ALEXANDRIA, Ala. — Quarterback Duncan Hodges threw for a career-high 427 yards and six touchdown passes, as third-ranked Mortimer Jordan blew our Alexandria 61-21 to formally lock up a berth in the Class 5A playoffs.

Hodges threw two touchdown passes to Trey Peters, one for 25 yards and another for eight. He threw another to Peters, who then pitched a lateral to Landon Smith for a touchdown play that went 78 yards.

Smith was also on the receiving end of a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Despite the lopsided final score, the Blue Devils actually had to come from behind for the victory. The Valley Cubs were ahead 21-12 just five seconds into the second quarter.

Keenen Woodruff scored on Alexandria’s third play of the game, dashing 54 yards for a score. Jordan responded with the first Hodges to Smith score, but Woodruff struck again on a 43-yard breakaway run, and the Cubs were up 13-6 after each team missed an extra point.

Hodges found Trey Peters from 28 yards out, but a failed 2-point conversion left the home team up by a point.

Woodruff scored again, this time from the 2 as the second period began. The 2-point conversion was good to put the Cubs ahead 21-12, but that would be the last time Alexandria scored in the game as the Devils reeled off 49 unanswered points.

Peters’ second touchdown reception put Jordan ahead for good with 7:19 left in the first half, and another Peters TD catch with 23 seconds before the break set Jordan to a 13-point advantage.

Hodges scored early in the second half with a 2-yard run, followed by an 8-yard score by Kalin Stringer when the Cubs fumbled the subsequent kickoff, recovered by Jordan’s Connor Bruce. Stringer later scored from the 28.

Walker McCleney scored on three touchdowns: a 58-yard catch of a Hodges throw, plus rushes for 1 and 5 yards.

Hodges completed 21 of his 24 pass attempts, and was also the leader in rushing with 68 yards on 10 carries. Stringer was close behind with 65 yards on 18 carries.

Smith caught seven passes for 128 yards, and ran four times for 52 yards. McCleney also had seven receptions for 125 yards.

Zac Thrift recorded 11 tackles, while Dontrez Green had seven with a sack and a tackle for a loss.

Woodruff had ran for 167 yards on 12 carries in the first half alone, before the Devils defense shut him down after intermission.

Jordan remains undefeated in six games, but faces its toughest test of the regular season when Lincoln comes to visit in the NJN Big Game next week.

Rob Thomas contributed to this report.