T he S ports L edger
JANUARY 2023
PAGE 10 www.TheSportsLedger.com
The No. 5 Alabama football team secured a 45-20 win over No. 9 Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, January 31, 2022. The Crimson Tide’s victory at the Caesars Superdome helped UA finish 11-2 on the season. Alabama fell behind early with Kansas State gaining a 10-0 lead in the first 12 minutes. The Tide countered with 35 unanswered points to make it a 35-10 game before the Wildcats narrowed the gap on a field goal late in the third. Alabama then put the game well out of reach thanks to a touchdown to close out the third quarter and a field goal from Will Reichard early in the fourth. Quarterback Bryce Young was named the game’s Most Valuable Player following an impressive five-touchdown performance. The junior finished an efficient 15-of-21 for 321 yards to go with the five scores. He connected with seven different receivers overall, five of which scored a touchdown. Tight end Cameron Latu led in receptions with five for 54 yards and a score while Jermaine Burton paced UA in yards at 87 on his three catches, adding a touchdown of his own. Jahmyr Gibbs led the Alabama ground game with 15 carries for 76 yards. Teammate Jase McClellan rushed seven times for 42 yards and a score. Gibbs also added two receptions for 66 yards and a pair of kickoff returns for 31 yards to total a game-high 173 all-purpose yards. The Crimson Tide defense intercepted two passes while limiting the Wildcats to only 210 yards through the air. Jordan Battle picked off the first pass and finished with nine total tackles, including half a stop for loss (-2 yards). Brian Branch recorded UA’s second pick and paired the turnover with 12 tackles, including a sack (-9 yards) and a game-high four tackles for loss (-22 yards). DeMarcco Hellams led all defenders with 13 stops. “There was a team out there today that cared – cared about how they played; cared about the pride they had in their performance; cared about each other – and they prevailed because of that," said Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. "I think that (mentality) started way back when we started practice. There are a lot of guys on this team, including these two guys that are sitting next to me (Will Anderson Jr. and Bryce Young) that have given a lot to this program. The way the team performed out there together as a group, they had something to prove.” Following the game Young, Anderson and Gibbs, all announced that they will forego their senior season to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Alabama’s victory over Kansas State marked the Crimson Tide’s 17th in the Sugar Bowl, which is the most by the Crimson Tide in any bowl and eight better than the Cotton, which holds second place at nine. Alabama owns a 10-7 all-time mark in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama Wins Sugar Bowl SPORTS HALL OF FAME - The 2023 Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame is set to induct ten new members at the summer banquet, which is set for June 3, 2023 at Lake Guntersville State Park. The members of the Class of 2023 include: Bill Aaron, Zeke Bentley, Johnny Pelham, Dr. Josh Wharton, A.C. "Cub Berry" Terrell, Phillip Eubanks, Patrick Harding, Lowell Edmonds, Misty Lang and Jimmy Lee Griffin. Mr. Bentley and Mr. Eubanks are both deceased. Tickets for the event are $50 and they will go on sale in January. For ticket information contact Frank Mastin at frankmastin@mastinsinc.com or Richard "Butch" Ferguson at rferguson35951@gmail.com. ALABAMA A-DAY IS APRIL 22 - The University of Alabama's 2023 Golden Flake A-Day Spring Football Game will be played on Saturday, April 22. The game time and further information will be announced at a later date. The annual A-Day Game is the 15th and final practice of the spring and takes place at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Admission will once again be free to the public. More info on A-Day, will be posted on rolltide.com when it becomes available. HONOR ROLL - Several Gadsden State Community College student-athletes and teams were recently honored by being named to the Alabama Community College Conference Fall 2022 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for achieving a 3.0 GPA or higher in at least 12 hours of courses. The Honor Roll student-athletes include: Riddic Dugger, Noah Hefner, Joanah Hudson, Andrew Keeton, Evan Stewart and Riley Woerner, all from Men’s Tennis; Karley Boyd, Paige Collier, Lauren Davis, Savannah Free, Maegan Milligan, Morgan Moseley, Sidney Peterson, Sera Beth Potter, Moriah Seay, Zoe Walker and Madison Williams, all from Women’s Volleyball; Ryan Anderson, Michael Dale, Kintavious Dozier, Parker Godwin, Maleek Kidd and Massiah Morris, all from Men’s Basketball; Peyton Blevins, Halle Brown, Cadence Buchanan, Gracey Johnson, Laila Lowery, Emma Martin, Stephanie Morgan, Savannah Seals, Jordan Spivey, Esabella Trammell, Victoria Winslett and Ja’Kiyah Womack, all from Women’s Basketball; Jordan Clark, Chloe Davidson, Keira Johnson, Gabrielle More, Lacey Rich and Mallory Rich, all from Women’s Cross Country and Ashton Vann from Men’s Cross Country. Additionally, the Cardinal teams named to the Fall 2022 Commissioner’s Academic Team Honor Roll were: Women’s Cross Country (3.60), Women’s Basketball (3.56), Women’s Volleyball (3.40) and Men’s Tennis (3.10). CRIMSON TIDE MEN ADD FOUR - Alabama Head Basketball Coach Nate Oats has made four additions to the men's basketball program, as the following players signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their careers with the Crimson Tide. The signees include four-star prospects point guard Davin Cosby (Raleigh, N.C., Word of God Christian Academy), Mouhamed Dioubate (Queens, NY, Putnam Science Academy), and Sam Walters (Orlando, FL, Villages Charter School), and the top prospect from the state of Alabama R.J. Johnson (Huntsville, Grissom HS). The 2023 NLI Signing Class Notes is Ranked No. 10 overall according to Rivals and No. 13 by 247Sports. Sideline Sports
Photo by Tony Walsh, University of Georgia
University of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) holds up the championship trophy after leading the Bulldogs to a 65-7 victory over TCU in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Bennett pass for 304 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 39 yards and two additional scores, to help propel the Bulldogs to back-to-back National Titles. Back-2-Back National Champs Rattler Set To Return To South Carolina The South Carolina football program, under the leadership of Head Coach Shane Beamer, will have Quarterback Spencer Rattler back for the 2023 season, as the Gamecocks' field general has announced his plans to return to the program in the fall. Rattler played outstanding in the final two games of the Gamecock’s regular season this year, which was his first year in Columbia. With six touchdowns and 438 yards, he helped South Carolina upset SEC foe Tennessee 63- 38. Rattler followed that with a two touchdown and 360 yard performance in a 31-30 upset win over in-state rival Clemson. These wins opened the door for South Carolina to make the trip to Jacksonville, Florida for the 2022 Gator Bowl, Rattler had 246 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Gator Bowl. However, that was not enough, as Notre Dame pulled out a 45-38 win at the end of the 4th Quarter. Other outstanding players have also announced that they would be returning to the Gamecocks for another season. Receiver Antwane Wells, Wide Receiver Xavier Legette, and Junior Quarterback Luke Doty. South Carolina has also picked up several transfers for the 2023 season. Arkansas’ TE Trey Knox recently announced his plans to play in Columbia after his former coach Dowell Loggains was hired as offensive coordinator. TE Nick Elksnis from Florida, LB Jaron Willis from Ole Miss, DB Sidney Fugar from Western Illinois, TE Joshua Simon from Western Kentucky, OT Nick Gargiulo from Yale, and RB Mario Anderson from Newberry have also announced plans to join the Gamecocks program. South Carolina will open the 2023 season against rival North Carolina in Charlotte. The Battle of the Carolinas will kickoff the new year on September 2. Fans in North Alabama may also have the opportunity to watch Rattler and his teammates later in the season, as the Jacksonville State Gamecocks are set to travel to Columbia on November 4, for the Battle of the Gamecocks match-up. By Myra W. Pierce The Sports Ledger
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker (52) and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrate against Kansas State during the Sugar Bowl at Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, Dec 31, 2022. Alabama won the game 45-20. A Sweet Celebration Photo by Rodger Champion, UA Athletics With his five touchdown passes, Bryce Young now has 80 career passing touchdowns to move past AJ McCarron (77) into second on the school’s all-time list. Young trails only Tua Tagovailoa’s 87. Young's final performance with the Crimson Tide, also set an Alabama bowl game record and it matched Mac Jones’ five touchdown throws against Ohio State in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game for the most by a Crimson Tide quarterback in the postseason. DeKalb County Varsity Boys: Plainview 72 - Geraldine 55 Varsity Girls: Plainview 55 - Sylvania 51 Junior Varsity Girls: Plainview 52 - Ider 20 Junior Varsity Boys: Plainview 94 - Geraldine 15 8th Grade Boys: Plainview 59 - Fyffe 27 Junior High Girls: Plainview 31 - Geraldine 27 Marshall County Varsity Boys: Guntersville 81 - DAR 59 Varsity Girls : Guntersville 55 - Arab 50 Junior Varsity Boys: DAR 61 - Guntersville 54 Junior Varsity Girls: Arab 46 - Boaz 27 9th Grade Boys: Albertville 50 - Guntersville 46 8th Grade Boys: Boaz 57 - Guntersville 34 8th Grade Girls: Arab 28 - Guntersville 20 Etowah County Varsity Boys: Glencoe 63 - Hokes Bluff 61 Varsity Girls: Sardis 74 - Glencoe 38 Junior Varsity Girls: Sardis 34 - Southside 20 Junior Varsity Boys: Sardis 42 - Southside 35 County Tournament Basketball Champions
8th Grade Boys: Southside 44 - Sardis 28 8th Grade Girls: Sardis 41 - Glencoe 25 7th Grade Girls: Sardis 30 - Southside 25 Cherokee County
Varsity Boys: Cherokee County 55 - Sand Rock 53 Varsity Girls: Spring Garden 59 - Cherokee County 23 JV Boys: Cherokee County 40 - Ceder Bluff 32 Jackson County Varsity Boys: NSM 73 - Skyline 72 Varsity Girls: Skyline 71 - Pisgah 49 Junior Varsity Boys: Section 49 - NSM 45 Junior Varsity Girls: Section 40 - Skyline 20
Geraldine's Alice Jordan in action against Plainview in the Junior High Tournament. Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
South Carolina's Spencer Rattler attempts a pass against Notre Dame in the 2022 Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL.
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