A stellar debut by quarterback Ryan Skinner and a stingy defensive effort led the Cullman Bearcats to a 23-0 win over the Grissom Tigers on Thursday night.

Skinner, a junior making his first varsity start, passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, while the Bearcat defense didn’t spend much time on its side of the 50 at Oliver Woodard Stadium to secure the team’s second straight season-opening shutout.

Ironically, Cullman went on the road to beat Grissom 23-0 to open the 2020 campaign.

On the Bearcats’ opening possession, Skinner took a fourth-down snap and rolled to his right. Under pressure, he unloaded to Tyler Owens out of the backfield, and the junior did the rest for a 35-yard touchdown connection.

Nate Zills then made it 10-0 at the 8:53 mark of the second quarter with a 43-yard field goal. The Bearcats had two more opportunities to put points on the board in the second quarter, but a missed field goal thwarted one drive. Then, after a blocked punt by Cullman’s Kaleb Bates, Drew Ball picked up the loose ball and ran into the end zone for what appeared to be a touchdown. A penalty negated the return, though, and Cullman ran out of time on its ensuing possession.

The 10-0 score held until the fourth quarter, when Skinner took a short quarterback keeper into the end zone for a 17-0 lead.

The final touchdown came on a 42-yard pass from Skinner to senior Jake Dueland. An interception by Dylan Sessions set up the drive and score.

Cullman hits the road next week to face Jasper in its final tune-up for region play.

West Morgan 34, Good Hope 28

The Raiders dropped their first season opener since 2016 following a tough loss to the Rebels on Thursday night.

West Morgan scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 remaining in the game, and Good Hope couldn’t answer.

Tanner Malin reeled off a pair of touchdown runs, while Jager Burns and Ethan A. Anderson garnered one apiece.

The Raiders travel to West Point next week for a county showdown.

West Point 19, Priceville 14 (Jamboree)

The Warriors kicked off their season with a home jamboree on Thursday night.

The junior varsity played the first quarter, while the varsity competed in the final three periods.

“Everybody just stepped up, did their jobs and did it consistently all night,” West Point coach Don Farley said. “We want to take this, build on it and keep getting better each week.”

Kelton Washington and Suyeta Drowning Bear scored touchdowns during the varsity segment, and Drowning Bear also had an interception to clinch the win.

“A lot of guys really came together to make it work for our team, so it’s really hard to single anyone out,” Farley said. “I was really proud of our offensive line for how they played. I’m also really proud of our defensive line considering what Priceville does offensively. We knew this was going to be a good game and was going to come down to the end.”