Red Bay topples Phil Campbell 54-20
The Red Bay Tigers survived a wild start to come back and overwhelm their county rival Phil Campbell with a 54-20 win Friday night.
Less than four minutes into the game, Phil Campbell jumped out to a 14-0 lead; Red Bay, however, went on to outscore the Bobcats 54-6 the rest of the way, dominating the line of scrimmage.
The Tigers rushed the ball for 220 of their 303 total yards while holding Phil Campbell to 71 rushing yards, forcing the Bobcat to go to the air. The Bobcats threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Red Bay quarterback Jalen Vinson had a big night, completing 11 of 18 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 75 yards on eight carries. Running back Colyn Humphres had 12 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
“We had a rough start to the game,” said Red Bay Coach Michael Jackson. “We knew Phil Campbell was going to play really well, and they did. They hit us with a couple of big passes early on, and we fumbled the ball, giving them two quick scores.
“We had a kick-off return for a touchdown that settled us down, and we finally settled in. We also played really good defensively after the first few minutes.”
Phil Campbell opened the game with a big drive aided by a 28-yard reception by Ben Williams from Luke Barnwell and a big run by Austen Baker to the Red Bay five-yard line.
Phil Campbell was pushed backward because of a holding penalty, but on fourth-and-goal from the Tiger 15-yard line, Barnwell connected with Ridge Raper for a 15-yard touchdown pass to put the Bobcats on top 7-0 with 9:15 to go in the first quarter.
The Tigers fumbled the ball away to the Bobcats on their opening offensive possession, and Phil Campbell made the Tigers pay. Barnwell found Raper for a 33-yard touchdown pass to give the Bobcats a 14-0 lead with 8:25 remaining in the first quarter.
Red Bay turned the tide on the kickoff when Mason Holt chased down a kick over his head and zig-zagged his way to a 95-yard touchdown return.
Humphres converted a two-point conversion run to put Red Bay on the board 14-8 with 8:09 to go in the first quarter.
Red Bay took the lead with 3:36 to go in the first quarter on a 7-yard run by Humphres and two-point conversion run by Vinson to make the score 16-14.
Red Bay got a big defensive stand early in the second quarter.
Alex Kennedy scored his second big sack of the night on the first play of the drive, right before Elijah Luster picked off a Barnwell pass and ran it back 29 yards for a touchdown. Humphres’ two-point conversion gave the Tigers a 24-14 lead.
Phil Campbell kept punching on the next drive when Barnwell connected with John Randle Herring for a 58-yard catch and run for a touchdown to cut the Tigers’ lead to 24-20.
That would be the Bobcats’ last score of the night.
The Tigers scored 30 more unanswered points, beginning with a 10-yard touchdown run by Humphres with 1:34 to go in the first half. The score gave Red Bay a 32-20 halftime lead.
Red Bay scored three times in the second half.
Vinson scored on a 37-yard run with 10:13 to go in the third quarter, and Humphres added the two-point conversion to make it 40-20.
Cam McKinney returned a Phil Campbell interception 41 yards for a touchdown, and Humphres notched another two-point conversion run to make the score 48-20.
The Tigers closed out their scoring with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Vinson to Arden Hamilton to make the score 54-20.
Alex Kennedy had 10 tackles and two sacks for The Tigers. Hunter Burks also had 10 tackles. Gaven Edgmon had 11 tackles.
Phil Campbell turned the ball over five times on the night.
Red Bay will host Hatton for homecoming Friday night in both teams’ region openers. Phil Campbell will host Lexington in both teams’ region openers.
