Anniston Falls from undefeated, Cleburne County Routs Munford

Anniston Falls to Cherokee County

Looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2009, the Anniston Bulldogs drove to the Warriors six-yard line before time expired. QB Kam Sandlin converted a 3rd and 12 but failed to get out of bounds to stop the clock, handing Cherokee County consecutive wins against Anniston for only the second time in team history.

Trailing 21-14 late in the fourth quarter, Sophomore RB Malachi Taylor - who had 104 yards on 15 carries against Jacksonville on September 3 - completed a 56-yard TD run (also had a 36-yard TD run earlier in the game) to trim the Warriors lead to 21-20.

Head Coach Rico White went for the lead (Anniston converted a two-point conversion on their last TD), but the Cherokee County defense denied the Bulldogs, holding their slim one-point lead.

Led by Saks transfer QB C.J. Gresham (17 rushes, 145 yds, 2 TD) and RB Damien Ramsey (22 rushes, 122 yds, TD), the pair of seniors exposed Anniston's run defense.

Antonio "Spoody" Kite opened the scoring, beating his defender for a 25-yd TD reception from Sophomore QB Kam Sandlin. Cherokee County stuffed Jamarius Billingsley on the two-point conversion, keeping the score 6-0. In their win over Jacksonville, which snapped an eight-game losing streak vs. the Golden Eagles, Billingsley kept their final scoring drive of the first half alive with a long run on a fake punt. 

Kite, the senior DB committed to Alabama, and Sandlin continued to showcase their chemistry, adding to TD connections of 43, 51, and 67 over the previous two games.

Cleburne County off to first 4-0 start since 2007

Head Coach Joby Burns continues to reap the rewards of hard work his players and coaching staff put in after a rough 2020 season.

"We worked really, really hard. Our players grew...We started off the day after we got back from the Randolph County game and got in the weight room. They got bigger, they got stronger, our maxes got better, our speed got better, and we were just excited" - Head Coach Joby Burns on the Tigers offseason efforts.

Leading the pack is QB Kyler McGrinn. After playing three games last season with an undiagnosed broken elbow, McGrinn's passing arm looks 100 percent recovered. Although only a Sophomore, the youngster shows the sophistication of a grizzled veteran, understanding when to zip and use touch on each pass.

Against Munford, the Tigers used a punishing run game led by McGrinn (181 yards, 5 TD) and Junior RB Devante Cantrell (over 70 rushing yards, TD). After Munford tied the game at 14 late in the first half, the pair combined on a 4-play 65-yard scoring drive, culminating with McGrinn's 31-yard TD run. 

Cleburne County overcame a sloppy first half where they continually shot themselves in the foot. After completing 9 of 11 passes for 134 yards (including a beautifully thrown TD pass Grant Harcrow) in the first quarter, McGrinn was just 1-5 for 6 yards in the second quarter. 

The defense overcame McGrinn's only mistake (an interception deep in Tigers territory), stopping Munford's fake FG attempt after the Lions had a first-and-goal at the one-yd line. The culmination of the Tigers' first-half mistakes came on the next play when a holding penalty nullified Cantrell's 98-yard TD on a swing pass. 

The Tigers are averaging 38 PPG in their first four games after scoring only 34 TOTAL points in their first four games last season. Cleburne County faces their toughest test this Friday when they travel to Handley (2-0, 1-0) to meet the defending Class 4A Region 4A Champion.

FINAL: Cleburne County 47 Munford 20.