South Alabama Sports

    By JOHN VELLA SEMMES — Charlie Taaffe accounted for four touchdowns, including three on the ground, as Vestavia Hills shocked No. 3-ranked Mary G. Montgomery 42-21 in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs Thursday night. Taaffe scored on runs of 1 yard, 2 and 18 yards for the Rebels (6-5). MGM quarterback Shondell Harris scored on runs of 1 yard and 34 yards and tossed a 5-yard TD pass to Devin Pettway but the Vikings (9-2)…

  Saraland quarterback K.J. Lacey lets go of a pass Thursday night during a 42-3 win over Chelsea in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. Lacey was 12-of-24 passing for 291 yards and four touchdowns. (Todd Stacey/Call News)       By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — Unranked and unheralded Chelsea hoarded the football for 30½ minutes Thursday night to slow the game and force No. 1-ranked Saraland to put its hands in its pockets. The unbeaten and unruffled…

  Staff Report Saraland has moved its Class 6A first-round playoff game against Chelsea to Thursday at 7 p.m. at Spartan Stadium due to the threat of stormy weather Friday, principal Scott Croley said Monday afternoon. The No. 1-ranked Spartans (9-0) have a state-best 30-game winning streak at home going into the matchup against the Hornets (6-4). Saraland is also 8-5 in first-round games, although it is 6-1 since 2017.

  By ARTHUR L. MACK MOBILE — Spanish Fort pulled away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat St. Paul’s 27-13 Friday night at E.E. Delaney Stadium, secure the second playoff seed from 6A Region 1 and a home game in the first round of the postseason. The Saints (8-2, 6-2) had fought back from a 13-0 halftime deficit to the tie game but the Toros (8-2, 6-2) put the game away in the fourth quarter on Caleb Chesser’s 19-yard pick-six…

  By ARTHUR L. MACK PRICHARD — Speedy Wheeler’s 47-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter proved to be the difference as No. 9-ranked Class 7A Baker edged No. 3-ranked Class 5A Vigor 10-9 Thursday night at Wolfpack Stadium. Wheeler had 117 yards on 24 carries for the Hornets, who finished the regular season 8-2. The Wolves (9-1), who got 112 yards on 19 carries from Carlos Benjamin, suffered their first loss of the season. Both teams are in…

    Andrew Murchison accounted for a pair of touchdowns to lead visiting McGill-Toolen to a 20-14 upset of No. 7-ranked Spanish Fort Friday night. Murchison scored on an 8-yard run and tossed an 11-yard scoring pass to Ladarien Miller, who rushed for 156 yards on 25 carries. The Yellow Jackets’ defense forced a pair of interceptions and held the Toros to a season-low 14 points. Jack O’Neil booted field goals of 37 and 42 yards for McGill-Toolen (5-4, 4-3…

    Jeremy Menhennett completed 6 of 13 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 84 yards on 11 carries and another score as St. Luke’s clinched a playoff spot with a 22-0 win over Chickasaw at Dotson Field Thursday night. Menhennett scored on a 5-yard run and threw a 60-yard TD pass to Turner Tillman. Bryce Jordan added a 9-yard scoing run for the Wildcats (4-4, 3-3 2A Region 1), who secured the fourth and final…

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — The desire to win does not always end when Saraland coach Dana Mason walks off the volleyball court. Her husband, Jay Mason, can attest to that. “When we first got married, we had this little shed in the back yard and we would go out there and most people would just have fun playing ping pong,” she said. “Well, we are just going at it, super competitive, like I’m not going to lose.”…

      By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — She doesn’t mind being Jeff Kelly’s little sister, not that she has a choice, but Dana Kelly Mason wants to be regarded for her own accomplishments, which are stacked as tall as a jacked-up outside hitter spiking a volleyball down someone’s larynx. And there’s one thing in particular that Saraland’s volleyball coach has done that Saraland’s football coach will never do. “The number of wins,” said Mason, who has 522 of them.…