Cullman (0-1) at Etowah (0-1)
Last meeting: Cullman 24, Etowah 14 (206)
Series record: Cullman, 11-5-1
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
With a bit more luck, the 0-1 records posted by both the Bearcats and Blue De-vils could easily be 1-0.
Etowah lost to Northridge by a mere two points, while Arab defeated Cullman by a single touchdown.
“I figure (Cullman) will execute better this week,” Blue Devils coach Drew Noles said. “They dropped six passes last week and we can’t count on them doing that again.”
While the Class 5A Bear-cats were close to even on run and pass plays, Etowah attempted only nine passes, completing only two.
“We’ve got to throw the ball more,” Noles said.
It’s been a decade or more since Noles coached a game against Cullman, so he isn’t totally sure what to expect.
Noles did say that CHS coach Mark Britton is an innovator and can be known to show something new and unexpected.
Left tackle Ben Johnson (6-4, 280) anchors the Bearcat offensive line, which Noles describes as very large and talented.
Johnson and company protect quarterback Anthony Crocker and tailback Ben Crenshaw, another talented unit.
Last week against Northridge, Paul Ruiz rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
Jalen Williams caught two passes for 55 yards.
Darius Moore had 14 tackles, followed by Larry Underwood with 10 and Colton Daugherty and Kaleb Nelms with seven each.
Moore and Daugherty both had a sack, while Jalen Williams had an interception.