Football Friday Night: Handley, RCHS rallies come up short in key region games

By Tim Altork | October 11, 2024

Handley defenders Cordarious Stegall (30) and Izavien Wright (5) chase after Tallassee quarterback Trent Morris during Handley’s 31-22 loss to Tallassee in Roanoke Friday.

Handley scored the game’s first two touchdowns and the only touchdown for either team in the second half. But in between all of that, Tallassee scored 28 unanswered points. Those 15 minutes of domination covering the final minutes of the first quarter and a 21-0 second quarter were enough to get Tallassee to a 31-22 win over Handley in a crucial region matchup.

The loss dropped Handley out of a three-way tie for second place in the region and gave the Tigers un uphill climb to get back into the top two with just two region games remaining.

Both teams feasted on mistakes by the other team, with Handley jumping out to a 15-0 first-quarter lead on the back of an early Tallassee fumble and a 30-yard punt return by Handley’s Cordale Stegall that gave Handley two very short fields.

Cordan Patterson hit Ben Pike for an 8-yard touchdown pass after the fumble, then connected with Makavian Allen on a 13-yard scoring pass after the punt return. But Handley was unable to sustain that early success as a flurry of Tiger penalties snowballed into full-blown flag storm by the second quarter. Those miscues helped propel Tallassee and quarterback Trent Morris to that 28-0 run in which Morris threw for three touchdowns and ran for the other.

That gave Tallassee a 28-15 lead at the half.

Handley positioned itself for the possible comeback when Daquavian Slaughter broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 28-22.

But a late fourth-quarter Handley fumble set Tallasee up with good field position and kicker Yuren Rodriguez’s 34-yard field goal with 2:20 left in the game put Tallassee up 31-22, which proved to be an insurmountable 9-point margin.

In all Handley committed 14 accepted penalties for 124 yards – and that does not include five separate instances of offsetting penalties from plays on which both teams were flagged. Handley also turned the ball over three times but still had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the final four minutes.

The loss puts Handley at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in region play. The Tigers still have a very good chance to make the playoffs but they will need some help over the next two weeks to finish in the top two and play at home in the first round.

BB Comer 36, RCHS 34

RCHS’s chances of a top-two finish also took a major blow with a 36-34 loss to BB Comer Friday in Wedowee. The Tigers trailed 28-14 going into the fourth quarter but rallied in a big way over the final 12 minutes. They scored three touchdowns on a 7-yard run by Mo Winston, a 73-yard Winston kickoff return and a 25-yard pass from Rhett Huddleston to Gavin Wortham. That pass play came with 3:34 left in the game and cut the lead to 36-34, but RCHS was unable to tie it with a 2-point conversion. The Tigers got one final possession in the game’s final two minutes but could not come up with the game-winning points.

Winston finished with 199 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on 28 carries. Wortham had four receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The loss is RCHS’s second straight after they opened the season 5-0. It also muddies the waters in terms of the playoff situation in Class 3A, Region 4. Glenwood remained unbeaten in region play with a win over Dadeville Friday, but every other team in the region now has at least two region losses, with RCHS, BB Comer and Lee-Scott all tied for third place at 2-2 in region play.

Wadley 29, Lee-Scott 28

The Bulldogs rallied late after trailing for most of the game, then blocked Lee-Scott’s attempt at a game-winning field goal to hold on for the win and remain unbeaten.

Other scores

Clay Central 40, Holtville 3

Winterboro 27, Woodland 20

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