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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maplesville High School shutout Millry High School in the second half on Nov. 22 to cruise to a 42-7 win in the third round of the Class 1A State Football Playoffs. A one-possession game at halftime was quickly turned into a runaway for the visitors as the Red Devils scored touchdowns on four of their five second-half drives.

“We had two turnovers in the first half that we did not capitalize on, and we should have had 21 more points on the board,” Maplesville head coach Brad Abbott said. “I said (at halftime) ‘Here’s the deal. You have 24 minutes to play for a chance at a state championship. Either you are going to step it up in the second half, or you are not going to get that opportunity. Everything you want is right there in front of you, but you have to start capitalizing on opportunities.’ That is what they did — the (offensive) line made some adjustments and the defense played really good the whole game.”

Maplesville received the second-half kickoff and Pearce Yeargan found Colby Mitchell for a big pass play down the seam to get the momentum going. Mitchell finished off the drive with a 13-yard run to push the lead to 22-7. Yeargan was 14-for-24 passing for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mitchell accounted for 69 total yards.

The Red Devils’ defense forced a three and out, and the offense jumped right back on the throttle with a lengthy touchdown drive as running back Nehemiah McCary was featured heavily. Yeargan finished the drive with a six-yard quarterback keeper to make it 28-7. Yeargan ran for 32 yards on six carries.

Millry coughed the ball up on the next kickoff and Ty Bailey recovered the fumble in opposing territory. With a short field, Maplesville did capitalize on this turnover as Yeargan found Jakobe Nix for a seven-yard touchdown connection to blow the game open at 35-7. Nix was the co-leader for the Red Devils’ wide receiver corps with four catches for 20 yards. Davarian Clark also made four catches and went for 43 yards.

“When they get that momentum going, it is like wildfire,” Brad Abbott said. “Once they get that one thing, then look out and it is a barrage. I think that is what happened in the second half.”

The Maplesville defense forced another three and out by Millry, and they did not allow a first down until the fourth drive of the second half. They allowed just 137 total yards in the game and eight first downs, most of which came in the first half. Luke Gray led the team in tackles with seven, and Von Woods had a sack.

Jay Lagrone put the finishing touches on the game with a four-yard touchdown run to give Maplesville the win in the fifth all-time matchup between the two schools, and the fourth one in the state playoffs. This was the first meeting between the schools in the third round, and the Red Devils added to their 2014 and 2020 playoff wins over Millry.

The first quarter was fast and back-and-forth between the two teams. Maplesville forced a punt out of the Millry offense to start the game, and they maintained that momentum on their first offensive drive with McCary capping it with a 33-yard touchdown run. After a flag on Millry on the point after, the Red Devils elected for the two-point try and McCary powered into the end zone to break the ice at 8-0. McCary ran for a team-high 124 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.

Millry responded right away with a quick touchdown strike through the air to bring it to a one-point game at 8-7. Aidan Abbott fielded the ensuing kickoff, and with a few moves, burst down the Millry sideline into their red zone to set the Maplesville offense up at the doorstep. McCary took in his second touchdown carry of the first half a few plays later to extend the lead to 15-7 where it stood after the opening frame.

The fast pace slowed in the second quarter as Millry tried to respond, driving deep into Red Devils’ territory. The Maplesville defense got pressure and tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage, and McCary was in the right place for the interception to halt the threat. The teams traded punts, and then Maplesville forced their second turnover of the half as Woods forced the fumble and Aidan Abbott pounced on it. Millry picked off a pass later in the quarter, and the game entered the halftime break with the Red Devils still leading 15-7.

“This team has so much confidence in themselves, and they hold each other accountable,” Brad Abbott said. “If someone calls someone out, they accept that. They are just a group that has this one goal in front of them, they all understand their roles and they are proud for everyone. Those are things that I see that makes this team special.”

Maplesville advances to the Class 1A semifinals where they will host Elba High School on Nov. 29 and all-time Alabama rushing leader Alvin Henderson — a rematch of the third-round matchup between the school last year that saw Elba win on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.