By DRUW GIAMALVA, Sports Editor
BOAZ — In the 91-year history of Boaz Pirate football, the Pirates clinched their first-ever outright region championship in the 31-21 victory over the Arab Knights on Friday night. Boaz handed Arab their first loss of the season and clinched the Class 5A, Region 8 championship as they hold an undefeated 6-0 record in Region 8 play.
“First of all, my coaching staff is unbelievable,” Boaz head coach Luke Pruitt said. “I think we have the best staff in the state. They put the hours in and I am so thankful to them. There are no egos here and we answered the bell. I am proud of the way Coach [Josh] Walker, Mr. [Chris] Hayes and Dr. [Ashley] Walls have supported us and have provided everything we need. I thank Boaz for coming out and supporting us. This win is all about the community.”
With the win over Arab, the Pirates improved to 7-1 overall for the first time since 2018. The Pirates will have the opportunity to finish with a perfect region record when they host Mae Jemison next Friday.
The Knights fall to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in region play.
The battle for the top spot in Region 8 began with the Pirates on offense first. After a slow start that saw running back Dayton Porter running for a loss and an incomplete pass by quarterback Beau Bennett, the Pirates would begin to heat up as Beau Bennett launched a deep first down pass to Jay Patterson to keep the drive alive. At the 39-yard line, Beau Bennett would produce the first six points of the game as he tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Whorton. A good PAT by Andrew Pena would put Boaz ahead 7-0.
With the ball in the Knight’s hands, quarterback Nic Stephens and running back Mason Ingram would produce heavily on the run game. Ingram and Stephens would kick off their first drive with back-to-back first down runs. The Arab drive would stall after a big time sack by Whorton to push the Knights back. With a fourth and 19 situation, Arab would be forced to punt.
The Pirates would start their next drive with Beau Bennett finding his top target Sage Bennett for a first down. After the first down by the Bennett’s, Boaz would start to lean on Porter in the run game who would produce a first down on the ground and through the air. To cap off the drive, Beau Bennett would find Patterson in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown to put Boaz ahead 14-0 over the Knights.
After another scoreless drive by Arab, the Pirates would have one final chance to put up points before halftime. Boaz would capitalize on the drive with Pena knocking down a 45-yard field goal. Boaz would enter halftime with a 17-0 lead.
Despite being shut out in the first half, the Knights would rebound on their first drive of the second half with Stephens producing a 9-yard score to make it 17-7.
Arab’s defense would shut down Boaz’s first offensive possession of the third quarter as they forced Boaz into a three-and-out.
The Knights would quickly make it a three-point game as Stephens would toss a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Willis to cut Boaz’s lead to 17-14.
Boaz’s offense would quickly adjust after the slow start to the second half as Beau Bennett would find first down passes to Porter and Whorton. Beau would end the drive with his third touchdown pass of the night to Porter from 28-yards out to make it a 24-14 lead.
The first play of the fourth quarter would see Arab cut the lead back to three as Stephens would again connect with Willis on a 24-yard touchdown pass.
With Boaz looking to make it a two-possession game, the Pirates would go on a 13-play drive that ate nearly eight minutes of game time to end any chance of Arab coming back. The Pirates capped off the 13-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Porter.
In a final minute effort by Arab, Stephens would toss an interception to Patterson which would seal the 31-21 victory for the Pirates.
“I am proud of the way we competed,” Pruitt said. “I hope there are many more region championships to come for Boaz. I’m so thankful to be here.”
With the region championship locked up, this will be the first-time ever that Boaz will be a No. 1 seed in the AHSAA playoffs.
Leaders in the win for Boaz include Beau Bennett who finished 17-29 for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Porter would rush 20 times for 114 yards and two total touchdowns. Sage Bennett would finish with four catches for 70 yards. Sage would become the first Boaz receiver with 1,000 yards in a single season. Whorton would finish with 66 total offensive yards and a touchdown while also producing a sack on defense.
The Pirates cap off their region schedule by hosting the Mae Jemison Jaguars next Friday.
Boaz running back Cooper Whorton runs for a big gain against Arab. Whorton and the Pirates claimed their first-ever outright region championship by defeating the Arab Knights 31-21 on Friday night. DRUW GIAMALVA l The Leader
