Minor League Football – Central Ala. Devil Dawgs 21, Ala. Warriors 19

Maybe this should have been called the Trash Bowl. Or perhaps the Facebook Bowl.

The trash talking between the homestanding Alabama Warriors and the upstart Central Alabama Devil Dawgs started earlier in the week on the Internet, and kept going until the bitter end.

But in the end, the difference was some special teams play the Warriors coach Lee Ellison would like to see thrown in the trash, as the Dawgs pounded out a 21-19 win in the season opener for the two Premier South Football League rivals.

A bad snap by Alabama on an extra point, and another mishandled snap on a punt attempt that gave Central the ball deep in Warrior territory, were two key mistakes that led to the Dawgs gaining the edge.

It was also a determined comeback effort by Central in their first official PSFL game that helped them win, as they scratched back from a 13-point deficit shortly before halftime.

“We were down 13-0 against a fantastic team, but we just kept fighting and kept digging,” Dawgs coach Jesse Reed said. “This shows what kind of team we’re going to be.”

Early on, Reed didn’t like what it looked like his team was going to be, as they ran only eight offensive plays in the entire first half.

The Warriors struck first and struck fast, getting good field position on the opening kickoff at their own 40-yard line. three plays later, starting quarterback Dale Hays found Jevon Grant, who took the ball 41 yards for the score just three minutes in.

But the home team’s issues with special teams bit for the first time, as a bad snap was fumbled on the extra point attempt, leaving kicker Todd Marsh with no chance to convert.

After a quick three-and-out by Central, Ellison put his squad into ball-control mode, starting from their own 4-yard line. They bogged down at the Dawgs’ 45 and punted, but Central was called for running into the kicker, giving them new life. They stalled again at the 20 and went for a field goal, but another bad snap wiped out the try.

But on the Dawgs’ first play after taking over, quarterback Justin Craig fumbled and Alabama linebacker Navari Jones picked the ball up on the bounce, running it back to the 16.  Three plays later, backup quarterback Marcus Hollis ran two yards for the score and a 13-0 lead.

Taking the ball at the two minute warning, Central worked quickly, with a 19-yard run by Aaron Johns and a 31-yard toss from Craig to Chris Coach getting the ball to the Warriors 10, where Craig connected with Darwin Salaam for a touchdown with 13.2 seconds left.

Central started the second half with great field position on the Warrior 40 after a 37-yard kickoff return by Chris Scott, drove down to the four but could not punch it in, with Craig being sacked on fourth and goal.

But three plays later, Hays was picked off by the Dawgs’ Ronald White, who ran it back 23 yards for the pick-six with 7:41 left in the third quarter..

The teams traded possessions twice, with the Warriors coming up short on the Central 30 after new quarterback Kewaski Jackson  — in for Hays after a shoulder injury started affecting his performance — couldn’t convert on fourth and six.

On the very next snap, Johns broke open the biggest play of the game, going straight up the middle for 70 yards and a Central touchdown.

Almost immediately, Alabama responded with a 60-yard scoring pass from Jackson to Tarence Bruce on the second play of the following drive. The touchdown came despite pleas from the Dawgs sideline for a penalty on Bruce for pushing off the defender.

The Warriors went for two points to tie the game, came up short but got another chance because of a Dawgs penalty, and came up short again.

Neither team could mount any offense as the defenses dug in their heels.

Central took the ball after the two minute warning and got down to the 21 to try a field goal, but the fake by holder Zac Marbury was picked up easily. That gave the ball to Alabama with 92 seconds left and 80 yards to cover.

Jackson marched the ball down to the Central 43, but after a spike to stop the clock, he came up with three straight incomplete passes to end the game.

Johns finished with 138 yards on six rushes, accounting for more than 80 percent of the Dawgs’ total offense.

The Warriors won the statistical battle, gaining 272 yards to Central’s 161, an imbalance which perplexed Ellison.

“I’m at a loss for words,” he said. “We didn’t play well on special teams. We missed two extra points, our [long] snaps aren’t getting back, and we didn’t kick off well.”

Ellison had to pull Hays after two interceptions for touchdowns, one of which was nullified by a penalty. Jackson, his starter last year, had only practiced once with the Warriors after briefly defecting for the Dawgs in the pre-season.

“Dale’s throws started to sail because of his injury,” Ellison said. “[Jackson] tried to audible out of a pass into a run, and tried to do some things we weren’t ready for yet. I put him in for a change of pace.”

The loss was the first at what is now called Warrior Stadium (the old Warrior High field) for an Ellison-coached team, going back to the old Warrior Wildfire two seasons ago.

The teams take Memorial Day Weekend off, then return to action on June 5. The Warriors travel to Memphis, while Central hosts Bay County (Fla.) in their first official home game at Corner High.