Montgomery Catholic beats Cherokee County: updates, score from Alabama 4A football championship
Cherokee County lost in last year's state championship game, but the Warriors will have a chance at redemption on Friday when they take on Montgomery Catholic in the Alabama AHSAA Class 4A state finals at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
With a combined 27 wins and just one loss, this game is shaping up to be one of the best matchups of the year.
Follow along below for live updates from the Alabama Class 5A football state championship game:
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FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 35, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 (Final) What a win for the Montgomery Catholic senior class. They have gone 53-5 over the past four years, went undefeated as seniors and clinched the state championship in their final game.
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 35, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 McCreary puts the finishing touches on an MVP performance with another touchdown run, this one from 30 yards out. He's got four total touchdowns and is close to 200 yards rushing.
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 28, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 Knights tailback Joshua Griffin just broke five tackles on a long touchdown run. That’ll just about do it for this game. Just 3:15 left on the clock.
Fumble! Montgomery Catholic’s defense comes up with another turnover. Keltric Washington ripped that one free. Knights will take over with 3:28 to go.
Turnover on downs! Cherokee County’s offense stalls near midfield, and the Knights take over at the Warriors 45-yard line with 6:47 to go.
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 21, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 McCreary broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and out-ran everyone on the far sideline for a 66-yard touchdown. McCreary is up to 165 yards rushing, averaging 8.5 yards a carry.
10 penalties Cherokee County’s offense has looked pedestrian without star quarterback Carson Tittle, but they haven’t done themselves any favors with penalties, either. The Warriors just got hit with back-to-back flags to hit the double-digit mark for the game. Knights take over at their own 35-yard line with 9:33 to go.
THIRD QUARTER UPDATES
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 14, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 (End of the 3rd Quarter) Caleb McCreary caps a 90-yard touchdown drive with a five-yard scoring run behind a big block from Keltric Washington Jr. That possession lasted nearly six full minutes. You may be looking at the MVP in McCreary, who is over 100 yards rushing.
Goal-line stand! Cherokee County drew a flag for false start on 4th-&-2 from the Montgomery Catholic 5-yard line, and Jacob Cornejo’s 4th-down pass fell incomplete on the next play. Knights take over at their own 10-yard line with 6:19 to go in the third quarter.
Fumble! Cherokee County's De’zantae Diamond ripped the ball free and the Warriors get the big turnover they needed to start the second half.
Second half underway Montgomery Catholic fielded the second-half kickoff, they'll start with the ball at their own 36-yard line.
SECOND QUARTER UPDATES
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 7, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 (Halftime) Cherokee County didn't try to do anything crazy with the final 30 seconds, and opted to take it into halftime facing a 7-0 deficit.
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 7, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 An offsides penalty against Cherokee County gave the Knights a first down at the Cherokee 3-yard line, and Caleb McCreary found J.J. Williams for a three-yard TD pass. Cherokee County has 57 yards of total offense with 38 seconds left in the first half.
FIRST QUARTER UPDATES
MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC 0, CHEROKEE COUNTY 0 (End of 1st Quarter) We've played a scoreless first quarter.
We're underway! The AHSAA 4A Championship between Montgomery Catholic and Cherokee County is underway.
PREGAME UPDATES
12 p.m. kickoff Both teams are on the field for pre-game warmups, and we should still be on pace for a Noon kickoff in the AHSAA 4A Championship.
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