BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION –– In the first round of the Class 3A playoffs on Friday, the Glenwood Gators earned its first playoff win as a member of the AHSAA with a 43-10 win over Thomasville.
The win helped erase the bitter taste out of the mouths of the Gators that lingered from last season’s first-round playoff loss. After going undefeated in the regular season in its inaugural campaign in the AHSAA in 2024, Glenwood was upset in its first postseason matchup by Alabama Christian Academy.
The Gators and head coach Ryan Nelson avenged that disappointing loss with a dominant home win this time around. The win improves their overall record to 9-2.
“It’s an awesome feeling for our program and also for our kids, coaches and just a great thing to make history,” Nelson said. “It’s something that we talked about a lot this offseason. We felt like we let one slip through our hands last year. We wanted to get back to this game, and we did it and took advantage of the opportunity.”
Although Glenwood maintained the lead throughout the entirety of the game, Thomasville trimmed the Gator lead to 21-10 just before halftime. Glenwood took control after the break, scoring 22 unanswered points.
Glenwood senior quarterback Jalen Stanley hit three different receivers for long touchdowns in the first half, but the Gators initially struggled to solve Thomasville’s deceptive, run-heavy offense. Particularly, No. 26 Cooper Elam and his speed caused problems for the Gator defense in the first half.
As a counterattack to Glenwood’s big passing plays, Elam punched it in on fourth-and-inches at the goal line for a TD to make it 14-7 after Glenwood’s fast start. After the Gators scored again, Thomasville got back on the board before the half on a 28-yard field goal by kicker CJ Welch with four seconds left in the half, cutting the deficit to 21-10.
“It was a challenge at halftime because what they do offensively is so unorthodox, and they’re very well coached and really, really good at what they do. It’s difficult to defend,” Nelson said of Thomasville’s wishbone offense. “But I can’t credit our defense enough in the second half. [Thomasville] had 10 at halftime, and we kept them at 10 for the rest of the game. As simple as it sounds, that’s a big win for us.”
While it took Glenwood’s defense some time to make adjustments to an unfamiliar offensive scheme, the offense clicked from the start. Despite a turnover on downs in opponent territory to start the game, Stanley found senior Cam Dawson, sophomore running back Nate Malone and junior Zayden Hart for TDs of 52, 29 and 47 yards on each of the next three drives.
In between the first two Glenwood first-quarter TDs, the Gators also recovered a kickoff to retain possession. Kicker Clay Sauerwine made it tricky for Thomasville to field kicks all night, using low, spinning squib kicks that bounced unpredictably. In fact, the Gators took advantage of kickoff recoveries that led to TD drives in each half.
“It’s not so much an onside kick as it is squibbing,” Nelson explained. “We had a lot of trouble earlier in the year with giving up kickoff returns, so it’s just a schematic type of deal just trying to get the ball on the ground and find ways to get the ball. I think our kids have bought into it. …It’s something our kids have been believing in.”
The second kickoff recovery aided Glenwood in getting a pair of quick scores in the third quarter, crushing Thomasville’s comeback hopes.
After a three-and-out by Thomasville to open the second half, Glenwood junior QB Trey Claridy, who rotated with Stanley behind center throughout the game, threw a TD pass of his own for a 71-yard gain to senior receiver Cal Lawrence. Moments later, junior Colton Head recovered a muffed kickoff at the Thomasville 42-yard line, setting up a three-yard TD run by Malone. Dawson then hit Kade Cox for a two-point conversion to go up 36-10.
Completing a dominant, 22-point third quarter, the Glenwood defense forced a desperate Thomasville offense to turn the ball over on downs after juniors Josiah Clark and Noah Cline denied a fourth-and-five rush attempt from the Thomasville 43-yard line. Stanley hit Hart on the ensuing play for a 43-yard TD.
Stanley’s fourth TD strike of the night capped off the scoring at 43-10. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, sealing the Gators’ historic victory.
“This time of year, it’s just survive and advance,” Nelson said. “It might be pretty and sometimes it might not, but we just have to find a way to go 1-0.”
Along with key defensive play sparked by defensive coordinator Josh McConnell and company’s halftime adjustments, the offense thrived behind a passing game led by a two-quarterback system. Stanley and Claridy both got significant and meaningful playing time, a method that was berthed in Glenwood’s regular-season finale comeback win over Sylacauga.
Claridy was injured in week one at Valley, leaving Stanley to handle QB duties by himself until the season finale, when Claridy finally returned to full health for the Sylacauga game. His return proved timely, as he helped the Gators come back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to beat Class 5A Sylacauga for the second year in a row, 38-31.
But Claridy didn’t do it alone — instead, the Gator offense rallied with he and Stanley rotating in and out of the game.
Glenwood continued rotating QBs versus Thomasville, and it worked to perfection. Claridy, who’s more of a dual-threat option, went out on the opening drive of the game, but Stanley — a strong-armed passer — came in for the next drive and got Glenwood on the board. Nelson rode the hot hand with Stanley for the next few possessions, but Claridy came back in and delivered a 71-yard TD to help the Gators burst out of the gates in the second half.
“The best thing I can say right now is we’re going to play both (quarterbacks). We have co-starters,” Nelson explained. “It helps us because they complement each other. If one gets hot, obviously we’re going to roll with them. But every game and every defense we face is different.”
Nelson noted that the two-quarterback system has worked for him before, pointing to his time as offensive coordinator at Central-Phenix City.
“When I was at Central from 2017-19, we played Tucker Melton and Peter Parrish, then the next year we played Tucker Melton and Trey Miles,” Nelson pointed out. “I mean, we’ve got two guys who can play there, so why not play two quarterbacks? A lot of people frown upon that sort of thing, but it’s worked for me in the past when both guys buy in. The thing is, when teams prepare for us, they have to prepare for two different things.”
With an AHSAA playoff win under their belt, Nelson and the Gators will now hope to carry their recent momentum into a second-round matchup with Trinity Presbyterian (9-2). The Wildcats are coming off a 17-8 victory over T.R. Miller.
Glenwood will host Trinity on Friday, Nov. 14, at Sammy Howard Field, aiming to extend its historic postseason run.
