Maplesville one win away from return to state title game
Published 11:47 pm Friday, November 21, 2014
Finding a way: Maplesville’s Terrance Dunlap (No. 28) runs for yardage during Friday’s win at Notasulga. With the victory, Maplesville will visit rival Billingsley next week in the semifinal round of the Class 1A state playoffs.
By Drew Granthum | Shelby County Reporter
Another game down, another step closer to Auburn and a possible state title.
That’s the thought process for the Maplesville Red Devils, who took down the Notasulga Blue Devils on the road, 42-22, on Friday.
Maplesville (12-0) struck early when Cole Spencer hit Stevonta Bradley for a 46-yard score and then took a 1-yard run in for a score to put Maplesville up, 13-0, before the midway point of the first quarter.
Notasulga (9-4) scored to cut the lead to 13-8 after the two-point conversion with 3:37 left in the opening quarter.
From there, Maplesville took control.
After recovering a Blue Devils fumble, Maplesville took just five plays to score again when Spencer found Nathaniel Watson in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown pass.
The Spencer-to-Watson tandem worked again for the two-point conversion, giving the Devils a 21-8 lead with 5:41 left in the second quarter.
After a Notasulga drive stalled out, the Devils took over at their own 32. After a six-play drive highlighted by a 48-yard bomb from Spencer to Adam Harrison, the Devils scored again on a six-yard Spencer pass to Trevor Wallace.
John Schoener’s extra point was good, and Maplesville led, 28-6, with 16 seconds left in the half.
An Anthony Moore interception on the ensuing Notasulga drive ended the half.
In the second half, the Devils scored again when Spencer scrambled for 11 yards and a score to put Maplesville up 35-6 after Schoener’s extra point.
The Devils tacked on another score early in the fourth, as Jerry Nix broke a three-yard run for a touchdown. Schoener hit his third extra point, extending the lead to 42-6 with 11:12 left in the contest.
The Blue Devils added a rushing touchdown and a 60-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to cut into the lead, but it wasn’t enough, as Maplesville held on for the win.
“I thought the defense did a great job again,” Maplesville head coach Brent Hubbert said. “We knew they had athletes. I thought Cole Spencer probably had one of his better games for us.”
The Devils now eye rival Billingsley in a Class 1A state playoff semifinal on Nov. 28.
