PREP FOOTBALL: Pigrome leads No. 1 Clay-Chalkville past Cullman 48-14

Published 12:22 am Friday, November 6, 2015

PINSON — Cullman had a pretty good idea just how talented its first-round opponent was entering Friday night’s Class 6A playoff clash.

There were no surprises, either.

Missouri lean Ty Pigrome passed for 272 yards and four touchdowns, Alabama commit T.J. Simmons caught seven passes for 160 yards and two scores, and the undefeated Cougars (11-0) handled the Bearcats 48-14 to end the road squad’s season at 6-5.

The No. 1 team in 6A scored on its first eight possessions of the contest to build up a 48-7 lead en route to the easy victory.

“Offensively, they’ve got so many weapons and so much speed,” Cullman coach Mark Britton said. “It’s tremendous. You can’t take anything away from them. But I was really proud of the kids and how hard they played.”

Clay-Chalkville wasted little time displaying terrific offensive firepower, as Pigrome hooked up with wideout Nico Collins on an 18-yard scoring toss to grab a quick 7-0 advantage.

The Bearcats didn’t shrivel away, however, marching 67 yards on eight plays — capped off by a 25-yard touchdown jaunt by senior Ethan McMinn — to knot things up at 7-7.

After that, it was all Cougars.

Running back AJ Walker tacked on a pair of touchdowns (2 and 22 yards) and Pigrome found Simmons on a 13-yard reception just before halftime to quickly squash any hopes of an upset.

“It’s just hard for us to simulate their speed in practice,” Britton said. “We hung in there the whole night against a really good team. We had some missed assignments, though, and it showed why they have a 26-game winning streak.”

The Bearcats drove inside the Clay-Chalkville 10-yard line late in the third quarter, only to be turned away on downs.

Four plays later, Pigrome — who converted a third-and-18 with his legs — found Simmons on a slant route for a 74-yard scoring strike to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

Cullman punched it into the end zone on its final possession following a 6-yard touchdown throw from Fletcher Jennings to Caden Winn. The duo hooked up four times on the 13-play drive, all of which moved the chains.

Jennings finished his night 15-of-26 passing for 172 yards, the scores and one interception.

Ezra Burks churned out 70 yards on 20 carries, while McMinn added 35 on the ground.

Winn hauled in eight receptions for 78 yards, while Ross Crocker caught three passes for 38 yards.

Defensively, Justin Patterson had a sack and a handful of tackles for loss.

For the Cougars, Collins had six catches for 80 yards and two scores. They’ll take on Homewood next week in the second round.

The Bearcats’ season may be over, but Britton couldn’t be any more proud of the way his team worked during the spring and summer to earn a postseason berth after a grueling stretch in one of the state’s toughest regions.

“It all goes back to the offseason and the weight room,” he said. “The kids bought into what we wanted them to do. Long hours and hard work. That was rewarded with a playoff game. It’s a tribute to them.”

One of the harder things Britton had to do was say goodbye to his 16 seniors, almost all of whom played a key role in getting the Black and Gold to six wins.

Gone are McMinn, Patterson, Logan Shugarts, Dalton Yerby, Brady Wix and Chase Landrum, just to name a few.

Not forgotten, however, is their dedication to the program over the years.

“Those guys are very special,” Britton said. “The seniors were always there doing whatever the coaches told them to do. Either at 6 o’clock workouts or under the lights on Friday nights. It’s a tight-knit group. They came here with intentions to win, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”