Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Brayden Davis (21), Colton Shields (32) and Allex Cox (24) tackle Madison Academy’s Joshua Williams during the Eagles’ 28-7 loss in the first round of the Class 4A state football playoffs on Nov. 8. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney)
By Chris McCarthy/Publisher
In the first round of the Class 4A state last Friday (Nov. 8), Hokes Bluff pitched a second-half shutout against a Madison Academy team that was averaging almost 30 points per game.
However, the Mustangs (7-4) scored 28 points in the first half while holding the Hokes Bluff offense in check, eventually earning a 28-7 victory at Mike Roberson Field.
The Eagles’ lone score came at the 3:39 mark of the third quarter on Bryce Whitaker’s 53-yard touchdown run and Leon Chenn’s extra point.
Madison Academy out-gained Hokes Bluff by a 336 to 127 margin, including a 211 to 106 advantage on the ground. The Mustangs also had 18 first downs compared to seven for the Eagles (8-3). It was the second straight season Madison Academy defeated Hokes Bluff in the first round.
“[Madison Academy] was pretty physical, and it was just one of those nights when things didn’t go right early on and we couldn’t recover,” said Hokes Bluff head coach Mike Robertson. “We outscored them 7-0 in the second half, but you can’t get behind by 28 points and expect to win. Give [Madison Academy] credit]; they’ve had our number for the past couple of years.”
Charleston Owens was involved in three of Madison Academy’s four touchdowns, passing for two and running for another. He was 9 for 11 in passing for 125 yards. No. 37 rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. Joshua Williams had four receptions for 33 yards and a score, while Kahleel Green caught three passes for 21 yards.
Whitaker finished with 69 rushing yards on 12 carries and was 5 for 8 in passing for 21 yards. Drew McCarver and Anderson Morgan both had two receptions. Whitaker had eight tackles, followed by Morgan and Conner Ford with six each and Brodie Brogdon with four.
“You always want to keep playing, but we had some really good wins this year,” said Robertson. “It was a lot of fun and it was very rewarding. We had a great bunch of guys, and a lot of them are coming back next year.”
