Russellville dream of perfect season ended by Hartselle

By Staff
Todd Thompson
Hartselle Enquirer
HARTSELLE – The celebration was more subdued this year, but Hartselle's football team weathered another battle with Russellville in a 27-13 victory over the No. 2 ranked Golden Tigers Friday at J.P. Cain Stadium.
The win was the second straight regular-season victory for Hartselle in the long-time series dating back to 1951. It also marked the second time the Tigers have beaten Russellville in the last three meetings between the two schools.
Hartselle stayed unbeaten with the win, improving to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Class 5A Region 8 play.
Russellville dropped to 3-1 and 2-1.
"Hartselle played real well," said Russellville head coach Doug Goodwin. "They didn't make many mistakes and we made a bunch of them. The team that makes a lot of mistakes in a game like this usually loses.
"We've got no excuses. We just made too many mistakes. They just outplayed us."
Russellville was playing just hours after the death of senior center Jonas Boyles' father.
"It was a tough day for us, but we won't use that as an excuse either," Goodwin said.
Russellville came into the game with Hartselle having won 14 of the last 15 matchups, including a 13-6 victory in Hartselle last season in the third round of the state playoffs that spoiled the Tigers' perfect season.
Russellville leads the overall series 23-5-1.
"I think Russellville's goal was to keep seven men in the box and keep us running the ball," said Hartselle head coach Bob Godsey. "Our goal was to spread it out so we could run it. When we couldn't, we had to throw it."
Hartselle used its regular-season win over the Golden Tigers last year as a crucial step toward the region championship. Godsey hopes that Friday's win will do the same.
"This was a big win for us," he said. "It would have been a big win for them. But this (region race) is in no way close to being over. By no means is it over."
Hartselle was able to manage Russellville's offensive attack that had rushed for 758 yards in the Golden Tigers' first three games. Russellville scored just one offensive touchdown in the loss to Hartselle.
"I thought our defense did a great job," Godsey said.
Hartselle opened up a 14-0 lead in the first half – a lead the Tigers would not relinquish – with a pair of time-consuming drives.
After Hartselle's defense stopped Russellville on downs inside the 10-yard line, the Tigers went 94 yards in 16 plays for the game's first touchdown.
Hartselle capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Malcom Fossett for the lead on the first play of the second half.
The drive was kept alive with a pair of third-down conversions and a fourth-down conversion.
Hartselle added to the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by James Seiglock just before the end of the first half on a fourth-and-goal situation to cap a nine-play drive.
But Russellville took advantage of one of Hartselle's few mistakes, recovering a botched squib kick at the Russellville 45-yard line.
Three straight Joey Howe completions set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jyran Darby with 25.8 seconds remaining in the first half.
Howe was intercepted midway through the third quarter by Hartselle linebacker Logan Cain, who returned the pick 26-yards for the touchdown and a 21-7 Tigers' advantage.
Cain finished the night with two of the Tigers' four interceptions.
"I can't remember ever having two interceptions in a game," Cain said. "I don't even think I've had two interceptions play Xbox."
The touchdown was the fifth of the season for the Tigers' defense.
Russellville's Mason Willis returned a punt 70 yards for a score in the third quarter that got the Golden Tigers back to within eight at 21-13.
The extra point attempt was blocked by Tyler Phillips.
Jackson Reeves added an interception for Hartselle early in the fourth quarter to stop another Russellville drive.
After finishing with 12 first downs in the opening half, Hartselle struggled to move the ball against Russellville's defense on its next four possessions.
But a late pass from Lang to Will Tiffin in front of the Russellville bench set up a Fossett 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left to seal the win.