By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
It was the game to watch tonight as two 2A region-play undefeated teams faced off in what could determine who goes to the Regional Championship.
The Ariton High School Purple Cats faced a very difficult road test Friday night, falling to the Cottonwood Bears, 56-0, in a Class 2A Region 2 matchup.
Cottonwood, who entered the game with an overall undefeated record of 7-0, jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the opening quarter and continued to control the game throughout the night. The Bears added six points in the second quarter before scoring 13 points in each of the final two quarters to complete the 56-0 victory.
Ariton entered the game with a 4-2 overall record and a 3-0 mark in Region 2, while Cottonwood was 6-0 overall and 3-0 in region play.
The Chronicle reached out to Ariton Head Football Coach Steven Kilcrease after the game to ask him what he believes contributed to the tough loss. Kilcrease credited Cottonwood with a strong performance while acknowledging the physical challenge his team faced.
“We got beat by a much better football team. They were bigger, faster, and much more physical than us.”
Purple Cats Finish With 137 Total Yards
Ariton finished the game with 137 yards of total offense, including 74 rushing yards and 63 passing yards.
Jaccorie Hammock led the Purple Cats on the ground, carrying the ball 16 times for 43 yards.
Addison Senn rushed 11 times for 31 yards while also handling the team’s passing duties. Senn completed 6 of 12 passes for 63 yards with no touchdown passes.
Receiving Leaders
Titus Senn led the Purple Cats’ receiving corps with one catch for 42 yards.
Asa Thompson added one reception for eight yards, while Ridge Hicks recorded two catches for seven yards.
Purple Cats Defensive Leaders
Ryan Williams and Grant Davis led Ariton with nine tackles apiece.
Zaveion Scott and Tate Kilcrease each recorded eight tackles, while Kilcrease also recorded one tackle for loss.
Isaac Webb finished the game with seven tackles.
Special Teams
Ariton also received contributions in the return game.
Addison Senn recorded three returns for 10 yards, while Aidyn Karsten had three returns for eight yards.
We currently do not have any information on Cottonwood players and their stats, but if we receive them from the coach, we will add them to the article.
The result added a second consecutive loss for Ariton, who was in a four-game winning streak until recently. The Purple Cats had entered the game following a razor-thin 23-21 loss to Dale County on Sept. 25.
Ariton will look to rebound next Friday, Oct. 9, when the Purple Cats host Goshen in another Region 2 matchup.
