Friday Night Flashback: Aggies defeat Anniston on Senior Night

SYLACAUGA, Ala. — With 43 seconds remaining Friday night, Sylacauga needed one more defensive stop to preserve a win over Anniston. The Bulldogs had just scored to pull within two points, and quarterback Jamorris Young was preparing to try to tie the game on a two-point conversion.

Young kept the football and tried to push through the middle of the defense, but Sylacauga quarterback Jasper Jacks, who had spent much of the night filling in at linebacker, met him in the hole and stopped him short of the goal line.

The Aggies recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock for a 42-40 win over Anniston on Senior Night at Legion Stadium.

Sylacauga improved to 5-4 with the victory, guaranteeing its first season with at least a .500 record since 2021. The Aggies will have an opportunity to finish with six wins when they travel to St. James next Friday.

It was also the final home game for a senior class that has spent the last several years playing under head coach Chris Smelley.

The Aggies entered Friday's game in a tough spot. A 35-34 overtime loss to Moody two weeks earlier, followed by a loss at Clay Central, had eliminated Sylacauga from playoff contention. The Aggies were also without two of their best players in Juice Riley and Tyler Tarpley, both of whom have been major contributors on offense and defense this season.

Anniston, meanwhile, was coming off a win over Lincoln and brought an offense capable of scoring from anywhere on the field. The Bulldogs were playing in the Class 4A state championship game last December, falling to Jackson in the final. They graduated roughly 20 seniors from that team and went through coaching changes during the offseason, but still presented plenty of problems for Sylacauga.

Those problems showed up almost immediately.

Anniston returned the opening kickoff deep into Aggie territory and scored five plays later. The Bulldogs converted the two-point attempt to take an 8-0 lead.

Sylacauga answered with a drive built around the running of Jacks and senior Zakorien Chambliss. Jacks converted a fourth-down opportunity with a physical run inside the five-yard line before scoring on a four-yard keeper. Anderson Adair added the extra point to make it 8-7 with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter.

The Aggie defense then came up with its first big play.

Facing fourth-and-two from its own 28-yard line, Anniston elected to go for the first down. Defensive back Jadavian Mosley jumped into the passing lane, forcing Young to keep the football. The Aggies stopped him short and took over with excellent field position.

Chambliss needed only two carries to put Sylacauga back in the end zone.

After gaining six yards on first down, Chambliss followed a block from Zack Sanders and broke free down the right side for a 21-yard touchdown. The extra point gave Sylacauga a 14-8 lead with 4:04 left in the opening quarter.

Anniston answered with another touchdown drive, using its passing game to attack Sylacauga's secondary. Young had success throwing to his taller receivers, and the Bulldogs tied the game at 14 before failing on another two-point conversion.

The first quarter ended with the score tied at 14, and it appeared the teams might spend the entire night trading touchdowns.

Instead, both defenses settled down in the second quarter.

Sylacauga continued to rely on Chambliss, who entered the game with 796 rushing yards on the season. Without Riley, the Aggies had fewer options in the passing game, and Anniston began bringing additional defenders toward the line of scrimmage.

The Aggies put together a lengthy possession in the second quarter but were hurt by a pair of holding penalties. Jacks delivered a good throw over the middle on third down that was dropped, and Sylacauga eventually turned the football over on downs.

Anniston had opportunities to take the lead before halftime, including a long touchdown run that was called back for holding. The Bulldogs also completed a deep pass inside the Aggie 10-yard line late in the half, but offsetting penalties erased the play.

With 2.6 seconds remaining, Young took one final shot toward the end zone. Jace Welch broke up the pass to send the teams to halftime tied at 14.

Smelley wanted his offense to finish drives after struggling to move the football consistently during the second quarter.

"We've got to finish a drive, man," Smelley said at halftime. "We've got to reset the tone, get a little bit more push up front and get some of these running backs to find some holes."

Anniston struck first in the second half.

After forcing Sylacauga to punt, Young connected with Quimari Jones for a long touchdown pass. The Aggies missed an opportunity to break up the play, allowing Jones to get behind the secondary and score. Sylacauga stopped the two-point conversion, leaving the Bulldogs ahead 20-14.

The Aggies responded by putting together a drive behind Chambliss, who picked up several first downs and moved the football across midfield.

When Chambliss came to the sideline for a rest, backup running back Zylon Tuck took advantage of his opportunity.

Tuck followed his blockers through the left side of the line, made a cut in the open field and raced 45 yards for a touchdown. Todd Thompson and Sanders helped create the opening, and Tuck did the rest.

Adair's extra point put Sylacauga back in front, 21-20.

The lead didn't last long.

Anniston answered with a long run from Isaac Mikle that moved the Bulldogs deep into Aggie territory. Young eventually found another receiver for a touchdown, giving Anniston a 26-21 advantage. Welch intercepted the ensuing two-point attempt, keeping Sylacauga within five.

The Aggies faced that deficit entering the fourth quarter, but their offensive line began taking control of the game.

With Anniston continuing to focus on Chambliss, Jacks became a bigger part of the rushing attack. He repeatedly kept the football on designed runs, following his blockers through the middle of the defense and converting several short-yardage situations.

Jacks was also playing middle linebacker with Tarpley unavailable, giving the Aggies another physical presence on defense.

Sylacauga converted two fourth downs during its next scoring possession, including a quarterback sneak behind the offensive line that extended the drive inside Anniston's 20-yard line.

Chambliss finished the possession with an eight-yard touchdown run, cutting back behind his blockers to reach the end zone.

Adair's extra point gave Sylacauga a 28-26 lead with 9:22 remaining.

The Aggies didn't have to wait long for another touchdown.

Anniston began its next possession backed up at its own 25-yard line and committed three consecutive penalties. With the Bulldogs facing a long-yardage situation, Sylacauga finally got pressure on Young.

The Anniston quarterback attempted a sidearm throw while trying to escape the pressure, but the ball went directly to Welch.

The senior intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Aggies a 35-26 lead with 8:02 remaining.

Welch had already made several important plays in the secondary, including the pass breakup before halftime and an open-field tackle on a kickoff return. His interception return gave Sylacauga its first two-possession lead of the night.

Anniston wasn't going away.

The Bulldogs needed only a handful of plays to get back into scoring position, breaking another long run before benefiting from a roughing-the-passer penalty. Young eventually scored on a quarterback keeper and converted the two-point attempt himself.

Just like that, Sylacauga's lead was down to 35-34 with 6:20 remaining.

The Aggies took possession knowing they needed to keep the football away from an Anniston offense that had already scored five touchdowns.

Chambliss picked up several tough yards early in the possession, but it was Jacks who delivered one of the biggest runs of the night.

Facing third-and-six near midfield, Jacks followed Thompson and Eric Nichols through the right side of the line for a first down inside Bulldog territory.

Sylacauga continued running the football and forcing Anniston to defend both Jacks and Chambliss. The Bulldogs eventually put the Aggies in another fourth-down situation, this time needing approximately five yards to keep the possession alive.

Following a timeout, Smelley gave the football to Chambliss.

The senior found room around the right side and picked up the first down, moving the ball to the Anniston 27-yard line.

On the very next play, Chambliss broke free up the middle and scored his third touchdown of the night.

Adair's sixth successful extra point made it 42-34 with 1:42 remaining.

Chambliss had been the Aggies' primary offensive weapon all night, but his next contribution came on special teams.

Anniston fielded the ensuing kickoff near its own goal line and broke through Sylacauga's coverage. With the returner approaching the red zone, Chambliss chased him down and made the tackle near the Aggie 18-yard line.

The Bulldogs still had plenty of time to score.

Young moved the offense inside the 15 before an incomplete pass and a pass interference penalty against Sylacauga helped set up first-and-goal at the five.

Young kept the football and scored with 43 seconds remaining, cutting the Aggie lead to 42-40.

Anniston called timeout before attempting the two-point conversion. The Bulldogs returned to a formation they had used on previous conversion attempts, with Young positioned to run behind his blockers.

This time, Sylacauga was ready.

Jacks came through the middle of the defense and stopped Young before he could reach the goal line. The defensive stand preserved Sylacauga's two-point lead and left Anniston needing an onside kick to get another opportunity.

The Bulldogs attempted the kick toward the right side of Sylacauga's formation, but Sion McMillan secured the football and immediately went to the ground.

Jacks took a knee on the ensuing possession, and Sylacauga walked away with its fifth victory of the season.

After the game, Smelley credited the offensive line for controlling much of the contest and praised the effort of his players, particularly with several starters unavailable.

"Hats off to our offensive line for controlling the line of scrimmage most of the game," Smelley said. "I thought our running backs ran the ball hard. Jasper ran the ball extremely hard. He's playing both ways, playing defense over there."

Chambliss finished with three rushing touchdowns, while Tuck added another on his 45-yard run. Jacks scored the Aggies' first touchdown and handled much of the rushing responsibility when Chambliss needed a break. Welch supplied the defensive touchdown that ultimately gave Sylacauga enough points to survive Anniston's late comeback.

Smelley was emotional following the victory, particularly when discussing what the win meant for the senior class.

"These guys have fought and fought and battled all season," Smelley said. "Hasn't always gone our way, but what a way to go out tonight."

For a team that had seen its playoff hopes end just seven days earlier, Sylacauga had plenty to overcome Friday. The Aggies were missing their two leading tacklers, had to replace Riley's production on offense and faced a team that had the speed to score on nearly every possession.

They also had to overcome some familiar defensive problems. Anniston repeatedly found openings in the secondary, broke several long runs and finished with 40 points.

But Sylacauga's running game gave the Aggies a way to answer. The offensive line held up against Anniston's defensive front, Jacks converted several important downs and Chambliss delivered when Sylacauga needed yards late in the game.

The win also gave the Aggies their first victory since beating Lincoln earlier this month and ended a two-game losing streak.

Sylacauga's last winning season came in 2021, when the Aggies hosted Andalusia in the first round of the playoffs. With five victories already secured, Smelley's team has a chance to finish 6-4 and post the program's best record in several years.

The Aggies will travel to Montgomery next Friday to face St. James in their final game of the 2026 season.

For the seniors, though, Friday was their last game at Legion Stadium. They left with a win over last year's Class 4A state runner-up, a victory that came down to a fourth-quarter interception, several important rushing conversions and one final tackle at the goal line.