The North Jefferson News is taking some time this summer to look back at the biggest moments of the 2016-17 high school sports season. Starting at No. 10 and ending at No. 1, a top-10 list of local highlights will unfold—one at a time—throughout the summer months.

We continue our summer countdown this week with a dominant championship run.

Coming in at No. 6 in the NJN Top-10 Sports Moments of 2016-17 is Fultondale football’s perfect climb to a region championship. For the first time in 14 seasons (including the golden age of ArDarius Stewart), the Wildcats finished the regular season as region champions.

“We had a great senior class with great leadership in the summertime. It was a senior-led group and they went out with a region championship,” said head coach Richie Busby.

In Busby’s fourth season at the peddles, Fultondale absolutely dominated Class 3A, Region 6. They outscored their league opponents 314-97 on their way to a clean 6-0 record, culminated with a 33-0 win at Locust Fork.

Region 6 Scoreboard

• September 2: Fultondale 59, Hanceville 8

• September 16: Fultondale 55, Vinemont 14

• September 30: Fultondale 49, J.B. Pennington 34

• October 7: Fultondale 62, Susan Moore 14

• October 13: Fultondale 56, Holly Pond 27

• October 21: Fultondale 33, Locust Fork 0

“I think they were motivated to win one because they knew if we won [that game], we were undefeated and region champs but if we would’ve lost that game, it would’ve put us in a tie-breaker situation. I think they wanted to go in there and leave no doubt,” said Busby of his championship-clinching win at Locust Fork.

His offense, under the order of freshman quarterback Jayson Jones, finished the season as one of the highest scoring units in Alabama. They averaged 52.3 points per game in region play and finished the year with 444 total points scored, better than double their 2015 output.

For an answer to this massive spike in production, look no further than the big boys up front.

“Any time you’re really good on offense like that, you’ve got to be good up front and I don’t think any of those four seniors missed a game,” said Busby of his offensive line.

Seniors Michael Smith, Andrew Kyle, Austin Whited and Lagarius Robertson teamed up with sophomore Don’Tarrius Crenshaw to build the most experienced front line around. All five blockers brought starting experience with them into the 2016 season.

Blocking for some pretty talented running backs didn’t hurt either. Junior Derrick Moore finished the year with over 1,400 yards rushing to go with fellow junior Walter Blair’s 850. As a team, Fultondale ran for nearly 4,000 yards in 11 games.

On the defensive side, linebacker Ja’Len Sims led a stout group. Only a sophomore, Sims played beyond his years as the Wildcats held region opponents to only 16 points per game on their way to a region crown. He now holds scholarship offers from two Southeastern Conference programs (Ole Miss and Auburn).

Fultondale will face the same league opponents this fall, starting at Hanceville on September 8.

NJN Top-10 standings

#6 Fultondale football’s region title

#7 Mortimer Jordan girls make historic climb

#8 Fultondale softball goes viral

#9 Crowder shines in Gardendale’s first 7A win

#10 Peters’ last-second jumper woke a “natural rivalry” 

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.