Elba wins big in game against Cottonwood

COTTONWOOD — After Elba’s thrashing of Cottonwood Friday night, the Tigers certainly won’t be welcomed into any more Class 2A games with open arms.

Elba dominated Cottonwood from start to finish, beating the defending region champs 28-0 in a game that could have been much worse. The Tigers are back in Class 2A after two years in 3A.

“We’re here to stay,” Elba nose guard Jordan McBride said. “We’re here to dominate and we want to take the Elba Tigers back to where they were in the late eighties and early nineties. We’re on a mission to win every game and it showed tonight.”

It absolutely did. The Tigers forced three turnovers, scored four touchdowns and had four promising possessions come up empty with two missed field goals, a stop on fourth and goal and a 59-yard touchdown run called back on a penalty.

The Tigers sacked Cottonwood quarterback Andrew Cain four times and had three more stops behind the line of scrimmage.

A slow shotgun snap sometimes made the 6-foot-4 Cain jump to catch it, giving Elba even more time to get to him.

“They lined up and beat us,” Cottonwood coach Toby Greene said. “Give Elba all the credit. They took it to us.

“We moved the ball at times, we just shot ourselves in the foot.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Elba took the lead just a minute into the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Lindsey to Gavin Respress.

Cottonwood went three and out on its next drive. Elba took over at the Bears’ 48 and went up 14-0 on Lindsey’s 29-yard touchdown run.

Lindsey, in his first year as a starter, is just a freshman, but he had the Bears fooled all night on quarterback draws. He ran for 119 yards and teammate Carlos Matias ran for 65 yards and a couple of scores.

“He’s got a lot to learn in the passing game,” Elba coach Scott Rials said. “It’s easier to teach the running game with the reads, but he’s a good young player.”

But it was Elba’s defense that dominated. Cottonwood moved the ball 57 yards on the ground to start the second half, but the Bears were stopped on 4th and 2 at the Elba 27. Later, Elba’s Respress returned a punt 38 yards to the 28, and Matias later scored on a 1-yard run.

Three plays into the fourth quarter, Elba’s Courtland Belcher returned a fumble to the 1-yard line, and Matias scored from a yard out.

“Our work tonight was relentless tonight on defense. Relentless,” McBride said. “The guys on the ends, they can’t block them. I don’t think anybody in this region can block them.”

For Elba, Richard Cooks kicked all four extra points and had an interception. Xavier Rodgers forced a third-quarter fumble that Sandarius Reed recovered.
Brett Moore led Cottonwood with 77 yards on the ground.