Glenwood Gators (5-0) 61 | Springwood Wildcats (2-3) 14
Wil Crews
sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com
The Glenwood Gators continued their strong start to the season on Friday, excelling in all three facets of the game on the way to a 61-14 win over the Springwood Wildcats.
Glenwood corner A.J. Harris has been electric all season – proving that he only needs one touch of the ball to make an impact. Friday was no different as Harris returned Springwood’s first punt 55 yards for the opening touchdown of the game. The special team’s excellence would continue in even loftier fashion. This time, Jay Sinclair was fielding the punts for the Gators. The senior secondary member might as well have had a sign on him that said “one way,” as he sliced through the Wildcats’ coverage on two successive punts for back-to-back 70-yard punt return touchdowns. The Gators led 21-0 in the first quarter without scoring putting the offense on the field.
The ease with which Glenwood scored the ball continued throughout the game. The Gator’s defense repeatedly set the offense up with good field position, recovering a fumble, intercepting a pass and registering two sacks in the first half alone. The offensive onslaught may have been delayed by the spectacular special teams’ plays but it didn’t take long for senior quarterback Jackson Griner hit junior wide receiver Radonda Beauchamp Jr. for a 31-yard TD pass. The Gators continued to pile on the points; senior running back Kyle Robichaux added three touchdowns (a 16-yard, 31-yard and 36-yard run) as the Gators took a 48-0 lead into halftime.
The second half provided little more than a valuable chance for the Gator backups to get good experience. About five minutes into the third quarter, freshman QB Dallas Crow pounded his way into the end zone, capping off a long drive with a 2-yard touchdown for another Gators’ score. The Wildcats managed to get on the scoreboard with a 2-yard rushing touchdown of their own and followed it up with another late score. The Gators’ backups managed two more rushing touchdowns to cap off the Gators’ scoring. Final score: Glenwood 61 – Springwood 14.
The Gators have a bye next week. Glenwood will invite Monroe Academy (2-2) into The Swamp for their next game on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. CST. The latest ASWA poll had Glenwood as the No. 1 seed in AISA.