Dominant defense sends Mustangs to state final

SCOTT WRIGHT / SPECIAL TO THE RECORD

To the winner goes a trip to Tuscaloosa and a potential date with a state championship. The biggest game of the season for both Rogers and Madison Academy took place in one of the best high school football environments in North Alabama.

In a game like this, momentum can swing in an instant. The Mustangs fumbled the ball away early, but the momentum came back nearly immediately as freshman Kerryon Johnson broke a long touchdown run to give MA the 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw a dominating effort from the Mustang offense, but zero points to show for it. Rogers’ defense stood up and kept the Mustangs out of the end zone for four downs from the four yard line. The score at the half was MA 7, Rogers 0.

The Mustangs started the second half with the ball and made it count. Another opportunity inside the five would not be wasted as Johnson would score once more to make the score 14-0. The Pirates would answer immediately, connecting on a long pass play to put them in the red zone.

They would score four plays later to bring the score to 14-7 late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw great defensive plays from both sides, but a scramble by Hunter Olive allowed him to complete a long pass to Chandler Trach. Marcus Sease would punch it in to make the score 21-7 with only five minutes remaining.

On the Pirates’ next drive, Kerryon Johnson would strike again with an interception. The Mustangs, not content to run out the clock, would see Olive call his own number and score to make it 27-7.

A late pick six by Trach would cap the scoring and send the Mustangs to Tuscaloosa with a final of 34-7. MA will play at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1.