Did you see the post a couple of weeks ago about Hartselle taking care of business?
On Thursday night, it was T.C.B. all over again.
Masio Stover ran for 216 yards and two touchdowns in a big win over Austin on Thursday night. (Decatur Daily photo by Jeronimo Nisa)
Class 5A No. 2 Hartselle (I keep ranking the Tigers No. 1) outplayed Austin offensively, defensively and on special teams to finish the regular season undefeated.
The Tigers rushed for more than 400 yards with its leading rusher sidelined with a mild foot injury. Masio Stover stepped into the feature back role and responded well, rushing for 216 yards and two scores. The Tigers’ defense held high-scoring Austin to three touchdowns below its season average, and Hartselle parlayed a Black Bears special teams miscue into momentum and three second-quarter scores.
Simply put, this was the best I’ve seen Hartselle play this season. And possibly the worst I’ve seen Austin.
The Black Bears have lost three in a row — if you count the Week 8 decision against Clay Chalkville — entering next week’s opening round of the state playoffs. After Thursday night’s loss, Austin head coach Jeremy Perkins said his main concern is mending the psyche of his football team. At least the Black Bears have a week and one day to make that happen.
Cody Whitlock
Justin Graves
