Sparkman stays perfect in region

MADISON -Sparkman, behind the running of Troy Nance and a defense that got four turnovers, ended three years of frustration against its archrival Friday night.A large crowd at Madison City Schools Stadium looked on as the Senators built some momentum heading into next week's game with Decatur for Class 6A, Region 8 supremacy with a 22-10 victory over Bob Jones.Sparkman, now 5-3 overall and 5-0 in the region, plays the third-ranked Red Raiders for the region's top seed.Bob Jones fell to 2-6 and 0-5. For Sparkman, the victory capped a week in which it had to practice on a school parking lot because the practice field was under water.When it was over, Senators coach Roger Haynes gave his squad a mixed review."I think we're getting better on offense,'' he said. "Defensively, we've gone back the last couple of weeks.''The Patriots, meanwhile, gave maximum effort but fell short. Bob Jones led 3-0, fell behind 13-3 and pulled to within 13-10 in the first half.But a 55-yard pass-and-run from Sparkman quarterback Wes Alexander to Adrian Connor put the Senators out of reach at 22-10 late in the third quarter.

Bob Jones, which lost a fumble in the first half that led to a touchdown, lost another in the second and was intercepted twice as Sparkman thwarted any thoughts of a comeback.Despite the loss, Bob Jones first-year coach Shannon Brown was proud."Our kids have played their hearts out all year long,'' he said. "I don't care what anybody says."Bob Jones is on the right track. We're moving in the right direction because these seniors whose (playoff hopes) ended weeks ago haven't quit.''Bob Jones' Zach Taylor recovered a fumble on the game's opening possession at the Patriots 42-yard line. Ten plays later, Cody Stepko kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.Sparkman moved ahead on the following possession when Nance, who had 141 yards on 27 carries, scored on a 3-yard run. The kick was blocked, but the Senators led for good at 6-3.In the second quarter, Sparkman recovered a fumble at the Bob Jones 33. Two plays later, Nance scored from the 15. Trent Bissell added the kick for a 13-3 lead with just over six minutes left in the first half.The Patriots cut their deficit to 13-10 when Dirk Caudle scored on a 3-yard run with 29.7 seconds left in the first half.Sparkman set up at its 34 following the kickoff, and instead of running out the clock ran twice before getting a 25-yard reception from Alexander to Dezmond Richardson. That set up a 44-yard field goal by Bissell as time expired.Sparkman ended the scoring with Alexander's toss to Connor, who caught the ball between two defenders, turned and ran to the end zone."We feel real confident about the way we're playing right now,'' Alexander said.Sparkman will now try to knock off Decatur."It'll take by far the best the best game we've played,'' Haynes said.

4th

Passing

Kicking and Punting

# 30 Ryan Hurford - 4 punts - 46,30,33,25
33.5 yard average.

Penaltys- 5 for 50 yards

First Downs - Sparkman 10

Receiving

Rushing

Passing 10 pass attempts for 93 yards

Rushing 46 rushes for 195 yards

Total = 56 plays for 288 yards and 5.1 yards per play

Scoring Summary and other tidbits-

- Senators offense ran the ball, ran the ball, and ran the ball. RB troy Nance rushed for 139 yards and really wore down Bob Jones in the second half.

- Game was a region game for Sparkman , and with this win and a Decatur win, sets up a region championship game at Senator Stadium next week . Both Decatur and Sparkman are 5-0 in region play.