Sylacauga Football outlasts Lincoln, 28-20

LINCOLN, Ala. — Sylacauga picked up a key region win Friday night, defeating Lincoln 28-20 at Keith Howard Memorial Stadium.

The Aggies improved to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in region play with the victory. Sylacauga returns home next week to host Moody for homecoming at Legion Stadium.

Sylacauga leaned heavily on its rushing attack throughout the night, with Zakorien Chambliss, Tyler Tarpley, and quarterback Jasper Jacks all contributing on the ground. The Aggies also put together several long second-half possessions that limited Lincoln’s opportunities and allowed the Sylacauga defense to stay fresh against the Golden Bears’ physical run game.

After both teams came up empty on their opening possessions, Sylacauga struck first late in the first quarter. Chambliss broke free off the left side for a 70-yard touchdown run, and Anderson Adair added the extra point to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead.

Lincoln responded early in the second quarter. After a long kickoff return gave the Golden Bears good field position, Jaylin Adair scored on a long touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7. Lincoln then recovered a short kickoff and took advantage immediately. Quarterback Nick Catlett connected with Hudson Manns on a screen pass, and Manns took it the distance to put the Golden Bears ahead 14-7.

Sylacauga answered with one of its best offensive possessions of the first half. Jacks connected with Juice Riley on the drive, while Chambliss continued to handle carries on the ground. Facing third-and-goal from the Lincoln 17, Jacks found Riley near the goal line. Riley made a one-handed catch, secured the football, and fought his way into the end zone for the score. Adair’s extra point tied the game at 14.

The Aggie defense then created the first turnover of the night. A high Lincoln snap went over the quarterback’s head, and Javon Mosley recovered the loose ball to give Sylacauga possession in Golden Bear territory. The Aggies turned to the run game again, with Chambliss picking up a big gain up the middle, and Tarpley finished the drive from the Wild Aggie formation, scoring around the right side to give Sylacauga a 21-14 lead.

Lincoln had one final opportunity before halftime following a Sylacauga fumble near midfield, but Jace Welch intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play of the half. Sylacauga took a seven-point lead into the locker room.

Head coach Chris Smelley was pleased with the Aggies’ offensive production but emphasized the need for continued physical play in the second half. “Really fun half of football,” Smelley said at halftime. “I love what our offense has been doing. Been very effective.” He added that the game required a complete second-half effort, stating, “Got to continue to stay physical. It’s going to be a four-quarter game.”

Lincoln opened the third quarter with a long touchdown drive, using heavy formations and multiple tight ends to work the football down the field primarily through the run game. Kase Correct capped the possession with a touchdown run, but Lincoln missed the extra point, leaving Sylacauga with a 21-20 lead.

The Aggies responded with their longest and most important offensive possession of the night. Starting at their own 18-yard line, Sylacauga mixed carries by Chambliss and Jacks with short completions to Riley. Jacks picked up 14 yards on a quarterback run after the Lincoln defense flowed toward Chambliss. The Aggies eventually moved inside the Lincoln 10, where Tarpley finished the drive with another touchdown run out of the Wild Aggie formation. Adair added the extra point to give Sylacauga a 28-20 lead with 22. 9 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The drive took nearly eight minutes off the clock and kept Lincoln’s defense on the field for most of the quarter. Lincoln moved into Aggie territory on its next possession, but the Sylacauga defense made a stop early in the fourth. Malik Bordon made a tackle behind the line on third down, and a false start turned fourth-and-short into fourth-and-seven. Catlett completed a pass on fourth down, but Welch made the tackle near the sideline well short of the first-down marker.

Sylacauga took over and went back to its ground game. Tarpley picked up 12 yards early in the possession before leaving briefly after the play. Chambliss continued to run between the tackles, and Jacks also carried the football on designed quarterback runs. On fourth-and-two, Tarpley returned to the Wild Aggie formation and converted for a first down. Chambliss then picked up nine yards on first down, running behind another strong push from the Aggie offensive line.

Although Sylacauga was stopped on fourth down at the Lincoln 27, the Golden Bears took possession with only 3:18 remaining. Lincoln quickly moved the football down the field but with less than a minute remaining, Catlett rolled to his left and threw toward the back of the end zone, where Welch intercepted the pass for his second takeaway of the night.

Sylacauga took over with 37 seconds remaining and closed out the 28-20 victory. The Aggies finished the night with contributions from several players offensively. Chambliss provided the biggest explosive play with his 70-yard touchdown run and remained a consistent part of the offense throughout the game. Tarpley scored two rushing touchdowns from the Wild Aggie formation, including the go-ahead score late in the third quarter. Riley scored on a one-handed touchdown reception and was involved throughout the night in both the passing and running game. Jacks added several important runs, helping Sylacauga control the football for extended stretches in the second half.

After the game, Smelley praised his team’s preparation and the mindset the Aggies carried into Lincoln. “Man, that was so much fun,” Smelley said. “I love the way that our guys competed, the energy that they had on the sidelines. We had a really good week of practice.” He emphasized the clear message the team had: “We’re not coming here to want to win the game. We’re coming here to win the game.”

The Aggies accomplished that goal. “We got it done,” Smelley said. “So proud of the guys, the way they competed. Amazing catch in the back of the end zone right there. So proud of our guys.”

Sylacauga now turns its attention to Moody, who will travel to Legion Stadium next Friday for the Aggies’ homecoming game, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.