Hayden 40 St. Clair County 21

The Fighting Saints’ kept last Friday’s game at Hayden close through the first half, with a beautiful 80-yard touchdown run by Justin May and a Grayson Beatty touchdown reception delivered by Saints quarterback Taylor Mickens to trail Hayden 21-14 at halftime.

Unfortunately for St. Clair County, Hayden came out of the locker room and scored 19 unanswered points to take a 40-14 lead before a late touchdown reception by the Saints’ Nyjil Cotton ended the scoring for the night.

The Saints had no way of stopping Blake Adams, who ran for over 260 yards and was responsible for three Wildcats touchdowns on the night.

Week 10 Preview St. Clair Co. (3-6) @ Etowah (6-3)

The Saints have a very formidable opponent to close out its season. The Etowah Blue Devils are a defensive powerhouse, giving up around 10 points-per-game, including two shutouts this season against conference foes. Etwoah’s defensive line is huge, and is supported by a rabid corps of linebackers led by junior MLB Lovell Cylar. On offense, the firepower begins with all-state running back Paul Ruiz, who as a junior ran for over 1,600 yards and more than 10 yards-per-carry. On top of that, quarterback Andy Noles has a huge target in Kaleb Nelms, a wide receiver who is built like a tight end and runs like a Mack truck.