BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN –—The Glenwood Gators and Lee-Scott Academy Warriors were two heavyweight squads locked in a stalemate with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter on Friday night, but that’s when the Gators’ halftime adjustments paid off in a big way.
Nearly 30 minutes into a scoreless ballgame, Glenwood struck on three consecutive drives without an answer to carry a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter. Lee-Scott mustered a single touchdown to begin the final quarter, but it was too little, too late, as Glenwood came out victorious at Judd Scott Field in Auburn, 20-7.
The win helped Glenwood win the Class 3A, Region 4 regular-season title for the second straight year since transitioning from the AISA last fall. Two years into a new classification, the Gators have yet to lose a region game, including back-to-back wins over rival Lee-Scott.
“Two years ago, coming to this league our football program was nothing. Now here we are — back-to-back region champs, so I can’t say enough about our program, our kids, and our coaches,” said Glenwood head coach Ryan Nelson. “[Lee-Scott head coach Buster Daniel and I] talked before the game, and it’s ironic that two (former) AISA teams are playing for the region championship in 3A.”
The first half was all about defense, as the only time either team crossed the opponent’s 40-yard line was on an early interception by Lee-Scott, but even that drive ended in a Warrior turnover on downs after four plays.
But with 6:46 on the clock in the third quarter, Glenwood running back Nate Malone broke away for a 52-yard rushing TD. Three minutes later, Glenwood receiver Cal Lawrence took a jet sweep 81 yards to the house on the first play of the next drive.
Glenwood recorded 51 total yards in the first half, but it tallied 133 yards between the two scoring plays as it went up 14-0.
The Gators kept their foot on the gas to end a dominant third quarter, scoring on its third drive in a row after taking over at its own 19 again. After a 22-yard completion to receiver Cam Dawson, quarterback Jalen Stanley scrambled down near the Lee-Scott 30-yard line. Adding to the big gain, the Warriors drew a penalty for a late hit out of bounds that moved Glenwood up 15 yards. Two plays later, Stanley hit Malone on a screen pass, and he took it 16 yards for a TD to go up 20-0.
“It was a chess match. They’ve seen us so many times, and it’s the same thing for our defense,” Nelson said of the early offensive struggles. “After the first possession in the third quarter, we finally picked up a few first downs and got the pace going… At halftime, our offensive coaches did a heck of a job making adjustments.”
Even after surrendering three consecutive TDs, the Warriors fought to the end. After blocking Glenwood’s last extra-point kick, they found some life on offense to begin the fourth quarter.
Benefitting from a Glenwood unsportsmanlike penalty on the TD, the Warriors returned the kickoff to midfield. After several physical runs by RB Brooks Zachry go them down to the 18-yard line, QB Max Hammer hit a diving Wyatt Whatley on top of the pylon for a TD, making it 20-7.
Despite the successful drive, Lee-Scott’s offense faltered to end the game. Its final three drives resulted in a turnover on downs, an interception by the Gators’ Asher Long and a fumble with three minutes on the clock. At that point, Glenwood picked up one first down on a reverse to Lawrence and then took a knee to run out the clock.
“I want to see our team toughen up. I mean, that’s the bottom line – we aren’t very tough right now, and it shows on the field,” Daniel said. “We have got to toughen up, or find some kids that want to be tough. I’ll find some young guys if that’s what it takes.”
Following its first region loss of the season, Lee-Scott sits at 6-2. It will finish the season with a pair of road games against region foe BB Comer (1-7) and Class 2A Reeltown (6-2).
With the win, Glenwood improves to 7-2. The Gators will enjoy a bye week before ending the season with a road match versus Sylacauga (4-4) of Class 5A on Oct. 31.
Both programs are in playoff position, Glenwood as the No. 1 seed and Lee-Scott as the No. 2 seed in the region, and will go for their first playoff win since joining the AHSAA in 2024. Glenwood made the playoffs after an undefeated regular season last year but fell to Alabama Christian Academy in the first round. Lee-Scott narrowly missed the playoffs after a 5-5 season.
“I guess I can say it now that we won the region – we’ve got a good football team, and so we’ve just got to keep getting better,” Nelson said. “We can’t do what we did last year when we get in the first round of the playoffs. We’ve got to figure out how we can win that first game and advance, and I think that’s been our goal since we started in June.”
