Vigor fights the dominant Catholic Knights of Montgomery.

The Vigor Wolves defeated Terry Curtis and the UMS-Bulldogs 41-10. The Bulldogs have been playing their best football of late, but they lack the strength to counter the Wolves attack.

Vigor has the best defense in any class, allowing just 4.9 points per game, and the ninth-ranked offense in 5A at 36.9 points per game. They made it through the regular season with their only loss coming to 7A Baker to end the regular season.

They won their first three playoff games by a combined score of 128-10, with UMC-Wright scoring all 10 points.

John McKenzie returned as Vigor head coach shortly before the start of the season. He coached the Wolves in 2020 and 2021, going 19-6 and winning the 2021 4A state title.

MacKenzie took a job at Murphy in 2022 and Paul Bryant in 2023 without much success before returning to Prichard this year.

He is 31-7 overall and 8-1 in the playoffs with Vigor in three seasons.

Junior and Bayside transfer quarterback Sammy Dunn started the season for Vigor, throwing for 872 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception in five games before going down with a hand injury.

Junior wide receiver Dylan Jackson started, throwing for 819 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Jackson also rushed for 147 yards and caught 13 passes for 369 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The Wolves have two running backs with 100 or more carries as seniors, and Mercer brings in Carlos Benjamin and sophomore Demetris Johnson. Benjamin leads the team with 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns on 136 carries, while Johnson has 810 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Junior Gerrit Holcomb leads the team with 592 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Senior and mobile Christian transfer Kentonio Kelly Jr. ranks second in 5A with a team-best 146 tackles at linebacker to go along with six sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Sophomore Jabbarius Garror ranks second in tackles with 98 and first in 5A with 20.5 sacks. A talented sophomore is heading to Alabama. Junior linebacker Devin Whitsett ranks second in 5A with 18.5 sacks.

Senior safety Aslan Jones leads the team along with Kelly in interceptions with three, returning one for a touchdown and returning a kickoff for a touchdown.

As a team, they had 17 interceptions, nine pick-ups and three touchdowns on defense, while turning the ball over just six times on offense.

In the next round, the Wolves will face the most statistically dominant team in the state, Montgomery Catholic, with a trip to the Super 7 on the line.

Montgomery Catholic has been as dominant as any team in the state this decade, and a story can be written about their impressive statistics during that time.

Since 2020, they have gone 65-5 playing in Classes 3A, 4A and 5A, winning titles in the latter two classes. Kirk Johnson is 53-2 since taking over as head coach in 2021, and his two losses were by three points each.

They have the state’s best 27-game winning streak and average 45.3 points per game, best in 5A. They allow 5.9 points per game, which is third best in the entire state across all classes. Their scoring differential of 39.4 is the second-best in all classes.

They won their first three playoff games by a score of 116–9. The third round against Central Clay County was one of their close games in the last couple of years, 21-9 and 7-3 at halftime.

At quarterback, the Knights are led by freshman Kingston Prayer, who has 1,588 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions in nine games. Preyer started the season on the bench while recovering from an injury in the offseason. Junior JJ Williams started in his place and still does some work at the position, but now plays most of the time as a receiver.

Williams has 703 passing yards and seven touchdowns, 348 yards and 13 touchdowns, and 515 receiving yards with six touchdowns.

Against Central Clay, Coach Johnson made a bold move and returned to Williams at quarterback in the second half, sparking the offense. They have two defensemen with two different styles and they can both win high-level playoff games.

Montgomery Catholic relies on two running backs as its primary offense. Senior running back Gio Hayner has 110 carries for 777 yards and 12 touchdowns, while sophomore Josh Harriell has 106 carries for 1,026 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Junior B.J. Bedgood is the Knights’ leading receiver with 52 catches for 952 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Junior Michael Sheffield is second with 592 yards and six catches and also leads the team with 150 punt return yards.

The defense is full of juniors and seniors. Their three senior defensive linemen, Dylan Rogers, Garrett Sanford and Keltric Washington Jr., each have 20 tackles for loss. Sanford also leads the team with 12 sacks.

Junior linebackers Miles Khatri (104), Charles Chappelle (97) and senior Cam Miller (82) lead the team in tackles.

In the second, Tulane records, and senior guard Joe Pierce has the same number of interceptions in the state across all classes with eight. Pierce and fellow senior guard Ricky Williams each have nine passes defensed on the year.

As a team, they committed 20 forced turnovers and turned the ball over just three times on offense. They’ve forced six shutouts and haven’t given up more than 14 points all season.

The 5A South semifinals are a true heavyweight battle between two of the top three defenses in the state and two athletic and diverse forwards who can produce big points.

Vigor can win, and regardless of the outcome, the Wolves and Knights have too much defensive talent for the game to remain tight.

Vigor must prepare for two quarterbacks, which is difficult to do in a week. Vigor may have a secret weapon in his back pocket if Sammy Dunne is able to play, creating a similar situation in the Wolves’ offense.

The Wolves have been quiet about Dunn all year, could they spring a surprise and announce he’s playing before kickoff? As great as Dunn is, would it be too risky in the semifinals against a team like Montgomery Catholic to play someone who hasn’t seen the field in a couple of months?

The talent of both teams and the excellence in their performances are as good, if not better, than any other team in the playoffs, making this one of the best matchups in the state on Friday.

Copyright VALA 2024. All rights reserved.