Throughout the year, the Clay Chalkville football team has been in the middle of many important events. The team has been ranked in the top 10 for several weeks now. This has given fans a chance to look forward to this season. This year, Clay Chalkville will be competing against some of the best teams in the state, including Briarwood, Hewitt-Trussville, and Hueytown.
Almost a year ago, Mario Craver was a member of Clay-Chalkville’s football team. A 5-foot-11, 160-pound wide receiver, Craver caught 46 passes for 937 yards last season. He was selected to play in the AHSAA Super 7 state championship game last December. This season, Craver will have a bigger role as the season progresses. He has nearly 20 FBS offers.
In the first quarter, Clay-Chalkville used a strong rushing game to open up the game. On their first play from scrimmage, the Cougars recovered a Pinson Valley fumble. Mario Byrd ran back the opening kickoff for 88 yards, and Rodreckus Johnson added a two-point conversion to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Clay-Chalkville used another strong rushing attack. Aaron Osley rushed for a 66-yard touchdown, and Taurus Chambers added a 38-yard touchdown run. The Cougars scored another touchdown on a blocked punt.
Clay-Chalkville also used a strong passing attack to get the win. Kamari McClellan completed 7-of-19 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a 22-yard pass to Mario Craver.
In the second half, Clay-Chalkville outscored Pinson Valley by a wide margin. They led by double-digits through the third quarter and added another touchdown to the lead late in the fourth.
The Cougars rushed for 374 yards on 29 carries, and also had a strong defense. The Cougars were only allowed one touchdown over the first two games.
Clay-Chalkville is a Class 6A state champion. The Cougars will host the first round of the playoffs. If they win next week at Shades Valley, they will clinch the outright Region 6 championship. They can also force a three-way tie for second place with a win at Center Point.
During his sophomore season, Jaylen Mbakwe played both ways for the Clay-Chalkville Cougars. He also returned kicks and punts. He finished his high school career with 36 receptions for 677 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Alabama Crimson Tide has been pursuing Jaylen Mbakwe since January. Mbakwe has visited Alabama for A-Day and the school’s campus several times. He has been impressed with the academics and players at Alabama. He also has a close relationship with area recruiter Freddie Roach.
Mbakwe’s latest visit was to Alabama on Saturday. He will continue to visit the school as he works to improve his football career. He plans to visit Tuscaloosa in the near future.
Mbakwe has offers from a number of Power 5 schools including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCF and UAB. Mbakwe also has offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Clemson, Texas A&M and Georgia Tech.
The Alabama Crimson Tide continues to have a recruiting hot streak. They recently received eight pledges in July, including elite running back Justice Haynes and rising quarterback Dylan Lonergan. Also, four-star receiver Perry Thompson and three-star tight end Martavious Collins have committed to the Crimson Tide.
Jaylen Mbakwe is considered to be the top player in the state of Alabama. He is a four-star cornerback with elite athleticism. He is also a lock down defender. He has a reputation for being a playmaker.
Mbakwe plans to take a few unofficial visits this summer, including to Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He hopes to narrow his college choices down to five by the time the summer ends. He plans to announce his top 10 offers on June 19. Despite being the top player in Alabama, Mbakwe is down to earth. He has been working hard to improve his football career.
Despite a strong start from the Briarwood Lions, Clay-Chalkville was able to pull away for a 48-0 win. The Cougars were led by a balanced attack from the ground and air. The swarming defense allowed just 150 total yards and forced a trio of three-and-outs.
The Cougars scored on a number of different fronts, including a four-play 56-yard drive in the first quarter and a nine-yard jaunt in the fourth. The Lions managed only one third-down conversion.
Clay-Chalkville’s best scoring play came on a short pass from Alabama commit Jaylen Mbakwe. His 75-yard reception gave the Cougars a 12-0 lead with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter.
Clay-Chalkville’s second best scoring play came in the form of a 78-yard return of a punt by Mario Byrd. It was the largest score of the night and a big reason why the Cougars scored a slew of other important plays.
Clay-Chalkville’s lone defensive score came from Matthew Yafondo, who recovered a fumble at the Lions’ 46-yard line. It took a couple of sacks and a lot of effort to stop the rushing attack of quarterback Christopher Vizzina.
The Cougars’ one-game winning streak ended when Briarwood scored its first touchdown on a fumbled kickoff. Clay-Chalkville scored on back-to-back drives in the third and fourth quarters to avenge a 48-42 loss to Hueytown last year in the 6A state championship game. The game was a close one, but the Cougars proved they can win big against a high-octane opponent. It was a tough night for Briarwood, which opens up the home schedule against Spain Park next week. The Cougars are in line for a big win in Week 3.
The biggest question going forward will be who will fill the shoes of the 6A state champions?
Throughout the years, Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville have had a great rivalry. They are located only two miles apart, and the schools have played each other in varsity football and basketball. But this year, they have no scheduled games.
The schools have cancelled all of their scheduled games for the rest of the school year, and Clay-Chalkville officials have said they will not play Hewitt-Trussville again in any sports. That means the Warriors and the Huskies will not play for another two seasons.
Thompson has won four straight games, and the Warriors are on a roll. They are now 4-3 and have a chance at a deep run in the Alabama Class 7A state championship. They have defeated Hewitt-Trussville in four of the last five meetings.
Clay-Chalkville was coming off a 62-17 win over Fultondale. The Cougars have scored 50-plus points in each of their last six games. In their last game, Clay-Chalkville had five players score at least 10 points, and quarterback Ty Pigrome passed for five touchdowns. He has passed for 30 touchdowns this season.
Hewitt-Trussville is on a five-game win streak, but the Huskies have lost two tough games this season. They lost to a top-20 nationally ranked team and to a team that finished third in the state.
Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville are both Class 6A schools, and have been ranked in the Power 25. They will host each other in week seven of the 2022 high school football season. The matchup is known as the Paws and Claws Bowl in Birmingham, and you can watch it on the NFHS Network.
Thompson started the year nationally ranked, but lost two games in a row. The Warriors were not ranked when they defeated Clay-Chalkville last week. They are in contention for a top spot in Alabama’s Class 7A region, but they aren’t national title contenders.
Usually, a football game between the Hueytown Golden Gophers and Clay-Chalkville Cougars would be a one-sided affair. After all, these teams have two of the best offenses in the state. They also have a formidable defensive unit. In this year’s version, they have allowed just 14 points in two games.
The first quarter saw Clay-Chalkville jump out to an 8-0 lead. The Cougars scored again with 6:26 left in the second quarter. The Hueytown defense did not help themselves by allowing an interception and safety.
The Cougars showed their play-making prowess in the second half. Khalib Johnson threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Mario Craver. Edward Osley also made his presence felt with a 20-yard run. Osley also had two other touchdowns, a 33-yard run and a 13-yard run. Osley ran for a total of 152 yards on 28 carries.
The Cougars also rolled up an impressive 452 yards of total offense. The Cougars used a combination of a strong run game and stingy defense to pull off the win. This season, Clay-Chalkville has allowed just 14 points in two games. Despite this, Clay-Chalkville lost their starting quarterback and junior wide receiver.
In the end, Hueytown was out-gunned by Clay-Chalkville. They failed to capitalize on mistakes. In addition, they missed the ball on a play-action pass in the end zone. That was the only true turnover in the game.
The Cougars were out-gunned by Hueytown in the other departments. In the end, Clay-Chalkville was able to pull off the biggest play of the day. The Cougars made the most of the first half with an impressive run game and stingy defense. They took a 16-8 lead into halftime.
Bibb County Loses to Jacksonville Golden Eagles Bibb County’s football season ended last night with a loss against the Jacksonville Golden Eagles. Quarterback Jim Ogle had an impressive performance, but the offense was held in check. Walter Taylor III led the offense and helped lead the Golden Eagles to a win. Quarterback Jim Ogle During […]
The Austin High School Football Schedule Whether you are a fan of varsity football or you simply like watching it, the Austin high school football schedule has something for everyone. With games taking place at a variety of venues, you’ll find that this schedule is a great place to find out when and where your […]
Calera Eagles – Who Else Wants to Be a Star? Regardless of how you feel about the Calera Eagles, there is no denying that the team has a lot of promise. The players are young and have the potential to be great players in the future. This article will examine a few of the players […]
