Saraland quarterback K.J. Lacey, who has committed to Texas, has passed for 6,841 yards and 83 touchdowns in his career and is rated the No. 12 quarterback in the nation by On3’s composite. (Call News file photo)
Jackson quarterback Landon Duckworth is rated the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback by ESPN. (Call News file photo)
SARALAND — With two of America’s best quarterbacks and two of Alabama’s most combustible offenses on the field, it would seem the rebuilt defenses of Saraland and Jackson might have a better chance Friday night if they stand out on nearby I-65 and try to trip up tractor trailers.
The Spartans’ defense lost nine of 11 starters. The Aggies lost their entire front and an inside linebacker. These facts are not lost on Saraland quarterback K.J. Lacey and Jackson quarterback Landon Duckworth, both of whom seek the end zone as eagerly as a right foot seeks the accelerator of a Corvette.
“Both quarterbacks can eat you up, especially if you give them time,” Aggies coach Cody Flournoy said. “You’ve got two big quarterbacks with a lot of new guys on defense and that gives you the possibility of big plays. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the scoreboard light up.”
Spartans coach Jeff Kelly said his team is going to do its part to make sure all the numbers on said scoreboard get used.
“Every time we get the ball, it’s our goal to score and score as quick as we can,” he said.
Both teams have points to score and points to prove after getting upset in the playoffs last year — Saraland in the Super 7 and Jackson in the third round. But there is at least some feeling — and it may be based on pride if nothing else — that makes players on both sides refuse to believe their defenses will be turned into turnstiles.
“We’re going to stop them and we’re going to score a lot,” said Aggies sophomore E.J. Crowell, the nation’s No. 1-ranked running back in the 2027 class, who nonetheless said his team is the underdog. “We’ve got to come out and give good effort, just play flat out.”
Crowell, who averaged 10½ yards per carry last year, is likely right about a lot of scoring but no respectable defensive player is going to concede anything.
“I don’t want it to be that way,” Spartans senior defensive back Arterus Moffett said of expectations the offenses will have it all their way. “Us winning is on the defense. We’ve got to stop the run and make them throw.”
Moffett — who is one of only two returning defensive starters, along with four-star lineman and Auburn commitment Antonio Coleman — knows it won’t be easy.
“It’ll be our biggest challenge all season skill-wise,” he said. “But our new players are mature. They’ve been behind great players and now they’re ready to take on the challenge.”
Jackson feels the same way about plugging up Saraland senior running back Santae McWilliams and therein is the dilemma: Both teams throw the ball as proficiently as some college teams and have skill players who are among the best in the country. In fact, eight prospects in the game are rated in the top 95 nationally and six play offense.
Beyond that, nobody is quite sure what to expect when the two state championship favorites swap paint in a game that will have little to do with winning the state championship.
Will it be 46-45? Will it come down to who has the ball last? Will it be sloppy and low scoring, as season openers often are? A few things seem certain: If you are going to be among the 3,500 or more fans squeezed into Spartans Stadium for the rare regular-season game between No. 1-ranked teams, prepare to be entertained. And losing is not going to hurt the loser. Fifteen weeks from now, both teams will likely be in Protective Stadium in Birmingham playing for a Blue Map in their respective classes — Saraland in 6A and Jackson in 4A.
“We’ve got championship aspirations and this is not going to hurt us in the future,” Flournoy said. “This is the kind of game I’m a fan of. We’re both number one. It’ll be fun to be part of. It’s been easy coaching the guys this summer because we’re playing Saraland. They are the school, the target school, that everybody tries to be like.”
The Spartans — the winningest team in Class 6A the last four years — wear the target comfortably.
“We want to be effective, efficient, creative and explosive and we’ve got guys who give you the ability to do those things,” Kelly said. “I want us to show up every Friday night and lay it all on the line for 48 minutes. If we do that, I like our chances.”
But since it’s not a game that will impede either team’s plans to reach the Super 7, might both coaches be uninhibited in their play-calling to the delight of the fans?
“We were cutting up as coaches and saying, ‘Let’s throw the kitchen sink at them,’” said Flournoy, who has never been shut out at Jackson. “But we’re trying to work for game 15.”
Duckworth, ranked the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback in the 2026 class by ESPN, would also be fine with the refrigerator, the oven and the water heater. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last two games and is eager to prove that is an anomaly.
“I expect a high-scoring game,” Duckworth said. “The game is slowing down for me.”
Kelly wouldn’t mind playing carefree but not carelessly.
“There are no fun opening games,” he said. “As a coach, there are so many things that keep you up at night. But I like playing good people who will test you and show you the adjustments you’ve got to make. Both teams will learn a lot about themselves and I’d rather learn from a victory, not a loss.”
Neither coach is accustomed to losing, especially not in season openers — Kelly is 13-1 at Saraland and Flournoy is 5-0 at Jackson. The Spartans’ 25-game home winning streak is also the state’s longest but, as Kelly said Thursday, that is history.
“We have a lot to prove,” Kelly said. “This team hasn’t done anything yet.”
