photo by John Few

Billingsley rolls over A.L. Johnson

By John Few (Contact) | Demopolis Times

Published Saturday, October 11, 2008

There was little to celebrate on the field for A.L. Johnson’s homecoming, except maybe the homecoming ceremony itself.

What was supposed to be to be a interesting Class A Region 3 showdown between A.L. Johnson and Billingsley turned into a grueling lopsided game where nothing seemed to go right for the Eagles.

For A.L. Johnson (3-4 overall, 3-3 Class 1A Region 3) and head coach Mose Jones this was their first homecoming loss in seven years. Billingsley dominated the contest, scoring on two separate 80-yard runs while their defense effectively shut down the running game the Eagles had relied upon so effectively last year.

“It’s been a tough,” said Coach Jones. “We went from a winning season last year and 2-0 to start the season off to 3-4. We have a lack of leadership and just simply not able to get the ball rolling.”

The game started out on a bad note for A.L. Johnson. Billingsley (5-2 overall and in Class 1A Region 3) easily drove down to the Eagle’s 24-yard line on their third play of the game and then took the ball into the end one with a 24-yard run by Jamar Hopson. A successful two-point attempt gave A.L. Johnson an 8-0 deficit before they even had a chance to touch the ball.

The Bears would again find the end zone with another run by Hopson, this time an 80-yard dash with 9:19 left in the second quarter. A successful PAT brought the score to 15-0.

The Eagles quickly turned the ball over again on downs on their next possession giving Billingsly another chance to score, this time on a Jerome Tyus 70-yard touchdown pass with 4:07 left to play in the half. The PAT attempt was good, bringing the score to 22-0.

Costly mistakes, along with a pourous defense, plagued the Eagles all night. In the next A.L. Johnson series, the Bears picked off a Kejuan McGhee pass intended for Ronzell Henton and drove in for a quick touchdown. The extra point attempt was good bringing the score to 29-0.

A 16-yard pass from quarterback DeAndre Langhorne to Kendarius Fritts triggered the only scoring drive for the Eagles. With only 4 seconds left, it set up a 1 yard push into the end zone by Langhorne, ending the half 29-6. The two-point conversion again failed.

What could have been a chance to form some semblance of a comeback in the third quarter turned into another rout as Jamar Hopson again ran 80 yards straight through A.L. Johnson’s defense. A two-point attempt was successful bringing the score to 37-6.

Billingsley continued the onslaught with an additional scoring drive in the fourth with a 13-yard touchdown run and successful PAT to ring the final score to 45-6.

The loss locked A.L. Johnson out of playoff contention this year, but not for Billingsley. The Bears earned a shot in the playoffs by knocking off the Eagles. A.L. Johnson will travel to Maplesville next week to take on the Red Devils.