Oct 1, 2016 Wetumpka Herald by Tallapoosa Publishers

WHS still searching for consistency SPORTS, Page 10. Wetumpka, AL 36092

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 11, NO. 37

City delays approval of budget

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

The city council convened in a special called session Friday to vote on delaying approval of the upcoming city budget by roughly a month and a half from its original Oct. 1 deadline. The initial proposed extension of the 2015-2016 budget was 30 days in a city notice attributed to Mayor Jerry Willis

sent Thursday. The budget extension, the statement said was, “to allow the city to conduct business.” After the meeting Candy Masters, city clerk, said, “We have to have some type of budget in place on Oct. 1 and until we finalize some of the numbers the council is extending the current budget…” Some council members seemed to agree the extension was called for in

order only to allow more time for review. Council member Kevin Robbins of District 1, and Greg Jones of District 5, said it was just a way to allow more time for decisions, with both saying there was no specific concern or reason for the postponement. “We just want to be as fiscally responsible as we can,” said Robbins. Council member, Percy Gill of District 2, however, offered more details about

some of the issues he said he had with the initial preview of the budget the council members were privy to. He said his concerns arose when he saw the proposed funding for programs like the Boys and Girls Club and funding for local schools. He said the suggestion from the figures he saw was that the budget defunded See BUDGET • Page 5

Holton case headed to grand jury

Police reports woman choked daughter with belt

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

Millbrook police officials reported a local woman was arrested on an attempted murder charge for allegedly choking her daughter with a belt when she refused to get out of bed for school. The bond of Jessica A. Cobern, 33, was set at $100,000 in her initial court appearance Thursday and a condition was added to the bond that she make no contact with her daughter directly or through a third party, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant dis- Cobern trict attorney with Alabama’s 19th Judicial Circuit in Elmore County. Robinson said the DA’s office made the request to prevent any attempt to sway the statement or the account of the victim as police investigated the incident. The MPD report indicated that Cobern had been in Elmore County Jail since Tuesday. The daughter was said to be a student at Stanhope Elmore High School and, according to the account, MPD went to the school in the morning on reports of an See CHOKE • Page 5

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Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley (right off center in red shirt and jacket) speaks to the assembled crowd during Tuesday’s Millbrook City Council meeting. Also pictured with Kelley are members of his family.

A BIG HONOR

Millbrook municipal complex to be named after mayor By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley was honored by the Millbrook City Council Tuesday as the council voted to name the city’s municipal building after the longtime city leader. Kelley, who is beginning his 6th term, has served the city of Millbrook as its mayor for 20 years. During an interview with the Herald Thursday, Kelley said that he was aware that the honor was going to be bestowed upon him Tuesday evening. “It is really hard to keep secrets around here, especially at city hall,” he said, noting that when he first found out he wasn’t crazy about the idea but that he knows it is a huge honor. “Usually you have to wait until you die for this sort of thing.”

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

Eclectic police officials reported the arrest of a Montgomery man who was accused of raping two underage girls in the Eclectic area and is currently being held in Elmore County jail on a $75,000 bond. Police Chief Robert Head said the U.S. Marshals served the arrest of Colby Raybon Peebles, Peebles 23, on Sept. 22. Peebles had his bond raised in a hearing Monday, however, from an initial See ARREST • Page 3

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Man arrested in alleged Voting records opened in election contest rape of two girls By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

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Kelley said he had nothing to do with the naming of the building noting, that it was the idea of the current council. Kelley’s name will adorn the municipal complex built several years ago to deal with space issues. “We spent a lot of time and hard work getting that building built,” Kelley said. “Our police department outgrew the building it was in at the time. We started looking at some plans. We didn’t want anything too fancy, just a basic functional building. No crystal chandeliers or mahogany furniture.” Now that “functional building” will carry the longtime mayor’s name. “It was a really nice resolution they did,” Kelley said about the council. “It really is a huge honor. I was lucky in that I was able to have all my family there.”

In a preliminary hearing the request of Jesse Madison Holton’s attorney to lower his $1 million bond was denied, and an Elmore County district judge said he found probable cause on two murder charges, motioning the case to proceed before a grand jury. The hearing itself was conducted around the testimony of an Elmore County Sheriff’s Office Investigator who headed the investigation into the shooting deaths of Jesse Holton’s parents Mike and April Holton. ECSO investigator Richard Brouillard was questioned by Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson followed by Holton’s attorney Tom Azar. Brouillard recounted the timeline of the day’s events and the ECSO’s involvement in the case of the shooting deaths of Jesse Holton’s 37-year-old parents. Both sides discussed the ECSO investigation with Brouillard focusing on details that were seemingly key aspects of the case. One such issue was the pair of handcuffs Holton was said to have been in around the time of the double shooting, the other

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Voting documents were reopened for an election contest case filed by a council candidate who narrowly lost last month to the incumbent council member in the Wetumpka District 2 race. Now, the attorneys’ for Lewis Washington Sr., who lost last month’s election and filed the suit, and Percy Gill, the incumbent council member, said they would begin examining the documents to determine if there are any inconsistencies and which side of the vote those might apply to. Washington’s attorney, Albert Agricola Jr., said Thursday, one day after the meeting, that they were able to confirm from the documents they

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examined that there were “a number of voters” that voted in district 2 that did not reside in the district. The meeting itself, where city and county officials met while the voting results, ballots and absentee ballots were copied, was earlier said by the city attorney to be private and that media would not be allowed in the process. Edwards called it an “in-camera” review, and said it was an opportunity for all parties to examine and make copies while keeping the voting information private until after the trial. Gill’s attorney, Martin Weinberg, said there were still a number of questions over how those that allegedly voted out of district were allowed to in See CONTEST • Page 5

Page 2 • OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

Elmore County schools to host transition fair By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

Former University of Alabama and NFL running back Bobby Humphrey will be the guest speaker at the Elmore County School District’s first ever Transition Fair, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wetumpka Civic Center, located at 410 South Main St. in Downtown Wetumpka. According to a release submitted by the district the goal of the fair is to support students with programming adaptations and individual education plans, their families and school staff in making post-high school decisions based on services available in the community. Elmore County Public School’s Chief Compliance Officer Temeyra McElrath said that the fair is an extension of the district’s transition curriculum. McElrath said that pursuant to federal guidelines, districts are required to provide transition services to students who receive certain services under the special education program. McElrath said that three years ago the district received a grant from the Alabama Department of Education to institute a specific transition curriculum, which was initially to be placed at one area high school that would act as a pilot school. She said that thanks to the recommendation of Elmore County School Superintendent Andre Harrison,

the program was actually instituted in all four district high schools with Wetumpka acting as the pilot for the program. McElrath said that the idea to create a fair came from Transition Coordinator Kristina Lewis. Lewis said that the fair is an extension of the school’s transition services program and is designed for several purposes. “The idea for the transition fair is to put together different resources to give the parents more information about transition,” she said, adding that the program will also be for students to use skills they have learned through participation in the program. What are transition skills? Lewis defined them as any services that will help students with life after high school. “We have to address four transition standards,” Lewis said. “Academics/training, occupations/careers, personal/social and daily living.” Currently the program has one teacher at each school that is responsible for teaching the curriculum but all special education teachers have access to the program as well. Lewis said that the program includes school-based work experiences and community-based work experiences. The school-based experiences involve traditional classroom teaching methods while the community-based experiences involve area partners.

“We went out to businesses in each community to find those businesses who would be interested in allowing our students to do job shadowing,” she said. “The goal of the program is to teach them the skills they will need to get them out in the community, whether that is college or jobs.” Lewis said that 160 students are expected to participate in the fair and that it is targeted to junior and senior high school students. She also noted that parents of students of all grades were invited to come to the event as well to learn more about the program. Lewis said the event will include a variety of different booths including a voter registration booth, mock interviews conducted by school staff, area law enforcement agencies, banks, insurance companies and several area entities that specifically provide services to special needs individuals, such as Alabama First. She said there would also be several retail businesses participating in the event. “The community has been very receptive,” Lewis and McElrath both said. “We really want to thank the community for their involvement. The program has been very successful overall.” Those interested in learning more about the fair may contact Lewis at 334-567-1224 ext. 23003.

ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

Obituaries Lorraine Mercado

Lorraine Mercado, 59, of New Bern passed away Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at her home. She was a very caring mother and wife and a very kind and strong hearted woman. Last night Heaven gained an angel and we know she will be looking down on us everyday. She is survived by her husband Juan Mercado; father Richard Totten; son Dominick Totten; and sister Debbie Totten. Arrangements are by Cotten Funeral Home and Crematory. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.cottenfuneralhome.com.

Deadlines for General Election STAFF REPORT TPI Staff

The General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, is just around the corner. Anyone may register to vote if he or she is an Alabama resident, is at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, hasn’t been barred from voting due to a disqualifying felony conviction, and hasn’t been declared mentally incompetent by a court. GENERAL ELECTION DEADLINES • Monday, Oct. 24 – Voter registration deadline • Thursday, Nov. 3 – Last day to apply for absentee ballot • Monday, Nov. 7 – Deadline to hand-deliver or postmark absentee ballots. Voter registration forms may be picked up at the Board of Registrar’s Office in the Elmore County Courthouse in downtown Wetumpka. Forms are also available on the Secretary of State’s website (alabamavotes. gov) for online submission or to print and mail to Elmore County Board of Registrars. All state and county offices providing public assistance (Medicaid, WIC, DHR, etc.) also have voter registration forms available. Absentee ballots may

be obtained from the Circuit Clerk’s Office in the Judicial Complex at 8935 US Highway 231 in Wetumpka. For questions regarding Absentee Ballots, contact the Circuit Clerk at (334) 514-3116. In order to vote, Alabama requires voters to have a valid photo ID at the polls. Any voter without photo ID is eligible to obtain a free Alabama Photo Voter ID card by visiting the Board of Registrars’ Office. For more information, visit www.alabamavoterid.com. By law, voters who fail to present valid photo ID will be allowed to vote using a provisional ballot. Individuals barred from voting due to a disqualifying felony conviction may request to restore their voting rights (if all terms of the felony conviction sentence have been fulfilled). Contact the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles at (334) 3537771 or pardons.state.al.us for assistance. Additional election information including polling place verification, ballot application status, sample ballots, etc. can be reviewed at alabamavotes. gov. Citizens may also contact the Elmore County Board of Registrars Monday through Friday from 8 a.m - 4:30 p.m at (334) 567-1150.

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ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

Arrest $15,000 set for his charge of first-degree rape, and $10,000 for second-degree rape to $50,000 and $25,000 for the counts. In an effort to protect the identity of the girls, aged 12 and 14, and because of an ongoing investigation, Head did not say much about the nature of the incident or the victims other than to say there were two juvenile victims in Elmore County. After questioning Peebles, Head said, he did admit to having “inappropriate activity” with one of the juveniles, however he said Peebles did not admit to the other alleged instance. The details he would speak to, how-

Grand Jury the .380 hand gun and the blood said to be on the weapon, while more was from the cell phones of all three taken from the scene. However next to no physical evidence had returned from the forensics reports, the investigator said, so the case at this point was deemed built on circumstantial evidence, a point Holton’s attorney stressed. Even Holton’s behavior while in Elmore County Jail was called into question, referring to statements he was said to have been heard making on recordings in phone calls. But the preliminary autopsy result of the former Eclectic mayor and Jesse’s mother were possibly the most crucial elements brought up for discussion. Both were said to have suffered gunshot wounds to the back of the head. Ultimately District Judge Glenn Goggans stuck by his earlier decision to raise the bond to $500,000 per charge, saying despite its circumstantial nature he saw probable cause and believed Holton to be a danger to others. Azar had asked for Holton’s bail be reduced to $75,000 per charge, saying it was unreasonable for a 17-year-old with no resources. “I asked the judge to dismiss the case because I don’t believe there’s sufficient probable cause to believe that Madison Holton committed this crime,” said Azar after the hearing. “The testimony that

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016 • Page 3

continued from page 1

ever, indicated those alleged instances occurred at different times and were unrelated. Head said parents of one of the girls made a complaint in reference to the subject “possibly having sexual intercourse” with their daughter. The girl received examinations and further questioning from Child Protect of Montgomery, said Head. The existence of a possible second victim came from those interviews, and Head said it was after that the U.S. Marshals were asked by EPD to perform the arrest. Through the investigations it was determined the two girls were friends,

continued from page 1

we heard today was circumstantial at best and it’s an assumption that since Madison lived at that house and he didn’t get shot he must have been the shooter. There was no physical evidence mentioned during the preliminary hearing by the case agent.” However, Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson said that forensic evidence would likely be available in time for the grand jury. He stuck by his office’s allegations that Holton had committed a “very violent” crime with a deadly weapon and said any material evidence gathered would be turned over to their office. “It is anytime you have a case where there’s no particular eyewitness to the actual crime itself that type of evidence can be very important and, from the testimony you heard today, we’re still waiting on several things but that’s part of what we’re waiting on to complete the case file.” As for some of the statements and the behavior of Holton after he was taken into custody, Azar said he felt it was a 17-year-old’s attempt at bravado. “He’s a 17-year-old locked up with adult defendants, I think it would be fair to characterize him as being terrified of where he is at. He’s completely out of his element,” Azar said. At this point Azar said he was not aware of any further hearings said it now appeared Holton would likely remain in jail until the time of the grand jury.

Head said, and that was how Peebles allegedly came into contact with the second victim. After the alleged second victim emerged, she was interviewed as well and Head said both stories were corroborated. He said from what he knew, Peebles allegedly somehow led the girls to a suspected location in the Eclectic area and that was where both incidents were said to have occurred. A supervisory inspector with the U.S. Marshals, Scott Sides, said Peebles’ arrest was made in Montgomery’s Chisholm community without “any incident” that Thursday afternoon.

Head said they requested U.S. Marshalls make the arrest due to some of Peebles’ social media posts. He said they pointed to Peebles trying to leave the area. “So we got the U.S. Marshals involved to try to apprehend him before he got away,” said Head. However he said Peebles might now have pending cyber crime charges. “We did get some electronic equipment that we’re going to be turning over to the state’s cyber crime unit, due to some information that the defendant stated that may be on some of that equipment,” said Head.

Steve Baker, Publisher William Carroll, Managing Editor Opinions expressed in guest columns and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the management of The Wetumpka Herald

Page 4 • OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

OPINION TheWetumpkaHerald.com

“Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” --Thomas Jefferson ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

The Herald strives to report the news honestly, fairly and with integrity, to take a leadership role and act as a positive influence in our community, to promote business, to provide for the welfare of our employees, to strive for excellence in everything we do and, above all, to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves.

The good, bad and ugly of the budget process YOUR VIEW Want to share your opinion on a situation, topic, etc.? X WRITE:

Your View The Wetumpka Herald P.O. Box 99 Wetumpka, AL 36092

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Include your name, address and phone number. Only your name and city will be printed. We reserve the right to edit or to refuse to publish any submission. You may submit one letter per month, limited to 300 words or less.

ow that we have reached the end of the budget cycle (for some entities) I decided to take a look back and assign a few grades for this most recent budget cycle. Since the three entities I will be grading fit nicely, more or less, into the grades good, bad and ugly, those are the grades I will use here. Starting with the good, the Elmore County Board of Education handled their budget process better than any other entity I am aware of in Elmore County. Sure they have a slew of federal and state mandates that require certain behavior on their part, but I am speaking as to their handling of the budget meeting process. The BOE had two public meetings on their budget. One of the public meetings was in the middle of the day, which does make it difficult for working taxpayers to attend, but during both meetings they provided dozens of copies of their proposed budget, as well as a Powerpoint-styled presentation so that anyone in attendance could follow along. Public comment was allowed and the board discussed budgetary matters in open session so that citizens could understand their views. While not perfect, it was a good way to handle

WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

the budgetary process. For the bad I have nominated the Elmore County Commission. Bad is probably a bit harsh for the commission, but good, average and ugly just don’t have the same ring to them. The county commission also had two meetings on their budget. During both, commissioners had open discussions on the budget and offered modification suggestions to the originally proposed budget. The public was afforded opportunities to respond. Sadly no one attends county commission meetings. The real drawback though is that sufficient copies of the budget were not provided. I had to wait until the budget was posted online to actually see what the figures were. Elected officials work for the citizens. Those are our tax dollars you are spending. We should be provided copies ahead of time so that we can see what you are proposing. And for the ugly… it should come as no surprise that Wetumpka wins in the ugly category. As of this

writing (Friday morning), the city of Wetumpka, via the mayor, has called a special city meeting. This special meeting isn’t to approve a new budget for 2016-2017, the fiscal year which would begin on Octo. 1, but to extend the current budget a month in order to continue governmental operations. This action isn’t unheard of. Other communities do similar things due to emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. In the case of Wetumpka, however, there have been no open budget meetings so far. While other entities were meeting this month to discuss their budgets, Wetumpka has now waited until effectively the 11th hour to even really start their discussions. In fact, it is our understanding that the council members themselves hadn’t even looked at a proposed budget until this week. As with many things the city of Wetumpka does, this is a definite how not to handle your budget lesson. For a how to handle your budget, let me offer Hammond, Louisiana, circa 2012-2013. I was covering the city beat in Hammond during that period of time. In Hammond, the city holds two public budget meetings. The first is an all

day affair where department heads have to come before the council and effectively plead for money. During the process, a proposed budget was available for public consumption and the council asked very pointed questions of the department heads in public. The process was long and at times tedious, but it served the purpose of opening up the city’s business to the taxpayers so that they could be assured as to how their money was being spent. During the second meeting, council members debated the pros and cons, sometimes with quite frank discourse until a decision was made to approve the budget. From a reporter’s perspective it was a gold mine of information. From a citizen’s perspective, exactly the way the budget process should unfold. Clearly we aren’t perfect here in Elmore County, but at least we have positive examples to follow. Perhaps in the future every constituent public entity in the county will follow a more open approach to governance. Until then we have the good, the bad and the ugly. William Carroll is the managing editor for Tallapoosa Publishers’ Elmore County publications.

334-567-7811 • Fax 334-567-3284 email: news@thewetumpkaherald.com THE WETUMPKA HERALD (681-260) is published twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday by Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc., 548 Cherokee Road, Alexander City, AL 35010. Periodical postage paid at Wetumpka, Alabama. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wetumpka Herald, P.O. Box 99, Wetumpka, AL 360920099. ISSN # 1536-688X. We reserve the right to refuse to print any advertisement, news story, photograph or any other material submitted to us for any reason or no reason at all. •Obituaries - $.25 per word per paper. Additional $15 charge for a photo per paper. (Herald, Weekend, Observer, Tribune). •Weddings/Engagements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a 2-column photo. •Birth Announcements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a photo. SUBSCRIPTION RATES (includes Wednesday & Saturday) One Year in Elmore, Tallapoosa or Coosa County: $50 One Year Elsewhere: $75 The publisher reserves the right to change subscription rates during the term of subscription at any time. To subscribe or if you miss your paper, call 256-234-4281. © 2016 Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved and any reproduction of this issue is prohibited without the consent of the editor or publisher. ADMINISTRATION Steve Baker, publisher steve.baker@thewetumpkaherald.com William Carroll, managing editor william.carroll@thewetumpkaherald.com NEWS Corey Arwood, staff writer corey.arwood@thewetumpkaherald.com Carmen Rodgers, staff writer carmen.rodgers@thewetumpkaherald.com Cory Diaz, sports editor Cory.Diaz@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . . . . . Ext. 306 SALES Molly Brethauer, marketing consultant molly.brethaur@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . Ext. 305

hit the brakes and didn’t stop. I kept on rolling. Look out! Rule 39 states “There is no such thing as coincidence.” That rule, of course, comes from Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS fame. I agree wholeheartedly; however, some people simply chalk things up to coincidence. Oh well, who am I to judge? There was about a 10-day stretch there where it could’ve happened anywhere, but it didn’t. I had a gig at a church just outside of Memphis. The 326-mile drive took me five hours. I needed to get back home quickly, so I did, what we call in the Army, a “turn and burn.” I rolled back into my driveway around two o’clock Friday morning. On Sunday, I drove to another gig; this one was in Asheville, North Carolina. I arrived a day early since I was giving the opening keynote at the conference the next morning. The drive took me through the North Georgia Mountains and into the Smokies before I made it to my hotel in Asheville, arguably my new favorite city. I spent two nights there before leaving early

Coincidence? I think not JODY FULLER Columnist

Tuesday. I sped through Atlanta traffic before getting stuck in the inevitable traffic jam. I was a judge that night at The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, a fundraiser hosted by the East Alabama Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA.) The event raised funds and awareness for both the Lee County Literacy Coalition and PRCA. Wednesday, I drove to Auburn for a TV interview, but that was just about the extent of my travels that day. I ate lunch at Amsterdam Café using a complimentary gift card I received from the spelling bee. The shrimp and grits were D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. Delicious. On Thursday, I drove to Georgia to perform comedy at a sports banquet. I was running late, so I was rolling really fast. I got off the interstate at exit 2, but it just sounds more impressive when I say I drove to Georgia. The gentleman

who hired me for this was one of my superior officers on my middle tour to Iraq. This is the third consecutive year I’ve been invited to this event. I must be doing something right. Either that, or they just can’t afford Jeff Foxworthy. Friday night, I drove to the Embassy Suites in Montgomery where I gave the keynote at a conference for the Alabama Council for the Blind. Because I was speaking at a conference for the blind, parking was plentiful. Don’t get mad at me. That was their joke; not mine. They are the best group and so much fun to be around. My dad was blind and had an incredible sense of humor. They offered me a room that night, but Texas A&M’s football team was staying there, and I didn’t want to get gigged. For those of you not in the know, “Gig ‘em” is their “War Eagle!” or “Roll T***!” I hung around for a while afterwards and finally made it home around midnight. On Saturday, I drove to the community of Union up near Lake Martin for a family reunion. Food and family came from all over. It was a splendid way to spend the afternoon.

On Sunday, I drove to Buena Vista, Georgia, where I spoke at Military Appreciation Day at Mount Carmel Baptist Church. I met so many wonderful people, as we celebrated faith, family, friends, freedom, and food. Monday afternoon, I was backing out of my driveway. I hit the brakes and didn’t stop. I kept on rolling. The breaks weren’t working. There was no warning. They weren’t working, period. It could have happened anywhere. It could’ve been on a stretch of lonely highway in the middle of the night. It could’ve been in the bustling traffic of Atlanta. It could’ve been in the mountains of North Carolina, but it didn’t. It happened 100 feet from my front door. For some, it’s no more than a coincidence, but I know better. The Lord rolls with me, wherever I go. Jody Fuller is a comic, speaker, writer and soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a lifetime stutterer. He can be reached at jody@jodyfuller.com. For more information, please visit www.jodyfuller. com.

ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016 • PAGE 5

County’s final budget shows reduction from current year By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor

Expenses are down according to the most recent budget approved by the Elmore County Commission during its regularly scheduled Monday meeting. According to the budget, general fund expenditures this year amounted to $11,031,082, down from $11,651,005 for last year’s budget. One of the largest reductions was with regard to the Crenshaw Village rehab project. Last year the county budgeted $283,841 for the project, while only budgeting $104,081 this year. There were additional reductions under pub-

lic safety. The budgeted amount for the sheriff’s department was reduced from $3,104,933 in 20152016 to $2,953,616 for 2016-2017. The central Alabama Drug Task Force was reduced from $598,928 in 2015-2016 to $428,500 for the upcoming year. General government expenditures totaled $3,291,404 for FY 20162017, while public safety is $7,463,074, $54,350 is anticipated to be spent for health, while $131,975 was listed under the welfare line, $19,029 under culture and recreation and $72,000 for education. General fund revenues are also anticipated to be down. Last year’s budget placed revenues at

$11,651,005, while the upcoming year’s budget places that figure at $11,031,832. Significant reductions were in miscellaneous revenues, which are listed as $487,575 for the current year and $262,000 for the upcoming year. According to the current budget, the county received a reimbursement from CADTF last year but notes no such reimbursement for the upcoming year. Anticipated tax revenues are only slightly up for the upcoming year, with $6,070,600 in anticipated tax revenues from a variety of sources versus $5,855,605 for the current year. The upcoming year’s final budget is slightly different than the one orig-

Choke

Republican Headquarters

inally proposed to commissioners. Originally the FY 2016-2017 budget did not include any pay raise for county employees. During the commission’s Sept. 12 meeting, commissioners voted to approve a one percent pay increase for county employees as well as taking on the responsibility of paying for health insurance increases for all employees. For those interested in more information on the county’s budget you may view the entire budget online at www. elmorecounty.org under the county administrator’s portion of the webpage.

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a juvenile.” The report said the daughter told a school official of the choking incident, and said her mother also told her she would kill her. Officers found bruising, according to the report, in a way similar to what would be expected from a belt used to choke someone and in what was described as a manner to cut off a person’s air supply. A subsequent statement, attributed to Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson, was included in the report. In it he said the school had reached out to the police, who then worked

with the Alabama Department of Human Resources, who reportedly relocated the girl to a family member. A quote from Johnson in the report said, “This is a sad case. I think every parent that has school-aged children has to deal with children that don’t want to get out of bed, ... I don’t think it occurs to a parent to place a belt around a child’s neck and choke them until they can’t breathe. You just don’t treat a child that way.”

The Wetumpka Herald Twice Weekly (Wed. & Sat.)

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$50.00 Kenneth Boone

The Wetumpka Herald 300 Green Street, Wetumpka, Elmore County, AL 36092-0099

(256) 234-4281

Tallapoosa Publishers P.O. Box 999, Alexander City, AL 35011-0999

Steve Baker - Post Office Box 999 Alexander City, Tallapoosa County, AL 35011-0999 Mitch Sneed - Post Office Box 999 Alexander City, Tallapoosa County, AL 35011-0999 William Carroll - Post Office Box 999 Alexander City, Tallapoosa County, AL 35011-0999

Contest

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the first place. Weinberg said if they were not on the voter rolls for district 2 they should not have been allowed to vote in that district. He likened the contest to a “fishing expedition,” and said also, “The ball’s in their court at this point in terms of what they obtain in there (the documents) that they’re going to use to solidify their allegations.”

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The case is still in its very formative stages and Agricola agreed that the documents they obtained Wednesday would be used to make Washington’s case. He said “extreme efforts” were made to preserve the integrity of the documents. Agricola said the attorneys had not yet talked with polling officials, which is a major point of interest for both parties.

Budget

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the Boy’s and Girls Club, and school’s were also underfunded at only $34,000. Also, he said he was concerned about what he called the “mixed messages” he said were sent by not supporting county-based economic entities like Elmore County Economic Development Authority, as opposed to a number of newly founded downtown-specific economic development entities. Another issue he mentioned was for an area entitled “professional services,” which he said was undefined and received an increase in funding in the proposal. He said what those “professional services” were could not be determined by language in the budget. Where the city funds would ultimately be spent was another area Gill said concerned him, as opposed to what they were allocated for. “At the end of the day” Gill said the funds should be allocated to areas benefitting the “good of the community,” especially its kids. In a phone call after the meeting, Julie Creel, the city finance director, deferred any response to statements previously made by the city clerk regarding the budget.

The Wetumpka Herald 2016

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NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION

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Pursuant to Section 17-9-5, Code of Alabama 1975, as amended

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I, John E. Enslen, Probate Judge of Elmore County, do hereby provide the following legal notice:

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The General Election for Elmore County and the State of Alabama will be held on November 8, 2016.

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FEDERAL OFFICES: • PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT • UNITED STATES SENATOR • UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE, 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT STATE OFFICES: • ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, PLACE NO. 1 • ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, PLACE NO. 2 • ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, PLACE NO. 3 • PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, PRESIDENT • BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT NO. 3 • CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE, 19TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, PLACE NO. 2 • CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE, 19TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, PLACE NO. 3 • DISTRICT ATTORNEY, 19TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COUNTY OFFICES: • ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT NO. 1 • ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT NO. 2 • ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT NO. 3 • ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT NO. 4 • ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT NO. 5 • SUPERINTENDENT, ELMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION • MEMBER, ELMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, PLACE NO. 4 • MEMBER, ELMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, PLACE NO. 5 • CONSTABLES, COUNTY-WIDE PRECINCTS THERE WILL BE 14 PROPOSED AMENDMENTS WHICH APPLY TO THE STATE AT LARGE. John E. Enslen, Probate Judge of Elmore County

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ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

AREA CALENDAR October 1

The Trail of Legends Association will be hosting the 14th Annual Coosa River Challenge at the Swayback Bridge Trail. The event includes 3-6 hours of mountain biking, trail running, river paddling with lots of special tests throughout. The format is 2-person teams, which can be male, female or coed. Individual competitors are also welcome. Packet pick-up for the event will be September 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Coosa River Adventures in Wetumpka. For more information contact info@ coosariverchallenge.com or call 334-514-0279. YARD SALE: Camp Stew and Indoor Yard Sale at

Cedarwood Community Church will be held from 7 a.m. to noon. Stew is $8.00 per container that is microwaveable/reuseable. All proceeds go to church building fund for completion of building. For more information you may call Laura Knight at 567-2457; Jo Parker at 514-0242; or church office at 567-0467.

October 2

Millbrook First United Methodist Church Primetimers have planned an auction of Mary Argo’s paintings on 2-4 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. Tom Tucker will be the auctioneer. There will also be a silent auction of more than 50 items ranging from beauty products to electronics and household

items. Make plans to join us for this exciting benefit event at 3350 Edgewood Road, Millbrook.

October 11

The Wetumpka Public Library, along with the Elmore County Museum, invites veterans and family members to sign up and participate in a free monthly reading discussion program on the experience of war, beginning September and ending in March. Discussions will be held in the Elmore County Museum from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Oct. 11, Nov. 15, Jan.10, Feb. 14, and March 14. All books and films will be provided for each participant in advance of each discussion. Recent veterans of the global war on terror are particularly encouraged to participate.

October 29

The Eclectic Cotton Festival Dog Show will be held at 10:30 a.m. in front of Town Hall. All dogs are welcome to enter the contest, owners must bring proof of rabies vaccinations with them. All pets must be on leashes and the contest is free to enter. There will be awards for biggest lap dog, smallest dog, best trick, best costume, ugliest and most unusual dog. A best in show trophy will be provided to the best overall participant. Registration for the event is prior to the commencement of the show.

ONGOING EVENTS CHILD FIND: The Tallassee City School System is launching its

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016 • PAGE 9 annual campaign to assist children—birth to age 21— who have disabilities and may need special services. The campaign urges parents, service providers, and concerned citizens to contact Child Find, a program to locate, identify and evaluate children with disabilities or children who are believed to have disabilities.

The Tallassee City School System wishes to notify you of the availability of special education services in our public schools. If you have questions regarding our programs, or if you wish to refer a student, please contact Lynell Carr at (334) 283-5675 or Child Find (Alabama Department of Education) at 1-800-5482547.”

SPORTS

PAGE 10 • OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

Visit our sister website: TallasseeTribune.com

ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND

WHS still searching for consistency By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Wetumpka’s season-long consistency woes continued this week. Two days since its most complete performance in a 3-1 victory at rival Stanhope Elmore, the Indians (6-13) split a home tri-match, losing to Prattville Christian Academy, 2-0, and beating Sidney Lanier, 2-0. The Tribe totaled 39 team kills, 29 digs and 36 assists -- all season-highs -on the road versus the Mustangs. Junior outside hitters Kasie Thomas and Jordan Stewart each had double-digit kills, 15 and 10, respectively, to lead the Indians’ offense, while setter Amber Sprayberry recorded a season-best 26 assists. Junior libero Shamari Crenshaw and sophomore defensive specialist Caroline Tyler combined for 13 digs. Stewart had 10 digs. “Everybody contributed,” first-year Wetumpka volleyball coach Margo Thomas said. “Whether it be blocks, digs, serves, kills, everybody contributed. As far as an all-around game, with everybody contributing, playing in their positions, being aggressive, by far (our most complete game).”

Sophomore middle Ryleigh Hamm added seven kills and Makaila Anthony had three. But Thomas’ team couldn’t carry the momentum over to their next match as the team managed just eight team attacks as it fell to PCA, 18-25 and 23-25. The Panthers’ Bell Bobo had as many kills as Wetumpka with eight, along with nine digs. “We should’ve won that. It was like it took us a whole game to get warmed up,” Thomas said. “We lost by a couple of points in that second set, but we pulled it together with Lanier.” Keeping with their season-long fashion, the Indians followed a slow performance with a fast one, downing Lanier, 25-13, 25-21. Kasie Thomas, who had just four kills versus PCA, belted out 13 attacks, as Sprayberry had 14 assists. Stewart added six kills and Crenshaw collected three digs in the win. “We’ve got to keep the energy up. We have to have more than one or two playCory Diaz / The Herald ers that keep the energy,” Margo Thomas said. “The whole team, whether it be body language, whether it be talking on Wetumpka sophomore defensive specialist Caroline Tyler (6) directs a hit reception to a teammate the court, we just got to keep that energy during a match against Sidney Lanier Thursday at a tri-match at WHS. up.”

Bulldogs stumble to 0-5 in area play By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Holtville dropped two area matches this week. Fresh off a victory over Billingsley last week, their first win on the year, the injury-depleted Bulldogs (1-9, 0-5) fell at rival Elmore County, 3-0, Tuesday and at Tallassee, 3-0. Due to injuries, HHS was forced to play both area matches without its offensive leader, sophomore outside hitter Kaylyn Dismukes, who will likely miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, and also missed senior middle Haley Mann, who rolled her

ankle in practice Wednesday, versus Tallassee Thursday. The Panthers (10-3, 5-0) handled business Tuesday, winning all three games going away against rival Holtville. Sophomore outside hitter Madison Traylor led the offense with six kills, while her older sister and fellow outside hitter Hannah Traylor had five. Haleigh Hart had three kills, and junior setter Nicole Ferpes collected 13 assists. For the Dawgs, senior rightside hitter Monica Henline recorded seven kills and had four digs. Junior middle Ta’Maria Merritt added two

kills and eight blocks. Setter Lauren Rhodes had eight assists, and defensively, junior outside hitter Megan Wadsworth garnered 35 digs without an error, along with a team-high three aces. Senior Brianna Rambo and sophomore libero Cyndi Thornton had 12 and 11 digs, respectively. HHS’s stats from the Tallassee match were not available by press time. Holtville will tip-off pool play today at 8 a.m. against Alabama Christian Academy in the Elmore County High School Block Party Tournament.

Cory Diaz / The Herald

Holtville senior hitter Brianna Rambo (4) strikes the ball past Elmore County junior setter Sarah Ingram (3) during Tuesday’s Class 4A, Area 5 rivalry match at ECHS.

Wetumpka Middle School splits homecoming tilt with Auburn Tigers By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Cory Diaz / The Herald

Wetumpka Middle School eighth-grade quarterback Brandon Bowman (1) runs around the edge versus Auburn Thursday during WMS’s homcoming game at Hohenberg Field. Below, Wetumpka Middle School eighth-grade running back Kamari Murphy (2) runs the ball during the second quarter of the WMS homecoming game versus Auburn Thursday at Hohenberg Field.

Wetumpka Middle School split its pair of homecoming games against Auburn Thursday at Hohenberg Field. The Indians seventh-grade team led wire-to-wire, pulling away from the Tigers, 26-6, to start the night of festivities. Auburn came from behind to defeat Wetumpka, 22-16, in the eighth-grade contest. Running back Tavares Murphy took the seventh-grade game over, scoring all four of the Tribe’s touchdowns with the first coming on the first play from scrimmage. Seventh-grade quarterback Robert Rose connected with Stone Minnifield for the two-point conversion, giving WMS the early, 8-0, advantage. The Tigers closed the gap on the ensuing drive with a touchdown of its own, pulling within 8-6, where the score sat after the first quarter. At the start of the second period, Murphy notched his second rushing touchdown for the game, putting the Indians back up, 14-6. Both defenses held each other out of the end zone for the remainder of the first half, and Wetumpka’s defense stopped Auburn on the second half’s opening drive. Murphy struck again on his team’s first possession of the third, this time carrying it 45 yards in for

the score, as WMS led 20-6 at the 3:56 mark. The Tigers quarterback and running back botched a handoff as the game clock winded down in the fourth period, and Murphy scooped the ball up and scooted 40 yards for the game’s final touchdown. In the eighth-grade matchup, Auburn got on the board first, cashing in a WMS fumble with 3:57 left in the opening quarter for the early 6-0 lead. Wetumpka answered less than two minutes later as wide receiver Willie Sagers caught a 36-yard deep pass from quarterback Brandon Bowman. Kamari Murphy added the two-point conversion to put WMS on top, 8-6. After an AMS punt, the Indians marched back down the field and, on third-and-goal from the 9, Bowman found Josiah Thornton on a quick slant for a touchdown and, with 5:35 to go in the half, WMS led, 16-6, after Murphy tacked on another two-point conversion. Turnovers would haunt Wetumpka, as Auburn scored the game’s final two touchdowns off an interception and a stalled drive on the AMS 20, in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. WMS eighth-grade team plays at Reeltown Tuesday, and the seventhgrade team plays at MontgomeryCatholic Oct. 10.

FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD WITH GAME COVERAGE INSIDE

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Abbeville Chr. 37..................Edgewood 0 Wetumpka 35 ........................ Pelham 10 Stanhope Elmore 51 ............ Russell Co. 7 Dadeville 44 ............................... Tallassee 27

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Munford 54 ..................Elmore County 28 Leeds 49 ...............................Holtville 22 Benjamin Russell 37 .......... Chilton Co. 34 LaFayette 50 .............Horseshoe Bend 14

Reeltown 20 ....................... Ranburne 17 Pike Co. 75 ...................Central-Coosa 22

SPORTS EXTRA October 1-2, 2016

High school football from The Alexander City Outlook, The Wetumpka Herald & The Tallassee Tribune

Wetumpka junior safety Nick Turner (1) celebrates returning an interception for a touchdown against Pelham Friday at Hohenberg Field.

ALABAMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIGGEST WEEKLY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL EDITION

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Abbeville Christian 43, Edgewood 0

William Carroll/ The Wetumpka Herald

Edgewood Academy 8th grade quarterback Drez Crawford spent quite a lot of time evading oncoming Generals defenders in an attempt to make plays with his feet.

Generals foil Edgewood homecoming By William Carroll The Wetumpka Herald

A promising start turned ugly quickly for the Edgewood Academy Wildcats on homecoming as the Abbeville Christian Generals scored early and often in the first half, racing out to a 37-0 lead before cruising to a 43-0 victory. The Generals got the ball to start the game opening possession at the Wildcat 47 yard line. The young Wildcat defense though stood up to the Generals ending with a four and out when the Generals attempted to for it on 4th and 7 from the Edgewood 44, only for the Wildcat defense to record a sack and take over on their own 48 yard line. Two plays later the Wildcat offense appeared to move deep into General’s territory when eighth grade signal caller Drez Crawford found junior Matt Williams

for a huge gain to the General’s 20 yard line, but the play was called back for an apparent holding penalty, putting the Wildcats well behind the down and distance at 2nd and 19 and effectively negating any momentum. The Generals would get the ball on the next possession, and with the help of a big pass play setting Abbeville Christian up deep in Wildcat territory, the Generals scored and staked an early 7-0. They would score again to make it 14-0 and would follow that up with another run from 26 yards out to take a commanding 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The next drive went nowhere as the Wildcats started at their own 20, but were backed up deep in their own territory at the six due to a spate of penalties, including one for unsportsmanlike conduct on the Edgewood bench, although it wasn’t clear why the flag was thrown. This eventually

led to Crawford throwing an interception, which the Generals returned to the Wildcat 3-yard line. One play later the Generals made it 27-0. The next drive for Edgewood netted -9 yards and a poor punt set up Abbeville Christian with great field position at the Edgewood 35 yard line. Five plays later, the Generals would score on an 18 yard touchdown run, putting the score at 34-0. The Generals would tack on a field goal to take the halftime lead at 37-0. In the second half, the Wildcats would get some momentum going as they gave the Generals a steady dose of sophomore running back Tyler Abernathy. Holes that did not exist in the first half opened a bit in the second half allowing Abernathy several net positive runs. On the ensuing drive of the first half, Abernathy had five rushes for 29 yards but Edgewood could still not find the end

zone as their drive stalled and a poor snap handed the Generals the ball at the Edgewood 47. The Wildcats were quickly able to get the ball back with a fumble recovery of their own and were able to drive deep into General’s territory before their drive stalled again as the result of a costly holding penalty. This would be a common theme in the second half as the Wildcats would show signs of being able to drive the ball, only to have a penalty or other mistake kill the drive. Abbeville Christian would score once more before the game ended when a Crawford fumble was returned for an Abbeville touchdown to knot the final score at 43-0. The Wildcats are now 0-7 and on the season and next travel to face AISA Class AAA Region 1 foe Glenwood next Thursday evening.

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

William Carroll/ The Wetumpka Herald

Upper left: Abbeville Christian’s defense spent large portions of the game in the Edgewood backfield, stopping plays before they could get started. Upper right: Edgewood Homecoming Queen Morgan Elizabeth Brown, prior to being crowned Friday night. Left: Edgewood sophomore running back Tyler Abernathy was bottled up by the General’s defense most of the night, although he was able to break off a couple of runs in the second half of Friday night’s action.

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Benjamin Russell 37, Chilton County 34

Kenneth Boone / The Outlook

Benjamin Russell quarterback Landon Cotney grew up Friday night, showing poise and toughness as he led the Wildcats to a dramatic come-from-behind win over Chilton County.

Wildcats win a homecoming thriller 37-34 over Chilton By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer

It was as if Landon Cotney and the Benjamin Russell two-minute offense tapped their head coach Danny Horn with their football baton and – voila! – Horn turned from goat to genius. But it took a touchdown drive as the clock ticked perilously close to zero for them to do so. Cotney hit Necolby Maxwell with a short pass and Maxwell powered into the end zone from 15 yards out with just eight seconds left Friday night to give the Wildcats a thrilling 37-34 Class 6A, Region 3 win over the Chilton County Tigers at the Sportplex. Horn had looked like the night’s goat with just 3:46 left in the game when Chilton County’s Keshawn Williams scored from the 2-yard line to give the Tigers a 34-30 lead. The drive was set up when Horn decided to let his offense try to convert a fourth-and-1 from its own 26 and the Tigers stopped Maxwell cold to take over on downs. “My thinking was if we make it we can run some time out,” said Horn of the decision to attempt the fourth down conversion deep in his own territory. “We didn’t make it and we’re lucky the defense made a stop and we were able to come back down. But if I had to do it again I’d do the same thing because we weren’t stopping them and we needed to eat up some clock. It worked out good for us.” Prior to Cotney’s touchdown pass to Maxwell, he hit JaQuerrius Hunter for six yards, Da’Vede Herron

for 13, ran for nine yards and hit William Grant for 16 more. Horn liked what he saw of his sophomore quarterback. “We were in our two-minute offense and I thought Landon did a super job and the line blocked well,” Horn said. “It was just one of those things where we got some people open. We’ve been practicing it and we just executed there toward the end. “Landon’s a winner. He’s going to make a few mistakes here and there, not throw to the right man on occasion. But he came through tonight for us and he’s only going to get better.” Chilton County took the lead the first time it touched the ball with senior quarterback James Davis, who completed 16-of-29 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns on the night, leading the way. Tiger running back Keyuntay Kine powered over from two yards out to cap the 10-play, 84-yard march and, with Colby Barron’s PAT, Chilton County led 7-0. Ben Russell answered with a 9-play, 34-yard drive on the ensuing kickoff that culminated in a 33-yard Dylan Moncus field goal to trim the Tigers’ lead to 7-3. Then, after the Wildcats’ Ben Hendrix recovered Chilton County’s Patrick Rogers’ fumble of the ensuing kick at the Tigers’ 30, it took Benjamin Russell only five plays to reach paydirt again. Cotney passed 18 yards to Kobi Crabb, who powered over Chilton County’s Griffin Green and into the end zone. Moncus PAT gave the Wildcats a 10-7 lead. See BRHS • Page 5

Kenneth Boone / The Outlook

Senior Darby Hines reacts to being announced as Benjamin Russell’s 2016 Homecoming Queen as her father Jeff Hines congratulates his daughter at halftime of Friday night’s win over Chilton County.

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Kenneth Boone / The Outlook

Above Kobi Crabb powers in for a touchdown for Benjamin Russell, while Benjamin Hendrix celebrates after a big defensive play, right . Lower lright, BRHS Coach Danny Horn reacts after a big play by Chilton County.

BRHS But disaster struck on the Wildcats next possession. After getting the ball at their own 34 when Chilton County was unsuccessful on a fourth-down attempt, Cotney was intercepted by the Tigers’ Dustin Cleckler, who returned the pick 27 yards for a touchdown. It was the second consecutive week Cotney had been victimized by a pick-six. But Maxwell had warmed up and scored twice for the Wildcats before the half to give them a 23-14 halftime advantage. The senior, who rushed 30 times for 169 yards on the night, capped a four-play, 65-yard drive with a 44-yard run off left tackle and a 10-play, 56-yard drive with a one-yard plunge up the middle. Moncus converted one of two PAT attempts.

continued from page 1

Chilton County began the second-half scoring, driving 68 yards with the kickoff and scoring on Davis’ 14-yard pass to Keaton Sullivan. Then Cotney ran eight yards for a touchdown on a bootleg and, after Moncus’ PAT, the Wildcats led 30-20. Davis threw his second touchdown pass, this one to Williams, with 6:46 left in the game to set up the exciting finish. Benjamin Russell, which improved to 3-3 and 3-1 in the region, hosts Minor (6-0), a 48-13 winner over Carver-Birmingham Friday night, next week in a non-region contest. Chilton County falls to 2-5 and 0-4 in the region and hosts region foe Pelham (1-6, 1-3), a 35-10 loser to Wetumpka Friday night.

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2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

LaFayette 50, Horseshoe Bend 14

No. LaFayette proves to be too much for the Generals By MITCH SNEED Editor

NEW SITE – Jatarvious Whitlow showed Horseshoe Bend that by ground or by air, he delivers. Whitlow ran for 160 yards on 15 carries and three scores, and had 199 yards passing with a touchdown pass to lead the Bulldogs to a 50-14 win Friday night. But Whitlow had help. My’Kale Trammell had 89 yards on just six carries and a TD run and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass. Junior Robert Houston added 108 yards on just seven carries, with touchdowns of 6 and 21 yards. All that added up to a 601-yard offensive onslaught that overshadowed a night where Horseshoe Bend’s Drew Hill ran for 255 yards on 23 carries, a performance that on most nights would have made headlines. “They just have so many athletes and they just keep coming at you one after another,” Horseshoe Bend Coach Jason Franklin said. “We did a pretty good job for a half containing them and cut it to 14-7, but then it was like they stepped on the gas and just wore us down. They are talented and have that ability. That’s why they are where there are at – ranked as one of the best in the state.” No. 4 LaFayette, now 6-0 overall and 4-0 in region play, got a 1-yard Whitlow score in the first quarter and a 21-yard second quarter run from Trammell, but the Generals had made the Bulldogs take the long way for a half. Down 14-0 at intermission, Horseshoe Bend got a spark to start the third quarter. After taking the kickoff, Hill took a handoff for the Generals, veered left and found open field, racing 81 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown made it a 7-point game at 14-7, but it also appeared to wake the Bulldogs from an offensive slumber. LaFayette responded in a big way, reeling off five second half touchdowns to run away from the Generals.

Mitch Sneed / The Outlook

Horseshoe Bend’s Drew Hill, above, looks for running room for the Generals in the first half of Friday’s Homecoming matchup with LaFayette. Hill finished the night with 23 carries for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the 50-14 loss. Senior Kaylin Wilson, pictured with her father Tim Wilson, was named 2016 Homecoming Queen at Horseshoe Bend in ceremonies before Friday’s game in New Site.

See GENERALS • Page 16

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OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Wetumpka 35, Pelham 10

Cory Diaz/ The Wetumpka Herald

Wetumpka senior running back DeAndre Williams (5) evades a would-be tacklers during Friday’s Class 6A, Region 3 showdown with Pelham at Hohenberg Field.

Williams wills Wetumpka to win v. Pelham By Cory Diaz The Wetumpka Herald

Wetumpka needed several sparks to offset an uncharacteristic sputtering offense Friday night against Pelham. With the Panthers offense outgaining the Indians, 313 to 235 total yards, DeAndre Williams returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Nick Turner took an interception back for a score to help Wetumpka pull away from Pelham, 35-10, at Hohenberg Field. Williams split the coverage for a 98-yard kickoff return, and capped the Tribe’s next possession with a 4-yard touchdown, putting his team ahead, 14-0, less than six minutes into the Class 6A, Region 3 contest, but WHS couldn’t take control. “Offensively, I don’t know if I did a great job in play selection tonight,” Wetumpka head football coach Tim Perry said. “We drove the ball on them at times, we just didn’t finish, which is kind of uncharacteristic of

us.” In the first half, the Panthers’ read-and-pitch option attack gave the Indians fits. Pelham (1-6, 1-3) chewed up 156 yards on five drives, the first resulting in a touchdown on a 2-yard power run on fourth-andgoal from Jon Drake, cutting the lead to 14-7 with 2:31 remaining in the first. PHS opened the second period finishing off a 3:11, 9-play march with a 44-yard field goal from Jose Lopez, pulling Pelham within 14-10 at the 9:56 mark. Lopez and WHS senior placekicker Tyler Loza traded missed field goals the rest of the first half, as Wetumpka took a 14-10 lead into the break. “An option offense is very difficult to defend,” Perry said. “You don’t see it a lot and it’s very difficult to simulate in practice. There’s no way you can simulate the timing between the mesh on the dive, the quarterback pulling and the pitch. They’re a very good team, their

record doesn’t reflect the quality of their team.” At halftime, the Tribe adjusted to bring in cornerbacks senior Jamarcus Townsend and junior Trey McCreary in on run and pitch help, a move that proved fruitful, as the defense picked off three Matthew Rye passes, including Turner’s 70-yard interception return for a score with 7:03 left in the game. It was the junior safety’s fourth pick on the season. “They gave me code 4,” Turner said. “We saw four verticals, and I played between two of them. I saw when the ball was thrown, I went up there and grabbed it. When I caught it, I just said, ‘run, run as fast as I can,’ and scored a touchdown. “We didn’t think (Pelham’s offense) was hard (to prepare for), but then we got in the game, it was harder than we thought.” After sophomore linebacker Colton Adams intercepted a pass, halting Pelham’s second-half opening possession at the WHS 37, seven plays later, Williams plowed into the

end zone from 2 yards for his third score. The senior running back ended the night with 14 carries for 93 yards. “Outstanding young man, the kind of young man you enjoy coaching. Gives us great effort, very coachable,” Perry said of Williams. “He’s got great skills and he’s very unselfish. “He can catch the ball, he can block, he can return kickoffs. He gives us a lot of options offensively like several of our players do.” Turner’s interception return extended the Tribe’s lead to 28-10, and junior running back Kavosiey Smoke found pay dirt from 3 yards out on WHS’s next drive. Smoke had 15 rushes for 77 yards. With the win, the Indians (6-1, 2-1) remained undefeated at home, its sixth straight, dating back to 2015. “We plan on working harder every week and keeping our streak alive and not letting anybody take us down,” Turner said.

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Dadeville 44, Tallassee 27

Cliff Williams / The Outlook

Dadeville’s Margarius Buchanan breaks a run for 52 yards for a touchdown against Tallassee.

Buchanan leads Dadeville to victory over Tallassee It was a game of big plays, big plays that were nullified and an even bigger player. Dadeville’s Margarius Buchanan led the Tigers with 264 yards rushing four touchdowns on 20 carries and passed for another touchdown as the Tigers defeated rival Tallassee 44-27 Friday night.

Dadeville coach Richard White says Buchanan’s effort is not uncommon. “He is that way every Friday night,” White said after the victory. “Just get him the ball, get the offensive line to block for him and he makes plays. He is just a playmaker.” Tallassee coach Mike Battles agrees that Buchanan is something special. “Buchanan is one of the best players we have face in a while,” Battles said. What was impressive was Buchanan

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did not just line up and get his scores on dives. Buchanan’s scoring runs were 52, 25, 81 and 17 yards apiece, each causing the Tallassee defense to reach. And ultimately just play a game of chase as all they could see were the gold soles of his shoes. White was also happy with the rest of his squad. “It was a great effort tonight by my squad,” White said. “We played hard the whole night on both sides of the ball.”

Dadeville’s Phillip Russell contributed 29 yards on five carries and Glenn Kadore ran 27 yards on eight carries while also catching the one Buchanan pass for a 25-yard touchdown. Buchanan may have bruised the Tallassee defense his efforts, but it was Tallassee’s efforts on fourth down that made the game close. “We had not other options,” Battles See DADEVILLE • Page 9

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Dadeville

continued from page 8

Cliff Williams / The Outlook

Tallassee’s Troy Nabors, above left, runs near the goal line on a play that was called back for holding. The run, if it stood, would have put Tallassee at the goal but instead, Tallassee had to settle for a field goal. Above right, Dadeville’s Tyreake Carr brings down Tallassee’s Brady Hancock. Below, Dadeville’s Matthew McClendon brings down Tallassee’s Markevious Mathews.

said. “They worked but we had one for a touchdown called back because of a penalty. That was a negative but they are a great football team.” “They converted five fourth down plays,” White said. One of those fourth downs had Tallassee’s Casey Baynes lined up to punt but instead he rolled to pass to Troy Neighbors for the score. Tallassee’s Baynes was 5 of 23 with 96 yards in the air and two interceptions, one in the fourth quarter that was returned 24 yards by Dadeville’s Trevorous Johnson for a touchdown. “The interception for a touchdown was big,” White said. “It

kind of stretched the lead out and put us in a comfort zone.” Tallassee was aided by Markevious Mathews who came out the game in the third quarter with 19 carries for 82 yards. Baynes helped himself rushing for 47 yards on 11 carries with a four yard scamper for a touchdown. Brady Hancock contributed while running Tallassee’s box formation with 48 yards on seven carries. Jamarcus Miller helped the Tigers from Elmore County with four catches for 79 yards including one touchdown. The win greatly helps Dadeville with its goal of reaching the post season. “We are one step closer to

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the playoffs,” White said. “Our backs were against the wall. We just jumped a big hurdle tonight. If we can continue to play hard, we have a chance to make the playoffs.” The win puts Dadeville 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in region play as it travels for another region game at Elmore County next and White says it will be no easy task but sees promise for his Tigers. “We have to go to Elmore County next week,” White said. “It is never easy over there. We have got to have our A-game again. We are getting better as a football team. We are now starting to play Dadeville football.”

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Munford 54, Elmore County 28

Terry Sanders/ For The Wetumpka Herald

Elmore County senior wide receiver Tyric Belyeu (12) runs out of an arm tackle against Munford Friday night.

ECHS runs out of magic, falls at Munford By Will Heath For The Wetumpka Herald

MUNFORD — Friday night’s high school football tilt between the Munford Lions and Elmore County Panthers opened in a darkly familiar scene for Munford players, coaches and fans, as the Panthers successfully executed an onsides kick on the game’s first play. The Panthers then scored a 42-yard touchdown on their first snap. “I have to admit, for a minute it was deja vu,” said Munford head coach Bill Smith, referring to the 2015 game in which the Lions lost 43-42 after leading by 14 points with two minutes to play. Fortunately for Smith and his team, it was not. The onsides kick, it turns out, was the high water mark for the Panthers on Friday at Munford Stadium — once the Lion offense took the field, it dominated the game. Munford led 41-7 at halftime and cruised to a 54-28 victory. “As long as we take care of the ball and our defense keeps hold-

ing people, we feel like we have a chance for success,” Munford’s Tacorrie Russell said after the game. Russell experienced plenty of success Friday, carrying the football seven times and amassing 103 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He finished with three touchdowns as part of a 176-yard effort. “Preparation is the biggest thing,” Russell said. “Our coaches preach the same thing every day. Everybody has really bought in. “Put it this way: we hate losing more than we like winning.” Russell’s backfield mate, Avery Harris, was on point as well, accounting for three touchdowns and 141 all-purpose yards. Smith said the offense has taken some time to jell, but it is doing just that as the final month of the season looms. “We only returned three starters on offense, so we knew it would take a while,” he said. “We knew it would be a few weeks before we really got going.” Down 7-0, the sixth-ranked Lions (6-1, 4-0) recovered a second onsides kick from Elmore (3-4, 1-3) and took

possession at their own 47-yard line. Harris found LaRaie Ball in the end zone on the fourth play, and Munford had evened the score. They scored touchdowns on their next four possessions and got some extra help from their defense when linebacker Matthew Campbell stole the ball from Elmore County’s Jason Aguilar and raced 30 yards for a touchdown. At halftime, the score was 41-7. “We’re having to take some chances,” Elmore County head coach Norman Dean said after the game. “We’re a very young team and we have to be creative. “Munford is a very good team, well-coached with great athletes. We knew we were going to have to limit how many times they touched the ball.” Dean got strong rushing performances from quarterback Terrence Head and tailback Deundre Patrick, who accounted for all of the Panthers’ 273 total yards. Patrick rushed for 133 and a touchdown. Munford’s offense scored to open the second half, as freshman Lawson Molden rushed for all 78 yards,

including a 6-yard TD to make the score 47-7. After that, the Lions played mostly backups, until the Panthers drew to within 47-28 following an interception. Starters re-entered the game at that point, and Russell ripped off his final TD of the night, a 60-yard run. Munford can now turn its attention to Handley (4-2, 3-1), which beat the Lions a season ago in a 50-48 barnburner. “We’re very confident,” Russell said. “I believe if we come prepared and keep having great weeks of practice, we can keep this thing going.” The public address noted as the game ended that the win marked the 50th career victory for Smith, in his second season at Munford. “I honestly didn’t know,” he said. “One of our dads came up to me during the week … I thought he meant my birthday. “We have great kids here at Munford. I’m excited about getting a bunch more wins here.” Elmore County will play host to Dadeville next week.

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Pike County 74, Coosa 22

Central Coosa suffers devastating loss to Pike County By CATHY HIGGINS Outlook Sports Editor

Central Coosa’s upward trend hit a brick wall Friday night as the Cougars fell to Pike County by devastating score of 74-22, bringing them to a season record of 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the region. “This was not who we are,” said Central Coosa head coach Barry Simmons. “This is not who we’ve been all season.” Pike County’s defeat of the Cougars truly seemed to be a team effort as the scoring was spread out among the Bulldogs’ offense. While Central Coosa wide receivers Tyius Evans and Donta Daniel along with quarterback Raymond Graham each scored a touchdown, the Cougars defense just wasn’t enough to stop the steam engine that was Pike County. Central Coosa started out the night on an optimistic note by laying down the first touchdown of the night just 9 seconds into the first quarter, thanks to Evans. But Pike County soon pounced, scored back-to-back touchdowns with 10:21 and 9:40 left in the quarter. Adding the PAT from the first one brought the Bulldogs’ lead to 13-6 once the second score rolled around. Pike County didn’t stop there. Once they gained possession after the turnover, the Bulldogs moved the ball down the field until fullback Tyrec Johnson rushed the needed 4 yards to make the their third TD for a score of 19-6 with 5:31 left in the first. As if that wasn’t enough, Pike County quarterback Jaidyn Wilson rushed 27 yards for yet another TD with 2:53 left in the first. With the PAT, the quarter ended with the Bulldogs leading 26-6. Central Coosa finally came back halfway into the second quarter. On third

down, Graham passed to wide receiver Donta Daniel, who rushed 22 yards for the Cougars’ second touchdown of the night. With 6:58, the Bulldogs’ lead narrowed to 26-14. But Pike County soon widened that gap again as Wilson pushed 5 yards through the pack to make another score with 3:11 left in the first half. The PAT took the Bulldogs’ lead to 33-14. With just 8 seconds left on the clock, Wilson followed that up with a 15-yard touchdown of his own for Pike County. With the PAT, the half ended with the Bulldogs leading 40-14. The second half was just as grim for the Cougars. Halfway through the third quarter, Pike County running back Elisha Green scored from the 3-yardline with 6:32 left, expanding the Bulldogs lead to 47-14. It would be the fourth quarter before anyone made anymore headway. Pike County would be the first to score in the quarter, with fullback Dorrean Starks rushing 18 yards for the TD with 8:44 left. With that, the Bulldogs’ lead grew to 53-14. Central Coosa tried to fight back but was only able to score one more time as Graham made the Cougars’ third and final touchdown of the night with 6:42 left in the fourth. The 2-point conversion narrowed the Bulldogs’ lead to 53-22. But Pike County continued to pound scoring touchdowns with 5:02, 3:46 and 1:23 left. The PATs took the Bulldogs’ lead to a staggering 74-22. Friday’s win over Central Coosa brings Pike County’s season record to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the region. A disappointed Simmons summed up the Cougars loss. “We just gave up, especially in the fourth quarter,” he said. They’ll have a week to try to bounce back fefore hitting the road to to play Comer. Before then the Cougars plan to

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Cathy Higgins/ The Outlook

Coosa’s Michael Jones gets airborne to block a Pike County extra point in the Cougars 74-22 loss Friday night.

use Friday’s defeat as a learning tool that will help them at the away game. “Everything we do we learn from,”

Simmons said. “Like I’ve been saying, we’ve just got to put our nose to the grindstone and correct these mistakes.”

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Football Statewide scores AHSAA interclass Charles Henderson 42, Trinity Presbyterian 9 Maplesville 21, Northview (Fla.) 0 Randolph Co. 21, Cleburne Co. 17 Sumiton Chr. 28, Falkville 6 UMS-Wright 56, Faith Acad. 0 Vinemont 35, Priceville 28

7A Central-Phenix City 44, Enterprise 24 Davidson 40, Mary G. Montgomery 20 Fairhope 30, Baker 21 Gadsden City 40, Buckhorn 14 Hewitt-Trussville 59, Bob Jones 49 Hoover 49, Oak Mountain 6 James Clemens 69, Grissom 7 Lee-Montgomery 41, Jeff Davis 13 McGill-Toolen 55, Alma Bryant 7 Mountain Brook 40, Tuscaloosa Co. 0 Prattville 37, Smiths Station 20 Spain Park 42, Huffman 6 Sparkman 42, Huntsville 14 Thompson 17, Vestavia Hills 10

6A Austin 27, Florence 7 Baldwin Co. 44, Robertsdale 6 Benjamin Russell 37, Chilton Co. 34 Blount 25, Spanish Fort 0 Brewer 34, Fort Payne 9 Clay-Chalkville 23, Gardendale 20 Cullman 25, Pell City 24 Daphne 50, B.C. Rain 3 Decatur 31, Athens 28 Hartselle 40, Hazel Green 18 Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 61, Paul Bryant 0 Homewood 45, John Carroll Catholic 0 McAdory 54, Brookwood 15 Minor 48, Carver-Birmingham 13 Muscle Shoals 54, Columbia 7 Northridge 28, Selma 6 Opelika 36, Helena 7 Oxford 24, Southside-Gadsden 21 Saraland 42, Gulf Shores 7 Shades Valley 49, Parker 28 Sidney Lanier 6, Dothan 3 Stanhope Elmore 51, Russell Co. 7 Walker 27, Center Point 12 Wetumpka 35, Pelham 10

5A B.T. Washington 47, Headland 14 Beauregard 49, Valley 0 Briarwood Chr. 44, St. Clair Co. 6 Brooks 32, Mae JemisonHuntsville 20 Carroll 38, Rehobeth 21 Central-Clay Co. 41, Lincoln 22 Citronelle 34, Wilcox Central 0 Corner 43, Curry 19 Crossville 41, Boaz 0 Demopolis 35, Dallas Co. 6 Etowah 61, Arab 41 Eufaula 28, Greenville 7 Fairfield 44, Shelby Co. 14 Guntersville 68, Douglas 0 Hayden 39, Springville 29 Lawrence Co. 20, East Limestone 14 Marbury 40, Jemison 33

Russellville 54, St. John Paul II Catholic 7 Scottsboro 41, Alexandria 28 St. Paul’s 28, Jackson 21 Sumter Central 37, CentralTuscaloosa 19 Sylacauga 40, Talladega 14 Vigor 34, Williamson 20 West Point 38, Fairview 24 Woodlawn 19, Moody 15

4A Andalusia 37, Thomasville 0 Anniston 55, White Plains 13 Ashford 14, Alabama Chr. 0 Cherokee Co. 30, Saks 7 Cordova 42, Dora 3 Dadeville 44, Tallassee 27 Dale Co. 34, Montgomery Catholic 33 Fayette Co. 33, Hamilton 14 Greensboro 54, Holt 0 Hale Co. 38, Bibb Co. 27 Haleyville 31, Madison Acad. 21 Handley 42, Childersburg 14 Hokes Bluff 27, Oneonta 24 Jacksonville 23, Ashville 13 Leeds 49, Holtville 22 Madison Co. 49, DAR 28 Munford 53, Elmore Co. 28 North Jackson 28, Randolph 14 Northside 27, Sipsey Valley 12 Oak Grove 32, West Blocton 26 Rogers 10, Deshler 7 Sardis 38, Westminster Chr. 26 Satsuma 41, Escambia Co. 6 St. James 26, Bullock Co. 14 W.S. Neal 22, Monroe Co. 18 West Limestone 35, Danville 14 Wilson 20, Central-Florence 3 Winfield 32, Good Hope 0

3A Bayside Acad. 34, HillcrestEvergreen 33 Clarke Co. 35, Cottage Hill Chr. 16 Colbert Co. 59, Clements 0 Colbert Heights 32, Elkmont 15 Daleville 14, Providence Chr. 0 Fultondale 49, J.B. Pennington 34 Geneva 28, Straughn 14 Geraldine 49, Brindlee Mountain 14 Glencoe 31, Pleasant Valley 6 Gordo 35, Oakman 14 Lexington 18, Lauderdale Co. 13 Locust Fork 37, Holly Pond 31 Midfield 53, Carbon Hill 30 Mobile Chr. 29, Flomaton 0 Montevallo 32, Greene Co. 14 North Sand Mountain 28, New Hope 14 Ohatchee 21, Walter Wellborn 0 Opp 59, Slocomb 6 Piedmont 49, Weaver 15 Pike Co. 74, Central-Coosa 22 Prattville Chr. 60, Beulah 34 Southside-Selma 46, B.B. Comer 26 Susan Moore 56, Hanceville 21 Sylvania 27, Pisgah 26 T.R. Miller 41, Excel 8 West Morgan 25, East Lawrence 22 Wicksburg 46, Houston Acad. 21

2A Abbeville 32, Barbour Co. 12 Aliceville 44, R.C. Hatch 6 Billingsley 49, Verbena 34 Cold Springs 26, West End 16

Collinsville 13, Westbrook Chr. 7 Elba 54, Central-Hayneville 14 Fyffe 42, Sand Rock 7 G.W. Long 43, Ariton 7 Gaston 47, Asbury 0 Goshen 48, Zion Chapel 7 Ider 42, Section 0 J.U. Blacksher 67, St. Luke’s 46 Keith 38, Francis Marion 8 LaFayette 50, Horseshoe Bend 14 Lamar Co. 21, Red Bay 20 Lanett 48, Fayetteville 26 Luverne 49, Calhoun 6 New Brockton 45, Cottonwood 26 Reeltown 20, Ranburne 17 Samson 47, Geneva Co. 21 Sheffield 39, Hatton 21 Southern Choctaw 8, Leroy 7 Sulligent 34, Mars Hill Bible 8 Tanner 58, Cleveland 20 Tarrant 40, Winston Co. 16 Vincent 29, Woodland 27 Washington Co. 42, Chickasaw 8

1A A.L. Johnson 52, J.F. Shields 0 Brantley 44, Houston Co. 14 Cedar Bluff 35, Valley Head 6 Cherokee 14, Shoals Chr. 8 Donoho 38, Appalachian 7 Georgiana 43, Red Level 22 Hackleburg 35, Phillips 14 Highland Home 43, Autaugaville 8 Hubbertville 42, Holy Spirit Catholic 21 Isabella 20, Loachapoka 12 Linden 35, Sweet Water 7 Lynn 62, Southeastern 33 Marengo 20, Fruitdale 7 McKenzie 35, Kinston 14 Meek 52, R.A. Hubbard 15 Millry 55, McIntosh 14 Notasulga 53, Ellwood Chr. 0 Pickens Co. 61, Brilliant 0 Pleasant Home 58, Florala 20 Ragland 28, Victory Chr. 7 South Lamar 53, Marion Co. 0 Spring Garden 56, Coosa Chr. 19 Tharptown 29, Waterloo 21 Vina 42, Alabama School for the Deaf 6 Winterboro 35, Talladega Co. Central 24 Woodville 38, Gaylesville 8

AISA Abbeville Chr. 43, Edgewood Acad. 0 Autauga Acad. 21, Bessemer Acad. 7 Chambers Acad. 49, Northside Methodist 46 Evangel Chr.-Alabaster 32, Cornerstone Chr. 14 Evangel Chr.-Montgomery 14, South Montgomery Co. Acad. 8 Fort Dale Acad. 12, Lee-Scott Acad. 7 Hooper Acad. 35, Crenshaw Chr. 20 Kingwood Chr. 21, Hope Chr. 14 Lowndes Acad. 46, Wilcox Acad. 12 Marengo Acad. 42, Sumter Acad. 12 Monroe Acad. 41, Jackson Acad. 27 Morgan Acad. 20, Clarke Prep 12 Newton Co. Acad. (Miss.) 34, Pickens Acad. 21

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Leeds 49, Holtville 22

File photo/ The Wetumpka Herald

Sophomore Drew Nobles during a game earlier this season. Nobles had a long touchdown run to help get the Bulldogs on the board against Leeds in Friday’s action.

Holtville drops road contest at Leeds By William Carroll The Wetumpka Herald

Holtville Head Football Coach Hunter Adams continues to look for bright spots in his team’s performance each week and noted that this week his kids played extremely hard against an extremely talented opponent even though they lost 49 to 22. Adams though was concerned about the fact that his team continues to commit mental errors that result in points for opposing teams. “We have to cut out mistakes,” Adams said. “Four plays really made the difference in the first half, we had a couple of shanked punts that gave them the ball in scoring position and we had a big pick six right before the half that really hurt us.” Senior Zack Weldon took every snap under center and on the defense as well as special teams, as did junior Evan Headley. Adams said he was specifically proud of both of them and their ability to

play the entire game. “Those two played exceptionally hard the whole game,” Adams said. Other bright spots for the Bulldogs included sophomore Drew Nobles and freshman Kolby Potts. “We were able to score three times in the second half,” Adams said. “We had a long touchdown run by Drew Nobles and a shorter touchdown run by Colby Potts. Zach Weldon also threw a 45 yard touchdown pass to Dajon Reeves for us.” Adams said there is still a lot to play for even though the Bulldogs currently sit at 0-6. “We have been fairly strong all season in special teams,” he said. “We’ve got some things left we can accomplish. We are going to keep fighting. The kids know we aren’t ready to give up.” The Bulldogs next travel to Tallassee to face the Tigers in region rivalry game. The game is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. in Tallassee.

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Stanhope Elmore 51, Russell County 7

Cory Arwood/ The Wetumpka Herald

Stanhope Elmore senior wide receiver K.T. Martin (9) runs past a Russell County defender into the end zone during the Mustangs’ blowout win on the road Friday.

Stanhope stampedes Warriors in blowout By Corey Arwood The Wetumpka Herald

The Stanhope Elmore Mustangs dominated the Russell County Warriors tallying touchdown after touchdown to bring the score to a staggering 51-0 in the first half, before resting their starters and finishing up with a 51-7 victory. The outcome of the game was vastly different from last weekend’s game, where the Mustangs played competitively but ultimately lost. Their performance on the field looked against the Warriors looked like an entirely revamped team. He said it wasn’t the score that

would determine his team’s level of improvement, whether it was a win or a loss, “It’s are we getting better?”, said Dean. And getting better was what he said they needed to do. It was the whole goal of the season, he said in order to beat the teams they needed to beat, to get the wins they needed to stay second in the region and ultimately have a shot at a championship run, he said. “And that’s difference between championship programs and those that just make the playoffs, we don’t want to just make the playoffs we want to make a run,” said Dean. His sights are set first on their

immediate future and next week’s away game at Carver. But beyond that he laid out their strategy to the playoffs. And essentially that was to continue to improve on team chemistry that was on display at Russell County on Friday and to take down their upcoming challengers from Carver, Dothan and Sidney Lanier. “And that’s what important is getting that home playoff game so that to us is a goal,” Dean said. But what could the drastic improvement in their performance be attributed to compared to their loss against Troy’s Charles Henderson High School, at 21-14 on homecom-

ing last weekend? “Better week of practice, (defensively) had a better week, I think they’re starting to understand the system a little bit,” Dean said. “You can’t come in late July and put in a new system, discipline can start day one but teaching, philosophy, is going to take time so it’s taken some time and I think (defensively) you see it in bits and spurts but we’re starting.” And it seemed evident in both the Mustang offense and defense Friday, as they encountered little resistance driving repeatedly into the Warrior’s territory and entirely shutting them out of there own.

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Cory Arwood/ The Wetumpka Herald

Above: Stanhope Elmore Mustangs take the field at Russell County Friday night. Below left: Mustangs junior running back Quantarius Daniels (6) runs upfield for yardage. Below right: Stanhope freshman Travarasia Duncan (24) is brought down for a tackle by a Warrior defender.

2016 SPORTS EXTRA

Generals

continued from page 6

The Bulldogs got a second 1-yard Whitlow score and a 6-yard TD run from Houston in the third quarter. Whitlow then hit Trammell for a 38-yard touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter, making it 36-6 after a two-point conversion. Just 2:56 later after a Horseshoe Bend punt Whitlow ran through a tackle at the line of scrimmage and rambled 68 yards for a touchdown. Horseshoe Bend did add another score from Hill, a 3-yard touchdown that he set up with a 55-yard run with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late. Houston put a cap on the scoring with a 21-yard TD for LaFayette with 1:36 left in the game. LaFayette Coach James Lucas said that he was proud that so many players carried the load. “Jatarvious is a tremendous athlete, but you saw tonight that we have several players who can get it done,” Lucas said. “That’s what we wanted to see. As we get down the road and into the playoffs, you are going to have to be able to spread it around and do several things well. That’s why this game was so important.” Lucas also had praise for Horseshoe Bend’s Hill. “He’s a heck of a player,” Lucas said. “I told him after the game that I plan to tell every college coach I see about him and send them his way. He runs hard and is a smart runner. He can play on Saturday.” The loss drops Horseshoe Bend to 3-3 on the season, with a trip to Vincent coming up next week.

OCTOBER 1-2, 2016

Rebels rally for win at Ranburne By TIM ALTWORK Randoph County Leader

A sluggish start and a frantic final minute couldn’t keep Reeltown from victory Friday as the Rebels rallied for a 20-17 win at Ranburne. Montez Brooks scored from 1-yard out with 4:04 left in the game to give Reeltown its first lead of the night at 20-17 after the Rebels battled back from an early 14-0 hole and 17-6 halftime deficit. It was a somewhat surprisingly stiff challenge from Ranburne, which came into the game with a record of 1-4. “Our guys competed the second half and did a great job,” said Reeltown head coach Matt Johnson. “[Ranburne’s] a heck of a football team right there. Their record doesn’t do them justice because they’ve got their identity right. They’ve got things going in the right direction. That’s a good football team.” Ranburne had the ball

with a chance to tie the game or win it at the end. The Bulldogs drove to the Reeltown 20-yard line with .2 seconds remaining in the game and no timeouts left, but they were unable to snap the ball in time to attempt a field goal as time expired. “They kept .2 seconds on the clock and let them redo it,” Johnson said. “But they have to be set for one second before they snap the football, so it was impossible to run another play.” Ranburne controlled the game for much of the first half. The Bulldogs dominated time of possession, holding onto the ball for almost 17 minutes over five first-half possessions. Two of those possessions ended in 1-yard touchdown runs. Aaron Benefield scored first with 9:50 left in the second quarter to put Ranburne up 7-0, and quarterback Jordan English added to the lead with another 1-yard run with 1:28 to go in the half.

Reeltown 20, Ranburne 17

“They controlled the clock,” Johnson said. “They controlled the real estate because they’re real good at special teams as well. When you have those two things – when you control the clock and you’ve got a good kicker that can flip the field that’s tough to get the ball back sometimes and be able to do something with it.” It looked like Ranburne would keep that 14-0 lead heading into the locker room, but Reeltown got a big pass play from quarterback Jamon Matthews to Makevon Hughley for a 47-yard touchdown with 47 seconds to go in the half to cut the lead to 14-6. Ranburne made the most of the remaining time on the clock, however, as they drove down and squeezed in a 32-yard field goal off the foot of Jake Howle just before the break. Outside of the 47-yard touchdown pass, Reeltown had just 53 yards of offense in

the first half. The second half was a different story. “We had to make some adjustments in the second half to what they were giving us defensively, and it worked out a whole lot better obviously,” Johnson said. “We came out and spread them out a little bit and that opened up some running lanes for us. And those big backs they did a great job.” Brooks and Mitchell Flurry were those two big backs, and they combined to gash Ranburne for 114 yards on 17 second-half carries. Brooks scored from five yards out on Reeltown’s opening possession of the second half to cut the Ranburne lead to 17-14. He led the Rebels in rushing with 75 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries for the game. Matthews completed 7-of9 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Eric Shaw caught three passes for 67 yards.