MONTGOMERY – Running backs took center stage in the first week of the AHSAA 2025 State Football Playoffs and grabbed this week’s AHSAA Football Spotlight, which includes highlights from the first round of the state playoffs and last week of the regular season.

Randolph County’s Mo Winston and St. Michael Catholic’s Noah Moss each had career-best performances leading their teams to first-round wins.
Winston, a senior running back, led the Class 3A, Region 4 three seed Tigers (9-2) to a 51-40 victory over Region No. 2 seed Thorsby (9-2) gaining 449 yards rushing on 23 carries and scoring seven touchdowns. He also scored four two-point conversions for Coach Pat Prestridge in the first-round win.

Winston personally scored 50 of his team’s 51 points on the night. His touchdown runs covered 36, 38, 91, 42, 54, 60 and 21 yards and averaged just under 20 yards per carry for the game, according to Randolph Leader sports editor Tim Altork. The win landed Randolph County a home game versus Bayside Academy (10-1) this week in round 2.

Winston’s career-high performance gives him 2,591 yards rushing this season and 39 touchdowns this season on 175 carries – and 14.8 yards per carry – which computes to a first down for his team every time he touches the football.

Moss, a senior for undefeated Class 4A Region 1 champion St. Michael Catholic (11-0), had 16 carries for a career-high 368 yards and scored six touchdowns in a 49-21 victory over Region 2 No. 4 seed Pike County ((5-5). He averaged 23 yards per carry.

Moss heads into Friday’s second-round Class 4A playoff game at Pleasant Grove (5-4) with 174 carries on the year for 1,844 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. St. Michael, coached by Philip Rivers, is 11-0 for the first time in school history.

Cherokee County senior running back Kayshawn Woods gained 268 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in a 28-26 Class 4A playoff loss to Good Hope. He topped 2,000 yards in the final game finishing the season with 2,255 yards and 22 touchdowns on 26 carries. The senior finished his career with 3,640 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns on 474 carries – helping the Warriors reach the Class 4A finals in 2023 and 2024.

Corner High School senior Spencer Unruh closed out his prep football career with the Yellow Jackets rushing for 150 yards on 15 carries and catching five passes for 76 yards in a 49-21 loss to Moody in the 5A state playoffs. He had long run of 72 yards and longest reception covered 44 yards.

He finished the season with 1,741 yards rushing and 25 TDs on 234 carries and caught 25 passes for 337 yards and three scores. He closed out his prep career for Corner with 4,598 yards rushing on 629 carries with 49 rushing touchdowns. He also had 42 receptions for 532 yards and four TDs – finishing with 5,130 yards.
Stanhope Elmore junior running back Damarion Barnes also eclipsed 2,000 yards on the season in the Mustangs’ 44-27 Class 6A playoff loss to Theodore (7-3). Stanhope closed out its season (7-4).

Jasper High School senior running back Micah Pledger totaled 195 yards rushing and two TDs on 25 carries in a wild 40-37 Class 6A playoff loss to Gadsden City.

St. Michael Catholic’s Noah Moss (4), shown above in last year’s playoff win at Fairfield, piled up a school-record 368 yards and six touchdowns in the Cardinals’ playoff win over Pike County last week (PHOTO | Courtesy al.com /Butch Dill)

MILESTONES

COLE AUSTIN, PIEDMONT: over Phil Campbell in the Class 3A playoffs – and helped the Bulldogs clinch the school’s 600th all-time win.

Piedmont, coached by Jonathan Miller, advanced to the second-round state playoffs this week to face Fyffe (8-3), which has 617 wins overall. Piedmont is 600-420-30 with the first team in school history in 1924. Senior receiver Rollie Pinto had five receptions for 64 yards and two scores – giving him 44 catches for 869 yards and 14 receiving TDs on the season. In the final game of the regular season, Pinto returned two punt returns for Piedmont’s first two scores in the first quarter of the Bulldogs’ 56-16 win over Walter Wellbron to clinch the Class 3A, Region 6 title. He also caught six passes for 125 yards and two more scores.

CASON MYER, AUBURN: Had 466 total yards and accounted for five touchdowns leading the Tigers (9-2) to a dramatic 52-41 come-from-behind win over Vestavia Hills (8-3) in the Class 7A playoffs – and helped his team claim the 200th career win in head coach Keith Etheredge’s 20-year head-coaching career. He is now 200-63 with five state titles – four at Leeds, one at Oxford and on state finals appearance at Auburn (2022). Auburn travels to Daphne (9-2) this week for round two of the 7A playoffs.

J.B. POTTER, ASHVILLE: Passed for a school-record 414 yards in a 35-28 Class 4A first-round playoff loss to unbeaten Hamilton (11-0). Potter was 32-of-40 passing with four TD passes and just one interception. He also rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries to finish with 479 total yards. The 6-foot-2 senior finished the season 147-of-240 passing for 2,650 yards, 23 TDs and just four interceptions. He also reached a rare milestone by also rushing for more than 1,000 yards – ending the year with 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns on 145 carries. He finished the year with 3,729 total yards. He added 45 tackles and three interceptions on defense for the Bulldogs this season. He’s a three-sport standout playing basketball and running track and is also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club maintaining a 4.0 weighted GPA.

A.J. ALEXANDER, DOTHAN: Rushed for a Dothan school record 335 yards and five touchdowns and also completed his only pass attempt for 17 yards in the Wolves’ 64-42 win over Godby (Fl), win that ended the Class 7A school’s season on Friday, October 31.

RUSHING

RYDER GIPSON, FYFFE: The Red Devils’ running back had 20 rush attempts for 265 yards and three touchdowns to lead Fyffe (8-3) to a 34-7 Class 3A first-round playoff victory over Lauderdale County (7-4) – setting up a round-two battle at Piedmont (11-0) this week in the second round.
TODERICK WITHERS, WILLIAMSON: Led the unbeaten Lions (11-0) to a 50-14 Class 5A playoff victory over Eufaula (6-5) with 231 rushing yards and one TD on 29 carries.

JASON TODD, MOBILE CHRISTIAN: Gained 219 yards and scored one touchdown on 34 carries as the Leopards (7-3) edged Dale County (7-3) in the 4A state playoffs 15-13.

SPEEDY WHEELER, BAKER: Rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns as Baker (9-2) defeated Florence (6-5) in the Class 7A playoffs 38-14.
HUDSON HIGGINS, MARS HILL BIBLE: Ran for 171 yards and three scores to lead the defending Class 3A state champion Panthers (11-0) to a 70-14 first-round win over Whitesburg Christian.

SHAMAR TOODLE, COTTAGE HILL CHRISTIAN: Accounted for six touchdowns to lead the Warriors (10-1) to a 41-8 victory over Wicksburg (7-4) in the 3A playoffs. He ran for four touchdowns and threw for two.

PRESTON WILLIAMS, G.W. LONG: Had 163 yards rushing and one TD, and teammate Blayne Wood had 145 yards and two scores as the Rebels beat J.U. Blacksher in the Class 2A state playoffs 28-7. The two players also combined for 15 tackles, a fumble recovery and interception on defense. Wood also completed a 5-yard TD pass to Williams in the win.

KEYSHAWN WOODS, CHEROKEE COUNTY: Led the Warriors with 235 yards rushing on 17 carries with two touchdowns (58 and 3 yards) in a 42-18 win over Ashville in the final regular season game in Week 10.

HAYES HATTON, SLOCOMB: Closed out the Red Tops’ season during Week 10 with 17 carries for 228 yards and scored five touchdowns in a 37-27 victory over Prattville Christian. Slocomb’s season ended with that win. He rushed for three TDs, caught a 40-yard TD pass, and he returned a kickoff 80 yards for another score.

PASSING

KOLE MOODY, SOUTHSIDE-SELMA: was 17-of-24 passing for 303 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers (11-0) beat Dadeville 32-15 in the first-round of the Class 3A playoffs. The eighth grader improved his season passing totals to 4,419 yards and 53 touchdowns completing 226-of-296 pass attempts for the year. He set a new AHSA single-game record in the final game of the regular season two weeks ago with s 29-of-35 passing performance for 584 yards and eight TDs Southside’s 76-38 win over Bullock County. The Hornets (8-3) rebounded in the Class 4A playoffs with a 21-7 victory over Oak Grove for the school’s first-ever playoff victory.

GUNNER RIVERS, ST. MICHAEL CATHOLIC: Completed 13-of-25 passes for 152 yards and one TD in the Cardinals’ 49-21 Class 4A playoff victory over Pike County. Rivers improved his season passing totals to 202-of 282 passing for 2,663 yards with just five interceptions and 42 TDs. The junior for St. Michael (11-0) upped his career totals o 9,687 yards and 107 touchdown completing 698-of-108 passes.

TRENT SEABORN, THOMPSON: Was 23-of-33 for 330 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Class 7A defending champion Warriors to a 31-7 victory over Carver-Montgomery in the first round of the playoffs. Playing his 49th game for Thompson head coach Mark Freeman, the junior QB increased his career passing yardage to 9,391 yards. He is 728-of-1,049 for 94 TDs during that span.

JAKE LOWERY, MOODY: The junior quarterback the Class 5A Blue Devils (9-2) to a 49-21 playoff win over Corner completing 25-of-28 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns. He heads into round two of the playoffs at Priceville this week with 2,342 passing yards on the year. He is 145-of-212 with 27 touchdowns this season.

LANDYN SMITH, ST. CLAIR COUNTY: The 6-foot junior was 21-of-27 passing for 371 yards and three TDs as the red-hot Saints (10-1) won their eighth consecutive game with a 41-22 triumph over Carver-Birmingham in the 5A state playoffs. Smith is 172-of-252 on the season with 2,395 passing yards and 33 touchdowns.

BOBBY COLEMAN, CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY: Was 19-of-33 passing for 326 yards and two TDs in a 34-10 Class 7A playoff win over Hoover. He is 137-of-223 this season for 2,600 yards, 28 TDs and just four picks for the Red Devils (10-1).
DAVIS BARNETT, BAYSIDE ACADEMY: Completed 17-of-23 passes for 322 yards and six touchdowns as the Admirals (10-1) downed Houston Academy 46-7 in the first round of the 3A state playoffs.

CHRISTIAN SEGAR, DAPHNE: Led the Trojans (9-2) to a 43-14 Class 7A playoff victory over Sparkman on the road in the first round with 309 passing yards and four TDs on a 20-of-28 passing performance. He has completed 192-of-277 passes this season with 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions for Daphne, coached by Kenny King.

CRISHON OVERTON, THEODORE: Accounted for 294 total yards and six touchdowns as the Bobcats (7-3) beat Stanhope Elmore 44-37 in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs. He rushed for 142 yards and three scores on 10 carries and completed 7-of-11 passes for 152 yards and three TDs.

SAMMY DUNN, VIGOR: Was 16-of-22 passing for 288 yards and four touchdowns as the Wolves (9-2) beat Charles Henderson in the 5A state playoffs 40-16.
ADDISON SENN, ARITON: Was 11-of-16 passing for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the Purple Cats’ 55-14 victory over Washington County in the Class 2A playoffs.

MATTHEW EVERS, JAMES CLEMENS: Was 17-of-25 passing for 239 yards and two touchdowns for the Jets (5-6) in a 31-21 loss to Fairhope in the Class 7A state playoffs.

MASON McATEER, COLLINSVILLE: Closed out the season completing 13-of-30 pass attempts for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Panthers’ 64-19 loss at Colbert County in the Class 3A playoffs. The week before the playoff game he completed 7-of-16 pass attempts for 276 yards and four touchdowns (41, 65, 50 and 43 yards). He also added 62 yards on 13 carries with a 2-yard score in the Panthers’ 45-22 win over Holly Pond.
DYLAN REESE, PARKER: Led the Thundering Herd (8-3) to a 42-21 Class 6A playoff win over Oxford with a 15-of-23 passing performance for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

CARTER LEE, HARTSELLE: Passed for 217 yards and one TD as the Tigers (10-1) beat Buckhorn 33-7 to advance to the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

KALEB CARSON, HOMEWOOD: Led the Class 6A Patriots (10-1), coached by Ben Berguson, to a 28-14 first-round Class 6A playoff victory over Pell City with a 21-of-27 passing effort resulting in 188 yards and one TD. He is 177-of-262 with 2,265 passing yards and 26 touchdowns heading into this week’s second-round matchup versus Hartselle (10-1), coached by former Homewood High School standout Bert Newton.

BROCK BRADLEY, SPAIN PARK: Amassed 238 total yards – 181 passing and 57 rushing – as the Jaguars (9-2) rolled past McAdory (7-3) in the 6A playoff opener 24-13. He passed for one TD and rushed for another score. That win sends Coach Tim Vakakes’ team to Mobile to take on unbeaten Saraland (10-0) this week in the second round. Bradley is 154-of-226 passing this season for 2,587 yards and 28 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

PASS RECEIVING

JOSHUA DOUTHARD, ST. CLAIR COUNTY: Pulled down 10 pass receptions for 188 yards and one score in the Saints’ 41-22 Class 5A playoff win over Birmingham Carver. He now has 70 catches for 1,077 yards and 20 TDs on the season heading into this week’s second-round playoff battle at Scottsboro (7-4).

CEDRICK SIMMONS, SOUTHSIDE-SELMA: Grabbed right receptions for 183 yards and one TD as Southside (11-0) beat Dadeville 35-12 in the 3A playoffs. One week earlier, he had a season-high 11 catches for 260 yards and three TDs as the Panthers beat Bullock County 76-38 in the final game of the regular season. Simmons has 82 passes caught this season for 1,829 yards and 16 TDs heading into this week’s second-round playoff game at home versus Cottage Hill Christian.

URIJAH BURNHAM, PRICEVILLE: Pulled down catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns to lead Priceville back from a 21-7 deficit with two minutes left in regulation to beat Guntersville 24-21 in overtime in the Class 5A state playoffs. The Bulldogs scored the final 17 points of the game.

JOSHUA HARRIS, McINTOSH: Pulled down nine receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown to lead the Demons (8-3) past Brantley 20-14 in the Class 1A playoffs.

DESHAWN SPENCER, SARALAND: Managed six pass receptions for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also had a 48-yard kickoff return that set up his 19-yard TD run as the Spartans (10-0) beat Wetumpka (6-5) in the 6A playoffs 49-24.

JALIJAH RUTLEDGE, MOODY: The junior caught eight passes for 134 yards and one TD as the Blue Devils ((9-2) beat Corner in the 5A playoffs 49-21.

LABRAYLN WILLIAMS, DAPHNE: The Trojans’ running back scored a career-high five touchdowns in a 43-14 road win over Sparkman in the 7A playoffs. He rushed for two TDs and hauled in eight passes for 121 yards and three scores covering 26, 14 and 29 yards.

MARCUS ARNOLD, PELHAM: Closed out the Panthers’ season with six receptions for 126 yards and two TDs in a Class 6A overtime 35-28 playoff loss to Hueytown.

BRYON MARTIN, FAIRHOPE: Caught seven passes for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Pirates’ 31-7 victory over James Clemens in the 7A playoffs. Fairhope improved to 7-3.

SYLAS ADAMS, COLLINSVILLE: Caught five passes for 120 yards and ran for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 64-19 Class 3A playoff loss to Colbert County.

EASTON KILPATRICK, ARITON: Caught five passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns on offense and had seven tackles, an interception and fumble recovery on defense as Ariton (9-1) beat Washington County 55-14 in the first round of the 2A playoffs. Teammates Tate Kilcrease and Wells Ganey totaled eight and nine tackles, respectively in the win.

BRAYLIN JACKSON, PIKE COUNTY: Caught six passes for 100 yards and one TD for the Bulldogs (5-5) in a 4A playoff loss to St. Michael Catholic.

MARK ANDREJEWSKI, ST. JOHN PAUL II: The senior receiver closed out his final game in Week 10 with six catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns of 55 and 78 yards in a 42-22 win over Danville. He also had an interception returned 68 yards for a touchdown.

GAVIN LANG, COLLINSVILLE: Had four receptions for 166 yards with three TD catches covering 41, 65, and 43 yards in the Panthers’ 45-22 win over Holly Pond in the final regular-season game of the season.

DEFENSE
LUKE BREWER, ASHVILLE: The linebacker had 19 tackles, finishing the season with 129, in a 35-28 Class 4A playoff loss to unbeaten Hamilton 35-28.

BRADYN BENNETT, BOAZ: Totaled 15 tackles in the Pirates’ 29-28 Class 5A playoff loss to Russellville – finishing the season with 175 tackles in 11 games to lead the AHSAA with 15.9 stops per contest. He had 260 tackles over the last two seasons, according to statistics reported to MaxPreps.

ELLIS McGASKIN, WILLIAMSON: Led the unbeaten Lions (11-0) to a 50-14 victory over Eufaula in the Class 5A playoffs recording 13 stops from his middle linebacker position.

CAYDEN CARROLL, VINCENT: Managed 12 tackles in a 34-6 victory over Falkville in the Class 2A state playoffs.

TYLER SHARP, PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN: Managed 11 tackles, and teammate Colson Love had nine as the Class 2A, Region 2 No. 4 seed Eagles (8-3) beat Region 1 top seed Clarke County 17-14 in the first round of the state playoffs.

COLTON DRISKELL, SPRING GARDEN: Had 11 tackles and teammate Bryant Williams also had 22 stops in the Panthers’ 32-16 loss to Hackleburg in the Class 1A state playoffs.

CLAY JACKSON, OPP: Had 11 tackles, A.J. Smallwood had 10, and Savon Barnes had nine in the Bobcats’ 35-14 Class 4A playoff loss to W.S. Neal.

JACKSON DAUGHTRY, WICKSBURG: Delivered 10 tackles, including one sack, and teammate J.P. Jones also had 10 stops in the Panthers’ 41-8 Class 4A playoff setback to Cottage Hill Christian.

SPECIAL TEAMS

MASSAI LUCY, PIKE COUNTY: Returned two kickoffs for 121 yards, highlighted by a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown, in the Bulldogs’ 49-21 Class 4A playoff loss to unbeaten St. Michael Catholic (11-0).

MaCARRI JOHNSON, WEST MORGAN: Returned a punt 56 yards one touchdown and rushed for 127 yards and four more TDs as the Rebels ((11-0) beat Randolph 55-21 in the 4A state playoffs.