Jacksonville Ground Pound

Alexandria, AL – After four years of winning through the air, Jacksonville shows its ground-and-pound prowess in 49-21 victory over rival Alexandria.

This week’s schedule

THURSDAY, Aug. 29
Hokes Bluff 21, Southside 13

FRIDAY, Aug. 30
Jacksonville 49, Alexandria 21, FINAL
Beauregard 8, Anniston 6, FINAL
Central-Clay 35, Benjamin Russell 28, FINAL
Cherokee County 42, Arab 21, FINAL
Sardis 34, Cleburne County 13, FINAL
Donoho 38, Ragland 19, FINAL
Westbrook Christian 35, Glencoe 10, FINAL
Handley 48, Dadeville 21, FINAL
Jacksonville Christian 43, Tabernacle 22, FINAL
Munford 30, Lincoln 3, FINAL
Locust Fork 58, Ohatchee 42, FINAL
Oxford 24, Moody 21, FINAL
Piedmont 34, Saks 13, FINAL
Spring Garden 34, Pleasant Valley 12, FINAL
Ranburne 23, Woodland 6, FINAL
Randolph County 48, Central-Coosa 8, FINAL
Childersburg 14, Talladega 12, FINAL
Wadley 62, Horseshoe Bend 15, FINAL
Wellborn 34, J.B. Pennington 24, FINAL
Open: Weaver, White Plains.

By Joe Medley

ALEXANDRIA — Clint Smith enjoyed working with a quarterback like Jim Ogle and his merry band of receivers for four years, but the old guard from Clay County loves him some ground-and-pound football.

That’s the personality of Smith’s 13th Jacksonville team, and the Golden Eagles wore down rival Alexandria on Friday.

Taylen Ellis rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and Jacksonville rolled up 377 rushing yards while turning a halftime tie into a 49-21 victory on Larry R. Ginn Field.

The Golden Eagles improved to 2-0 a week after amassing 484 rushing yards in a 43-33 victory at Etowah. They also beat rival Alexandria for the third consecutive time, making the first time that’s happened since Jacksonville won five in a row from 1979-83.

Alexandria leads the all-time series 53-31-4.

It’s not the what that’s so jarring. Jacksonville won this game 45-21 a year ago.

It’s the how that’s such a departure. After passing for 9,000-plus yards in four years as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback, Ogle has taken his game to Murray State University. Receivers Ky’ric Fisher, Damonte Sinclair and Imoree Young also graduated.

They left behind a veteran offensive line and a stable of four rotating running backs that accounted for all but quarterback Jackson Bonner’s 36 rushing yards on Friday. The Golden Eagles produced five rushing touchdowns.

“It’s kind of how we played pre-Jim,” Smith said. “We kind of lined up and ran the football.”

Maybe no play spoke to the new-old Jacksonville quite like Ellis’ 71-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Golden Eagles a 28-21 lead. He burst through a chasm up the middle, turned on the jets and got beyond the defense within 10 yards.

Smith called the hole through which Ellis ran “nice.”

Ellis called the hole ‘pretty wide open.”

Center Ben Pridgen enjoyed watching the offensive line’s collective home-run play.

“I turned around, and I saw Tylen running, I saw grass, and I just walked to the sideline,” Pridgen said. “I knew it was a touchdown.”

Jacksonville went on to add Ellis’ 35-yard touchdown run, .Bonner’s 8-yard keeper for a score and Qua McNeal’s 31-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“Their O-line wore us down,” Alexandria coach Todd Ginn said. “We lost momentum in the first half.”

Alexandria led 21-14 after Monqrea Morris got behind Jacksonville’s defense and caught Cole Wheeler’s deep pass for a 75-yard touchdown at 1:23 of the second quarter.

Jacksonville answered in a way that says the Golden Eagles can still pass. Bonner hit consecutive big throws to Drake Loggins, including a 31-yards touchdown pass at 18.5 seconds to force a 21-21 tie at halftime.

Bonner was Ogle’s tight end last season.

“Jackson is getting better, and he’s going to continue to get better,” Smith said. “We’re going to have to do something with people staking the box on us. that’s what they’re going to do. It’s not a secret.

“We’re going to have to do just enough to keep them from doing that, and Jackson is capable.”

Alexandria (0-1), playing its opener after coming off of a rare 1-9 season, tasked Jacksonville in the first half.

Elijah Hunter’s 87-yard touchdown run gave the Valley Cubs a 7-0 lead at 8:12 of the first quarter.

Ellis’ 4-yard touchdown run and Zay English’s 70-year breaker put Jacksonville up 14-7, but Alexandria reclaimed a 21-14 lead on Wheeler’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Quendavion McDowell and Wheeler’s 75-yarder to Morris.

Hunter rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown, and Wheeler hit six of 13 passes for 139 yards and two scores.

“It boiled down to their offensive line was pretty good,” Ginn said. “We wore down in the second half.

“We’ve got a young group. We’ve just got to decide, are we going to be the first-half team, or are we going to put two halves together? I think we will. We completed until it was 35-21.”

Jacksonville-Alexandria

–Jacksonville wins the toss, defers. Alexandria to receive opening kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

–Elijah Hunter breaks an 87-yard TD run, and Cleat Forrest drills the PAT at 8:12. ALEXANDRIA 7, JACKSONVILLE 0
–Jacksonville answers with a 9-play, 73-yard drive, all on the ground. Tylen Ellis with a 4-yard TD run. John Ducar hits the PAT at 4;53. ALEXANDRIA 7, JACKSONVILLE 7
–Zaye English returns a punt 70 yards for a TD. Ducar kick is good at 1:28. JACKSONVILLE 14, ALEXANDRIA 7

SECOND QUARTER

–Cole Wheeler throws a 36-yard TD pass to Quendavion McDowell. Forrest sends the PAT into the night at 4:07. JACKSONVILLE 14, ALEXANDRIA 14
–Wheeler fires a 75-yard TD pass to Monqrea Morris. Forrest does his thing at 1:23. ALEXANDRIA 21, JACKSONVILLE 14
–Jackson Bonner hits consecutive big passes to Drake Loggins, the second one for 31 yards and a TD. Ducar hits the PAT at 18.5. JACKSONVILLE 21, ALEXANDRIA 21

THIRD QUARTER

–Ellis breaks a 71-yard TD run up the middle. Ducar’s PAT good at 8:19. JACKSONVILLE 28, ALEXANDRIA 21

FOURTH QUARTER

–Ellis breaks a 35-yard TD run. Ducar does Ducar things at 11:17. JACKSONVILLE 35, ALEXANDRIA 21
–Bonner keeps for an 8-yard TD run. Ducar kick is good at 7:12. JACKSONVILLE 42, ALEXANDRIA 21.
–Qua McNeal breaks a 31-yard TD run. Ducar with the kick at 1:21. JACKSONVILLE 49, ALEXANDRIA 21.

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