Golden Tigers spank Sylacauga

By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
RUSSELLVILLE – With a little more than two minutes remaining in a sloppy, penalty-filled first half on Thursday night, Russellville quarterback Cory Trapp jogged onto the field and prepared to settle his team into their hurry-up offense.
The Golden Tigers, already leading 14-3, were hoping to slam the door on first-round playoff opponent Sylacauga with a back-breaking touchdown drive.
"We knew we wanted to score, because we were getting the ball to start the second half," Trapp said. "It was a chance for us to take control."
On first down from his own 25-yard line, Trapp connected with senior running back Kirby Nelson for 16 yards. After a 9-yard toss to Mike Abernathy, Trapp hit Nelson, senior receiver Justin Thorne and senior tight end Marc Dunn for first-down completions on three straight plays.
Moments later, on fourth-and-six from the Sylacauga 18-yard line, Trapp found Abernathy for seven yards to keep the drive alive. On the next play, he fired a strike to Dunn on a slant pattern for an 11-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the half.
All told, Trapp hit five different receivers on the drive, going 8-of-10 for 75 yards. The PAT failed, but at that point it didn't matter. The Golden Tigers had seized the momentum and, after adding touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half, were well on their way to a 49-3 rout that punched their ticket to the second round.
"That's the pace we prefer to play at the whole game," Russellville coach Perry Swindall said of the two-minute drill just before the half. "The officials don't always let you play at that speed until you actually get in a two-minute situation. Then I think they get kind of excited, too. That was a big drive for us, because we were able to execute a few plays successfully and then put it in the end zone right before the half ended. I think it sent a message."
Trapp, who finished the night 24-of-31 for 236 yards and three touchdowns, said the Golden Tigers (10-1) were able to control the tempo on the critical drive.
"The linemen did a good job of getting on the ball pretty quick after every play," he said. "After that, we just called the plays and ran them. We had a good game plan tonight."
Russellville finished the night with 471 yards of offense and a whopping 31 first downs, bouncing back strong from a poor performance in the previous week's 14-13 loss to Florence.
The Golden Tigers passed for 290 yards and rushed for 181, moving the ball almost at will against the Sylacauga defense.
"I was pleased with our effort tonight," Swindall said. "We didn't punt again for the fourth week in a row. I think when you can go for it on fourth down when you get across midfield, that really helps your offense. We did a good job of running the ball tonight in the second half, and we were able to throw it pretty well and take advantage of the mistakes they made in coverage. I thought Cory did a good job of staying patient in the pocket and making good decisions."
Trapp had plenty of help from his backfield mates. Nelson caught eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 76 yards and a score. Abernathy also had eight catches and finished with 162 yards from scrimmage (including 85 rushing yards on 10 carries).
Defensively, the Golden Tigers held the Aggies (6-5) out of the end zone and allowed only 179 total yards and 13 first downs. They also forced three turnovers, two fumble recoveries by senior lineman Seth Fergerson and an interception in the end zone by senior defensive back Rashad Graham.
The special teams unit also shined, getting a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown by Caleb Mitchell early in the fourth quarter.
"I thought we did some good things against a pretty solid football team tonight," Swindall said. "Sylacauga played everybody close in their region, and it was a tough region. They definitely deserved to be in the playoffs."
The only downside for Russellville was penalties. The Golden Tigers were flagged seven times for 75 yards in the first half alone, including three pass interference penalties.
"We made our share of mistakes tonight," Swindall said. "The penalties are definitely something we have to eliminate."
Russellville got on the board first midway through the opening quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Evan Fergerson. Josh Montgomery's PAT made it 7-0.
After a fumble recovery by Fergerson, Trapp capped off a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 16-yard scoring strike to Nelson that made it 14-0.
A 35-yard field goal by Cason Farr got the Aggies on the board.
A 25-yard run by Abernathy on Russellville's opening drive of the second half set up Trapp's 26-yard touchdown pass to Nate Montgomery. The ensuing two-point pass to Dunn made it 28-3.
After a quick three-and-out by the Aggies, Nelson capped off a 10-play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to make it 35-3 midway through the third quarter.
Mitchell's punt return made it 42-3, and senior fullback Blake Groce closed out the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Backup quarterback Jordan Phillips went 6-of-10 for 54 yards in relief of Trapp.