By Katie McElvy
In front of a large crowd on a cool Thursday night, the Chambers Academy Rebels took the field at Cramton Bowl to face off against the Bessemer Academy Rebels in the AISA AAA State Championship. The Rebel defense allowed no yards in their first series forcing a three-and-out.
Chambers quickly picked up a touchdown on the backs of Landon Hand and Luke Tarver. The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Bessemer then put together a drive of short passes that led them all the way down the field. They capped off the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to tie up the game. The PAT was unsuccessful.
Bessemer attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered for Chambers by Hand. Tarver started things off with a first down, and Hand ran the ball inside the 25. TJ Daniel added a first down and then ran in the 7-yard score. Hand added the 2-point conversion, and the Rebels took the lead 14-6 to end the first quarter.
Bessemer began another solid drive, but Colton Fuller and Gabe Bridges came up with two big stops to put Bessemer in a 4th and inches situation. The Bessemer quarterback threw to the receiver in the flat, but he was immediately met by Aiden Anglin short of the first down marker to force a turnover on downs.
Tarver ran for a first down on the first play of the next series but uncharacteristically fumbled, giving Bessemer the ball back. However, Daniel ended their drive with an interception which he returned to the 39 yard line. Jacob Norgard picked up a pair of first downs, but penalties killed the drive forcing a turnover on downs.
The Rebel defense pinned Bessemer on their own one yard line, and Anglin picked off the quarterback on the very next play. Tarver picked up 15 yards, and Jacob Norgard scored the Rebel touchdown.
Bessemer’s next drive ended in a fumble recovery by Tarver, and the Rebels went into the locker room up 22-6.
With the ball in hand to open up the second half, Tarver picked up 18 yards on two carries, and Hand ran in a 29-yard touchdown. The 2-pt conversion was successful, and Chambers led 30-6.
Bessemer found an answer, scoring on a pass to the endzone. Bridges sacked the quarterback to make the 2-point attempt unsuccessful.
The Rebels’ next drive saw gains by Tarver, Norgard, Daniel, Eli Whorton, and Hand, with Tarver punching in the score and 2-point conversion.
TJ Daniel added the final Chambers’ touchdown on a 33-yard run. The Kaisen Nix PAT was good to make the final score 45-12.
The Rebel offense was once again dominant on the ground with 440 yards rushing. Landon Hand led the way with 144 yards on 14 attempts, followed by Tarver with 140 yards on 14 carries, Norgard with 90 yards on 8 rushes, and Daniel with 61 yards on 6 attempts.
Defensively, Tarver and Fuller led with 10 tackles each followed by Bridges with 7 tackles. Daniel, Anglin, and Cobie Whatley all recorded interceptions in the game.
