Danny Stiff said he got about as animated as he’s gotten all year early Friday night.

There was no immediate danger for his Cullman Bearcats, who were on their way to a 49-0 win over Columbia, but the first-year head coach sensed the energy among his players lacked amid a slow start — and he wanted it to change.

“We kind of had to figure out our own way of bringing our own juice,” he said. “I wanted more intensity. I wanted more focus on things. They finally locked in and got going.”

Wyatt Buchanan’s 45-yard punt return for a touchdown gave Cullman (4-4, 2-2 in Class 6A, Region 7) a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Bearcats cruised from there.

And while Columbia (0-8, 0-4) has not won a game since 2015, Stiff said the Eagles have improved and look nothing like they have previously.

“They’ve got a lot of athletes out there. There’s not a lot of room for error if they’re running four guys vertical,” he said.

Still, Stiff was pleased with his defense’s work. He said Tyler Brock tackled well on the perimeter, Chance Hausler made a nice interception and Troy Mann brought positive momentum when he forced a fumble.

Stiff also credited the defensive line for a solid performance.

“They really shut down the run game,” he said.

Offensively, Tanner Gaines threw a pair of touchdowns to Nick Holland, Rex Chandler had a pair of short touchdown runs, and Weston Keel and Elijah Dues each scored in the fourth quarter.

Next up for the Black and Gold is a game against perennial region title contender Muscle Shoals, which entered the night ranked No. 4 in 6A. Stiff said on paper the Trojans might be the best team Cullman has played this year.

“Playing a team like Muscle Shoals next week is a really big challenge,” he said. “We want to rise to that challenge and play our best ball.”