Oct. 7—Football has changed a lot through the years, but one thing that has remained the same is the impact a star player can make on the game.
Offenses may be throwing the ball more and defenses may be way more athletic, but the need for your best players to make big plays will always be at the core of football.
After all, the old cliche is, “It’s not the X’s and the O’s, it’s the jimmies and the joes.” This past week, the local jimmies and joes were showing out.
Several local players filled the stat sheets with some eye-popping performances last week and it resulted in some big wins for multiple teams.
At the top was Elkmont’s Reid Bardos. The sophomore quarterback was 22-for-34 passing for 363 yards and six touchdowns against Sheffield. He also rushed for 41 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to give his team its first win of the season, 47-42 over the Bulldogs.
Bardos’ top two receivers, Cooper Wales and Owen Burgess, combined for 17 catches for 243 yards receiving and five touchdowns in the game.
Another big performance came from Falkville’s Eli Harris. The 2024 first-team All-State player has had a relatively quiet 2025 so far, but that changed in a 57-16 win over Decatur Heritage last Thursday.
Harris caught six passes in that game for 105 yards and three touchdowns, while also intercepting three passes on defense.
West Morgan’s MaCarri Johnson continues to carry the load for the Rebels. Johnson rushed 10 times for 93 yards and five touchdowns in a 64-0 win over East Lawrence as West Morgan pushed its state-best regular season winning streak to 30 games. Johnson is the top rusher in the area with 917 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Here were some other big performances from last week:
—Hartselle senior receiver Cain Falciani returned after two weeks on the injury list to catch eight balls for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 24-0 win over Cullman.
—Lawrence County freshman running back Tavian Jones rushed 23 times for 110 yards and a score in a 30-13 win over East Limestone. Jones eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards in the process, becoming the youngest player in Lawrence County High School history to do so.
—Hatton’s Daniel Taylor recorded 17 tackles, forced a fumble and had a rushing score in a 40-14 win over West Limestone. Tasean Love added 231 yards passing and two touchdowns, while Savarius Evans rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
—Brewer picked up a massive win for first-year head coach Jordan Miller, upsetting Class 5A, No. 9 Scottsboro 34-31. Cam Ballinger, Hunter Knighten, Corbin Raines, Brayden Watkins and Cole Drinkard all scored in the game.
—Austin suffered its first region loss of the season 21-17 to Huntsville, but senior quarterback Qadir Lyle still had a big game, throwing for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Senior receiver Channing Patton caught five balls for 145 yards and a touchdown, while freshman receiver Alvin Jones had eight catches for 146 yards and a score.
— caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
