Total team effort
Red Raiders all contribute in knocking off state’s top-ranked team

It’s nearly impossible to pick a single star of the game in Decatur High’s 30-20 upset of Class 5A, No. 1-ranked J.O. Johnson.

It’s impossible to avoid the cliché of “a team effort” when talking about the win, but that’s exactly how Decatur coach Jere Adcock described it after the big victory Thursday.

Three Red Raiders have rushed for touchdowns this season, including Chris Coffey, David Martin and Desmond Lavelle.

Quarterback Ben Neill connected with eight different Red Raiders receivers and four different receivers have caught touchdown passes this season — Brooks Johnson, Cory Dodson, Levi Cook and Coffey.

Senior place-kicker Michael Schuster has provided Decatur with an obvious advantage in the kicking game in each of the three contests so far this season. In all, seven different Red Raiders have contributed points this season, and Decatur’s defense has done its part as well, containing a J.O. Johnson offense that was averaging 27 points a game.

In addition, two freshmen have made key contributions, making the best of a rare opportunity for a young player to make an impact on the Class 5A varsity squad.

Ryan Watson exploded for an 80-yard kickoff return in the first quarter Thursday night, while Lavelle already has a 10-yard touchdown run.

“You can expect freshman mistakes — sometimes they look like freshmen and sometimes they look like All-Americans,” Adcock said. “They’ve got some great potential, and that’s a credit to some people doing some great things in front of them.”

Decatur’s next challenge will be Class 5A, Area 8 rival Athens, the defending state champions. The Red Raiders will host the Golden Eagles on Friday at Ogle Stadium at 7 p.m. with both teams standing 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the region.

Austin brings a crowd: After becoming known as one of the largest and most enthusiastic basketball crowds in the state, Austin High fans proved Friday night they don’t just cheer for hoops.

Black Bears fans turned out in large numbers to Ogle Stadium when Austin came up short against Florence with a 43-28 loss. The Black Bears will need the same kind of extra crowd support when they play at Sparkman (2-1) this week, a stadium in which Austin (1-2) has had some success.

The Black Bears took a 24-22 win at Sparkman in 2005. The Senators won at Ogle Stadium last season 44-14.

Hartselle offense down, but not out: Averaging seven points a game hasn’t been enough to earn Hartselle a win this season.

Even so, quarterback Luke Bole has commanded an offense that has moved the ball in every contest with a variety of weapons.

The list includes top running backs Montrell Murphy and Marquez Jones and reliable receivers such as Tony Weaver, but Hartselle has had trouble finding the end zone.

Head coach Bob Godsey said it’s been a snowball effect — as each week passes, it gets a little tougher.

“There’s just so much riding on every possession of every game now. It’s a lot of pressure,” Godsey said. “The only thing that’s going to alleviate some of that pressure is to score some points.”

Still, Godsey remains sure that his Tigers “will get it together at some point.”

Hartselle (0-3) looks for improvement this week against Muscle Shoals (1-2), a solid team, but one the Tigers beat 24-14 a year ago.

Hazlewood defense still perfect: In a 3-0 start to the season, the Golden Bears defense hasn’t given up a touchdown or any points.

Hazlewood beat Shoals Christian 44-0 on Friday, the latest shutout in a streak in which the Golden Bears have outscored opponents 70-0. The Golden Bears have a goal to aim for — Hazlewood’s 1995 squad had 10 shutouts in a 15-game season that ended with the Golden Bears as the state runner-up.

R.A. Hubbard star proves his worth: R.A. Hubbard tailback Tecumseh Garth leads his team in scoring this season with four rushing touchdowns and one touchdown catch.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior is followed in points production by quarterback LeBrandon Key, who also has proven himself an essential part of the Chiefs’ game plan this season.