The Russell County Warriors will square off against the Gulf Shores Dolphins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Russell County is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Beauregard: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Warriors blew the Hornets out of the water with a 36-8 final score. Considering the Warriors have won six matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Bryson Riggins was his usual excellent self, rushing for 70 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries, while also throwing for 110 yards and two touchdowns. His longest rush was for an impressive 57 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Chris Lucas was another key player, rushing for 73 yards and one score on only eight carries.
Meanwhile, Gulf Shores got themselves on the board against Murphy on Thursday, but Murphy never followed suit. They took their game with ease, bagging a 45-0 victory over the Panthers. That 45 point margin sets a new team best for the Dolphins this season.
Gulf Shores found their leader in freshman Major Hudspeth, who threw for 290 yards and six touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes. Nick Hampton did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 86 receiving yards.
Gulf Shores' run defense was locked in: Murphy could only muster -0.8 yards per carry. While eight picked up at least one total tackle, Carter Davis stood above the rest. He picked up 83 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Gulf Shores' ground attack was stronger, having averaged 5.4.
Gulf Shores' defense didn't let Bo Carson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. Gabriel Ervin refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
Gulf Shores' win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-5. Those home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.4 points on average over those games. As for Russell County, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.
