By DRUW GIAMALVA, Sports Editor
DOUGLAS — It was an absolute dogfight at Arthur Jarvis Stadium on Friday night as the Boaz Pirates and the Douglas Eagles opened up Class 5A, Region 8 play with the Pirates coming away with a close 22-14 victory over the Eagles. With the win, Boaz extends their winning streak over Douglas to 11. The last time Douglas secured a victory over Boaz was in 2015 when the Eagles got a 28-14 win over the Pirates.
Boaz improves to 2-1 after a loss to the Class 3A No. 1 Plainview Bears. Douglas falls to 1-1.
“Hats off to Douglas and Coach Lyles,” said Boaz head coach Luke Pruitt. “We knew coming in, it was going to be a dogfight and that’s what we got. We got to clean stuff up and that’s my fault. We gotta do a better job, execute on both sides of the ball. Proud of the kids for figuring out a way to get a win here.”
Boaz would claim the first offensive possession to start the matchup. Despite a bad snap early in the drive, the Pirates were able to march down the field thanks to first down plays by running back Dayton Porter. As the Pirates marched on, penalties for a false start and an illegal man downfield would push the Pirates back. Boaz’s drive would end due to a big play by Noah Williamson with a forced fumble that was picked up by Douglas’ Jayden Hayden.
With momentum on their side, the Eagles took advantage of the turnover with a strong run game that was led by quarterback Baker Lyles and running back Judson Murray. To cap off the drive, Lyles would rush in from 8-yards out to put Douglas up 6-0. The Eagles would miss on the PAT.
Douglas’ defense would continue to make big plays as they forced another fumble that was recovered by Boaz. The Eagles would force a three-and-out on Boaz to get the ball back.
Boaz would flip the momentum over with their defense on the field as Mac Thompson would sack Lyles to produce a safety. The Eagles would still remain in front with a 6-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After forcing another Boaz punt, Murray would rush for an 89-yard touchdown but a late flag would bring the score back. Two more penalties would hit the Eagles which forced them in a third and long situation. A bad snap by Douglas would be picked up by Isaiah Watt to give Boaz the ball inside the 10-yard line.
Boaz would quickly take advantage of the turnover with a quick score by Porter to make it a 9-6 lead for Boaz.
Each team would end the half with a scoring drive with Porter rushing in another touchdown to make it a 15-6 score.
Douglas would answer right back before halftime with a touchdown pass from Lyles to Landon Stewart. After a good 2-pt conversion run by Lyles, the Pirates would only lead 15-14 at halftime.
The first three possessions of the third quarter would all result in a punt or a turnover on downs. Boaz would break the ice with another scoring drive to cap off the third quarter with Beau Bennett tossing a 7-yard score to Sage Bennett to take a 22-14 lead into the final quarter.
Despite a lot of fight and resilience from the Eagles, Boaz would chew most of the clock out in the final quarter to take home a chippy 22-14 win over Douglas.
Boaz would be led by Sage Bennett who finished with 12 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Beau Bennett would complete 17-22 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. Porter would rush 22 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Douglas would be led by Lyles who rushed 14 times for 49 yards and a touchdown. Murray would rush 10 times for 62 yards.
Up next for Boaz will be the 85th annual Backyard Brawl which will see them host the Albertville Aggies on Sept. 11.
“We gotta get ready to go,” Pruitt said. “It is a rivalry game and we have got to keep our composure during that game. We just gotta get ready to play and execute.”
Douglas will look to rebound in Region 8 play when they host Mae Jemison on Sept. 11. Kick off for both matchups will be at 7 p.m.
Boaz running back Dayton Porter looks to avoid a tackle by Douglas’ Landon Stewart (8). Porter finished with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 22-14 win over Douglas on Friday night. Photo by DRUW GIAMALVA l The Leader
