back over, Hourel went right back to work. He was nearly brought down at the line of scrimmage, but somehow just before the seat of his pants hit the ground, Hourel shot back up and then snaked his way 16-yards for his fifth touchdown of the game.

The Tigers got one more score just before the game ended to bring the final score to 44-26.

Hourel led the way for the Bulldogs with 281 yards and five touchdowns on 32 carries, becoming the all-time single-season rushing leader in school history with 2,257 yards on the season.

“They were a tough group to stop,” Andalusia coach Trent Taylor said of the Tigers. “We told the guys how good No. 4 (Buchanan) was, but until they actually saw him out here, I don’t think we really knew how fast he was. We got the job done tonight. Jamal (Hourel) and James (Montgomery) both ran the ball well tonight. James has been banged up the past few weeks, and he made really good long run to give us a first down. I’m just so proud of the way we played tonight. Coach Helms changed some things up at halftime with the defense, and they did a tremendous job in the second half.”

The Bulldogs will be back on the road next week for round three when they head north to take on the Munford Lions.