PLAYOFF BOUND – Vina High earns first playoff berth in six years
Vina’s Joseph Emerson runs the ball in 32 yards for a touchdown.
By Josh Prewitt for the FCT
The Vina Red Devils had only one thing on their minds as they hosted the Shoals Christian Flame on Senior Night Friday.
“We knew coming into this season we could get into the playoffs if we played hard, and we accomplished that tonight,” Vina head coach Luke Childers said. The Red Devils clinched the No. 4 seed in the 1A Region 8 playoffs for the first time in six years and only the second time in 17, beating Shoals Christian 30-8.
Vina made a big late season change, starting Tyler Renfrow – who’s been the Red Devils leading rusher at RB all year – at quarterback. Senior Tanner Miller went from QB to FB/RB, and senior Joseph Emerson started at RB.
“I felt Emerson was running the ball hard last week, and Renfrow felt pretty comfortable in the pocket. We thought it would give us a spark and a better chance to win, and it went just like we hoped with everyone doing their jobs,” Childers said. “Miller played well at RB and hard at FB helping make holes with the line giving open running lanes for Emerson.”
Emerson had a big night rushing as he ran the ball for 140 yards on 18 carries for one touchdown.
“It’s an honor to be going to the playoffs with these boys,” Emerson said. “We know we could’ve done a lot more this year, but we accomplished things that have never been done in years. We wanted to make a difference here at Vina and just get our names out there.”
Vina (4-5) (3-3) scored on all its first four possessions of the game and took a convincing 24-0 lead into the half at Franklin-Hester Stadium.
Emerson capped off the first drive of the game with a 32-yard touchdown run to go up early 6-0. After forcing Shoals Christian to punt on their first drive, Renfrow answered back with a 34-yard beauty, finding wide-open Blake Hester for a touchdown to make it 12-0.
Renfrow would keep up his great play, scoring on a 10-yard QB keeper then following up with a 46-yard laser to Bradley Duncan for a big gain capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Tanner Miller to take a comfortable 24-0 lead into half time.
The third quarter was scoreless for both teams, but Vina’s Austin Harper got a fourth quarter one-yard touchdown run that was the dagger and sealed the Red Devils’ 30-8 win on Senior Night.
Shoals Christian scored its only touchdown of the game late in the fourth after a 62-yard pass from QB/CB Tanner Bozeman to WR/CB Carson Shepard. WR/OLB Greyson Beaver added the two-point conversion.
Vina’s QB change was a key move that paid off for the Red Devils. Renfrow’s two big highlight touchdown passes (55 yards to Duncan and 42 yards to Hester) showed what he’s capable of as he finished his big night totaling 136 yards (97 passing, 39 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
“We all have a great bond with our seniors and we thought a win would be special for them on senior night,” Renfrow said. “The playoffs have been our main goal this season, so it’s a big deal for us.”
Tanner Miller’s move to FB/RB and playing on defense helped the Red Devils in multiple ways as his good night finished with 28 rushing yards for one touchdown.
“It took hard work and determination for us to get back to the playoffs for the first time in six years,” Miller said. “It felt great winning on our Senior Night, which couldn’t have been done without every player on the team playing their hearts out.”
Vina “still has a big last game next week at Holy Spirit Catholic,” Childers said. “That game is big because that could get us back to .50 even on the year … We know how good Berry, is but we also know how good we can be, and we’re still hoping our best game is still in our back pocket for the first round.”
