Elijah Hays, left, and Sam Mayhair, right, look to make a play.

Cullman wins fourth straight, eyes special season

If there wasn’t much memorable from Friday’s 35-6 win over Columbia, Cullman coach Oscar Glasscock sees in his team a group of players motivated to make memories in the weeks ahead.

Their playoff spot now secure, the Bearcats (6-2, 2-2 Class 6A, Region 7) will test themselves against Muscle Shoals and Etowah in the next two weeks before seeing what they can do in November.

“Getting into the playoffs is really important to them,” said Glasscock of his players. “This bunch definitely wants to keep on playing and keep this thing going as long as they can. Certainly from a coaching standpoint, that’s gratifying.”

A road win next week at Muscle Shoals not only would build confidence for the coming weeks but could also improve Cullman’s playoff seeding and produce a more favorable first-round matchup.

But Glasscock noted that outside of a victory two years ago, the Bearcats have largely struggled against Muscle Shoals in recent years.

“If you’re not at your best, you can get embarrassed,” he said.

That wasn’t a danger Friday, as Cullman built a 28-0 halftime lead on the way to handing Columbia its 69th consecutive loss.

Ryan Skinner threw a touchdown pass to LJ Turner and ran for another score, and Reagan Ogstad, Preston Gray and Tucker Perry had TD runs of 3, 4 and 11 yards, respectively. All but Perry’s came before halftime.

A blocked punt by Ben Washburn helped set up Ogstad’s score.

Columbia (0-7, 0-4) scored with less than four minutes left.

“We’re not going to have any more nights like tonight,” Glasscock said, who credited his players’ sportsmanship.

Upcoming games against Muscle Shoals and Etowah should provide stiff tests, and Glasscock seems eager to see how the Bearcats will fare.

“I’m really enjoying these kids,” said Glasscock.