STAFF REPORTS
SOMERVILLE — No. 5 Guntersville flexed its depth and firepower Friday night, overwhelming Brewer 63-12 in a Class 5A, Region 8 opener on the road.
The Wildcats (3-0, 1-0) set the tone early, building a 14-0 first-quarter lead and stretching the margin to 42-0 by halftime. Brewer briefly cut into the deficit with two third-quarter scores, but Guntersville responded immediately and closed strong, outscoring the Patriots 21-0 over the final 14 minutes.
Guntersville head coach Lance Reese said the performance was far from flawless but still encouraging.
“It was good to get on the road and get a win,” Reese said postgame. “I thought we came out a bit sluggish. Kind of a hot night, not optimal conditions, but we finally kind of put it together and started playing hard. Came out of halftime a little bit sluggish as well, [but] I think we came out of it healthy, which is also good.
“I thought we threw the ball really well. Didn’t get our running game going like we would’ve liked to, but played some good defense. We did give up a couple of deep balls, and that’s something we’re going to work on as well.
“We’ll watch this film, and once again, we’re just gonna try to keep the focus on us and just being a better team next week.”
Guntersville quarterback Street Smith’s five touchdowns propelled the Wildcats offense to a big night.
The Wildcats needed just four minutes to get rolling, with Garrett Christie punching in a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 40-yard drive. Smith followed with a 10-yard scoring run late in the opening quarter to make it 14-0.
Guntersville broke the game open in the second quarter. Christie added his second touchdown from 9 yards out, set up by a 50-yard strike from Smith to Dadrien Waller. Smith then went to the air for a 25-yard touchdown to Westin Hammond, and later added a 3-yard rushing score, keyed by a 30-yard completion to Hammond.
Just before halftime, Smith found Hudson Oliver for an 11-yard touchdown pass, sending Guntersville into the break ahead 42-0.
Brewer found the end zone twice early in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 42-12. But Guntersville responded with a lightning bolt — Smith connected with Jack Lenoir on a screen pass that went 74 yards to the house, pushing the Wildcats back up 49-12.
Mason Bailey and Tayvon Jackson tacked on short touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, sealing the 63-12 rout.
Guntersville will carry its unbeaten record into next week’s homecoming matchup against Sardis (1-2, 0-1) as region play continues
