re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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No. 9 - Shedrick Jackson, WR, Hoover

Jackson is the great-nephew of Bo Jackson, but the Hoover star wideout has blazed his own trail to success.
A-LIST: Jackson's leadership will be key this fall for Hoover's success
THIS WEEK: Hoover travels to Grayson (Ga.) on Friday

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No. 7 - Jack West, QB, Saraland

The Saraland quarterback gave Stanford a verbal commitment before his junior season. He was offered by the likes of Alabama and Auburn before starting a varsity game.
A-LIST: Jack West shooting for stellar senior season.
THIS WEEK: Saraland travels to Cartersville, Ga., to face Heard County (Ga.) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

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No. 5 - Seth Williams, WR, Paul Bryant

Williams is one of the more physical receivers and better athletes in the state. He is being recruited as a receiver but also has the build for a safety. He was an all-state performer in football, basketball and track last season.
A-LIST: How Seth Williams got past his Keyshawn Johnson moment
THIS WEEK: Bryant is at Tuscaloosa County on Friday

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No. 3 - Coynis Miller, DL, Jackson-Olin

Miller is the state's top defensive lineman. He also plays quarterback on short-yardage situations. Florida currently leads for Miller, but Auburn is right behind and then Alabama, Louisville and Oregon.
A-LIST: Coynis Miller wants to help others mimic his success
THIS WEEK: Jackson-Olin is at Woodlawn

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No. 1 - Justyn Ross, WR, Central-Phenix City

Ross, a five-star recruit in some services, is one of the more physical receivers to come out of the state in some time. He is down to Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Florida State.
A-LIST: Read about Ross and the bond with his mother, who served our country overseas
THIS WEEK: Central hosts Bob Jones on Friday

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Links to A-List features are included. Click on the player's name for the story.

1. Justyn Ross, WR, Central-Phenix City - Ross caught two passes for 33 yards in a 33-7 win over Bob Jones.

2. Jalyn Armour-Davis, ATH, St. Paul's - The Alabama commit Armour-Davis caught six passes for 90 yards, including a 44-yard TD pass, in St. Paul's 24-21 win over Fairhope.

3. Coynis Miller, DL, Jackson-Olin - Miller finished with six tackles, a sack and one tackle for loss on defense, and he scored on a 12-yard run as a wildcat quarterback in the first quarter of a 35-8 win over Woodlawn.

4. Asa Martin, RB, Austin - The Auburn commit had 10 carries for 157 yards and three touchodwns (41, 1, 63). The 41-yarder came on his first carry. The 1-yarder was out of the Wildcat. He also caught a 12-yard pass. Austin won 47-7 and pulled its starters after the opening drive of the second half (Martin's 63-yarder).

5. Seth Williams, WR, Paul Bryant - Williams recorded four catches for 47 yards and added one carry for a 2-yard touchdown in a 27-24 loss to Tuscaloosa County.

6. Harold Joiner, RB, Mountain Brook - Joiner ran 13 times for 195 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-24 win over Gulf Shores.

7. Jack West, QB, Saraland - The Stanford commit went 14-of-19 for 100 yards in a nationally-televised win over Heard County (Ga.).

8. Andres Fox, DL, Mobile Christian - The uncommitted senior played just one quarter, a total of 16 plays. He had 3 solo tackles, two assists a sack and five QB hurries in the Leopards' 43-14 win over Lighthouse Private Christian of Pensacola, Fla.

9. Shedrick Jackson, WR, Hoover - The Auburn commit had five catches for 150 yards, two for more than 50 yards, per 247Sports, in Hoover's 35-26 loss at Grayson (Ga.)

10. Tank Jenkins, OL, Park Crossing - Jenkins and the Thunderbirds had a big 53-20 win over Jeff Davis.

11. James Foster, QB, Sidney Lanier - The Missouri commit threw touchdown passes of 15 and 30 yards in a 28-13 win over Lee-Montgomery.

12. Myles Mason, DB, Hewitt-Trussville - Mason and the Huskies dominated Pell City 49-10 in the Champions Challenge, an exhibition game in Montgomery.

13. Tae Provens, RB, Madison County - Madison County didn't have a regular season game, but the LSU commit scored on this 85-yard run in a jamboree against Buckhorn.

14. Allen Love, DL, Huffman - Huffman was off

15. Cam Taylor, QB/ATH, Park Crossing - The Missouri commit had six touchdowns, four on the ground, in a 53-20 win over Jeff Davis, per the Montgomery Advertiser. He had 238 total yards

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Auburn quarterback commit and Bartram Trail (Fla.) QB Joey Gatewood made two things abundantly clear after Saturday's nationally-televised game against Cartersveille (Ga.).

First, he won't waver on his commitment: "I'm going to Auburn 100 percent, no matter what."

Second, he has no plans to play any position except quarterback. "I'm not an athlete," he said. "I'm an athlete who plays quarterback."

Gatewood's performance spoke just as loudly.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Gatewood completed 12-of-16 passes for 183 yards and a 34-yard touchdown and added 19 carries for 129 yards and TD runs of 1 and 6 yards in

See Gatewood's highlights from Saturday night: LINK

Joey Gatewood highlights

The Bears fell behind 17-0 and 38-10, but rallied - thanks in large part to Gatewood's poise and athleticism - and lined up on a final play at the Cartersville 12 with a chance to tie the game but lost 52-45.

As a runner, Gatewood showed an uncanny combination of elusiveness and power. On his 6-yard TD run, he broke multiple tackles. He leaped over a diving tackler in the first quarter and showed a nifty spin move later in the game.

As a passer, Gatewood showcased touch on several throws, including 51-yarder on in the second half and his 34-yard TD pass. His above-average arm strength also allowed him to remain patient and let plays develop.

Gatewood, wearing No. 2, likely reminded Auburn fans of Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, another big-bodied quarterback who exemplifies the dual-threat skills that fit perfectly into Gus Malzahn's offense.

Perhaps most impressively, Gatewood didn't sulk while splitting time with fellow senior Riley Smith, who threw three touchdowns and interception. The seniors alternated each series, and the plan didn't change when Cartersville scored 17 points before Bartram Trail got a first down.

"You can't have a quarterback like him on the bench," Gatewood said of the 6-foot-4 Smith, who played like a future college starter, too.

Yes, Gatewood has the size and football skillset coveted by college coaches around the country. But his attitude about splitting snaps showed maturity.

That's got to excite Malzahn and new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.

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MARIETTA — Matthew Hill and Dante Black combined for 306 rushing yards and the Brookwood Broncos scored 35 points Friday night against Walton.

However, the Bronco defense was unable to make key stops as the Broncos fell to 0-2 on the year with a 42-35 loss at Walton.

“They have a lot to offensive firepower and unfortunately we could not make the stops that we needed to turn the momentum,” Brookwood head coach Phillip Jones said. “Our guys never quit, they never gave up, we just couldn’t find a stop or make a big play.”

Following punts by both teams, Walton began the scoring with a seven-play drive culminating in a one-yard run by running back by D.J. Soyoye to put the Broncos in a 6-0 hole. Undaunted by the early deficit, the Broncos marched right down the field in seven plays, five of them Dante Black runs, to take a 7-6 lead on a three-yard scoring run by Black.

In the second quarter, both defenses grabbed temporary control of the game as neither offense was able to score for the first seven minutes of the quarter. But things would change drastically as the teams combined to score 29 points in the final 4:44 of the quarter and Walton took a 28-21 lead into the half.

After Soyoye capped another seven-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run, Broncos receiver Matthew Hill had the play of the game up until that point. Lined up in the backfield, Hill coralled an errant snap from center and raced down the right sideline for a 64-yard score to tie the game at 14 on the next play from scrimmage.

Less than two minutes later, Walton quarterback Austin Kirksey hit receiver and Georgia commit Dominick Blaylock for a 27-yard TD as he broke free down the right sideline for the score. The Broncos responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game at 21 with just 25 seconds remaining in the half .

“Having Blalock back was huge for them, he made a lot of plays,” Jones said of the junior receiver.

Blalock gained 105 receiving yards on seven catches.

However, the Broncos defense surrendered the play of the half as receiver Kendall Alford added a touchdown pass to his 103 first half receiving yards. The sophomore receiver fielded a backwards pass from Kirksey and found Chandler Jones open down the left sideline for a 47-yard TD to end the half.

Walton opened the second half by recovering a surprise onside kick and gaining possession at the Brookwood 32-yard line, but the Bronco defense stiffened, forcing a 32- yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left to keep it at a one-possession game.

The Broncos spoiled a promising nine-play drive that stalled in Walton territory as a 24- yard field goal attempt was disrupted due to a bad snap. Four plays later, Soyoye put the Broncos in a two-score hole as he ran through Brookwood’s line and avoided a last ditch tackle attempt at the 5-yard line for a 44-yard TD run.

As would be the case for most of the night, the Broncos offense responded, this time in the form for a nine-play, 76-yard drive ending in Black’s second rushing score of the night. It was once again up to the Broncos defense but Walton marched right down the field in eight plays as Kirksey hit Alford on a screen pass and watched the receiver weave through Broncos defenders and into the end zone for a 42-28 lead.

“Really proud of our offensive line… they stepped up to the challenge and played big tonight,” Jones said.

Black scored for the third time to go along with his 135 rushing yards, to cut the lead to seven but Walton salted the game away and ran out the clock to claim the win.

Hill led all players with 171 yards on the ground, Kirksey passed for a game-high 285 yards. The Broncos surrendered 453 yards of total offense and six plays of 20 yards or more. Despite the loss, Brookwood still has a its goal of a region title in front of it, a fact not lost on Jones.

“We are going to keep battling,” Jones said. “We are in non-region play… I trust our guys. We have a great group of kids. … Sunday night we will get back to work and keep fighting our tail off. It is not the start that we wanted but the finish is most important.”

WALTON 42, BROOKWOOD 35

Brookwood 7 14 7 7 - 35

Walton 6 22 7 7 - 42

First Quarter

Walton: D.J. Soyoye 1 run (PAT missed) 3:17

Brookwood: Dante Black 3 run (Jake Cartmill kick) :29

Second Quarter

Walton: Soyoye 1 run (Austin Kirksey 2 run) 4:44

Brookwood: Matthew Hill 64 run (Cartmill kick) 4:30

Walton: Dominick Blaylock 27 pass from Kirksey (Jack Westbrook kick) 2:58

Brookwood: Hill 8 pass from Angelo DiSpigna (Cartmill kick) :25

Walton: Chandler Smith 47 pass from Kendall Alford (Westbrook kick) :00

Third Quarter

Walton: Soyoye 44 run (Westbrook kick) 2:48

Brookwood: Black 3 run (Cartermill kick) :21

Fourth Quarter

Walton: Alford 29 pass from Kirksey (Westbrook kick) 8:27

Brookwood: Black 3 run (Cartermill kick) 4:24

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It took all night for Hoover to climb out of the hole it dug for itself early in both halves of its 2017 season opener in Loganville, Georgia.

And when Hoover finally did, it took one big play for the host Rams to thwart the Bucs’ comeback bid.

Kenyon Jackson’s 71-yard catch and run of a D.J. Irons slant pass for a score with 3:54 proved to be decisive as Grayson held off Hoover 35-26 in a battle of defending Class 7A state champions from Georgia and Alabama on Friday at Grayson Community Stadium.

But Grayson supplied big plays early in both halves.

The Rams (1-0) scored 14 points in the first 4:32 of the first quarter and added another tally just over two minute into the second half to make the Bucs (0-1) have to play catch up all night.

“We just didn’t play very well early,” Hoover coach Josh Niblett said. “We had some opportunities in the game to kind of change the momentum a little bit. When you play good teams, you’ve got to take advantage of that, and we didn’t.”

Grayson also defeated the Bucs last season in Hoover.

“We didn’t start off fast enough, but I thought our kids showed some resilience,” Niblett added. “There’s no doubt we played hard, but we made some mistakes, had some costly penalties that cost us a little bit. We didn’t play as sound in every phase in different parts of the game. And the thing is, when you play good teams, it’s going to show up.”

For Grayson, a 15-yard completion from Irons to Camron Thompson on third-and-12 on the opening drive kept the ball with the host Rams, allowing Thompson a chance to burst free on a handoff two plays later for a 57-yard gain that took the ball all the way to the Hoover 2-yard line.

Two plays later, Irons sneaked in from 1 yard out to put Grayson in front 7-0 just 2:01 after the opening kickoff.

Grayson then added a an eight-play, 49-yard drive that ended when Florida State commit Ronald Thompkins’ 13-yard TD run to push the lead to 14-0 with 7:28 to go in the first quarter.

But a pair of big plays over the final 16 minutes of the first half — one each by the Hoover offense and defense — helped swing momentum back to the visitors from Alabama.

First, quarterback Jalen Parker hooked up with Auburn commit Shedrick Jackson on a 51-yard completion on third-and-17 from the Hoover 20 to flip the field and set up Barret Pickering’s 47-yard field goal that cut Grayson’s led to 14-3 with 4:19 to go in the first quarter.

The Rams looked like they would answer with a 10-play drive that moved the ball from their own 25 as deep as the Hoover 10 early in the second quarter.

But after picking up one fourth-down conversion, Grayson was stuffed for a 2-yard loss on another fourth-down play, giving Hoover the ball back on its own 12.

The Buccaneers then marched 60 yard in nine plays, and even though they settled for another Pickering field goal — this one a 45-yarder with 4:08 to go in the first half — they had cut the Rams’ lead to just one score at 14-6 heading into intermission.

Grayson then made it 21-6 on Thompkins’ 28-yard TD run just 2:22 into third quarter.

But even after the Rams took a 28-13 lead into the fourth quarter, the Bucs refused to quit.

They drove 85 yards in 12 plays, capped by a Larry McCammon 1-yard scoring dive to pull within one score again at 28-20 with 10:01 to go.

And after a three-and-out by the defense, the Bucs were on the move again.

This time, Parker hit Jackson with a 57-yard completion to move into the red zone, and McCammon scored his third TD of the night on a 4-yard run to pull Hoover to within 28-26 after a 2-point conversion pass was intercepted.

But with momentum all on the Bucs’ side, Grayson got the big play they needed.

Irons found Jackson near midfield, and the LSU commit snagged a low pass and outran the Hoover secondary for a 71-yard scored with 3:54 to to, and the Bucs’ fate was sealed when they turned the ball over on downs on their next possession.

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