Madison Academy Rises to the Occasion
Championship game MVP Malik Miller runs against Leeds
(PHOTO CONTRIBUTED)
TUSCALOOSA- When the season started, Madison Academy Head Football Coach Eric Cohu knew his team would have a target on their back every week as the reigning Class 3A state champions.
Thursday at Bryant Denney Stadium in Tuscaloosa, any doubt about what his team could accomplish was erased as the Mustangs dominated a 12-2 Leeds team on their way to a 31-14 win to claim their second straight Class 3A state title. They now have won titles on Auburn and Alabama’s home field.
“My hats off to our seniors, they stayed the course 15-0 I’m real proud of those guys,” Cohu said. “We’ve had our ups and downs but we finished strong and that builds character for their future.”
Madison Academy has 15 seniors.
Cohu’s 61 wins in five years put him second among the winningest coaches in MadisonAcademy history. He will pass George Bennett with 7 more wins.
This title was earned the tough way as MadisonAcademy posted road wins over Piedmont (11-1) and Saks (13-0) to advance to the championship game for the third year in a row. Two years ago they lost on a last second play to Handley but this game was never in doubt.
Madison Academy struck on their first possession. Kerryon Johnson ran 43 yards on third-and-eight and Nathan Geis kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Malik Miller then scored the first of his two touchdowns to make it 14-0. Leeds threatened but was turned back by the Mustangs defense just before halftime.
Leeds pulled to within seven points twice in the third quarter at 14-7 and 21-14. Geis drilled a 45-yard field goal to put Academy up by 10 with 8:00 lift in the game.
La’Markus Martin, a senior, scored Academy’s last touchdown from three yards out with 3:28 left in the game.
Academy rolled up 364 rushing yards. Game MVP Malik Miller, a sophomore, churned out 168 rushing yards on 20 carries. Junior Kerryon Johnson battled ankle and shoulder injuries to run for 93 yards.
Cohu estimated Johnson was 75% healthy on the ankle and 50% with the shoulder.
Madison Academy’s Kerryon Johnson leaps over Leeds’ Jacoby Lockhart for yardage in the first quarter of the Leeds vs. Madison Academy Class 3A State Championship game at Bryant Denny Stadium Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. (Photo Contributed)
“He can’t lift his arm. He reinjured the shoulder twice today but stayed out there as a decoy and fought through the pain on defense at safety, tough kid phenomenal player. It shows his heart and character,” Cohu said. “He has been our playmaker in the last two championship games.”
Johnson who has offers from most major college programs including Alabama and Auburn said he is already working toward another state title run next year.
“We can’t be satisfied. I feel a lot of us are still hungry from when we came here two years ago and lost. We have to keep that hunger alive.”
Johnson injured an ankle against Piedmont two weeks ago leaping over a tackler.
“The playoffs were tough for me with injuries but at this time of year injuries is part of the game.”
