Hackleburg takes commanding 50-8 victory over Cherokee

By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
HACKLEBURG — The Hackleburg Panthers have secured a spot in the Class 1A Region 8 playoffs with their 50-8 win over Cherokee Thursday, Oct. 27. The team will travel Friday, Nov. 2, to take on Coosa Christian in Gadsden.
The first quarter of the game was filled with penalty flags, but Hackleburg was able to come away with 30 points at its end.
The Panthers kicked off to Cherokee and forced them to punt. On first down, Daniel Cooper took the ball 56 yards for a touchdown. The attempted two point conversion was no good, lighting the scoreboard 6-0, Hackleburg.
Not letting up, Hackleburg’s Ja’quan Reeder intercepted a pass as soon as Cherokee had possession. A pass to Reeder on second down led the team to the 11 yard line when Cooper carried it in once more. A good pass to Gavin Heggy gave them two points, making it 14-0, Hackleburg.
Cherokee eventually punted on the next drive, giving Hackleburg another chance at scoring. Cooper did it again, and a complete pass to Carson Swinney made the two point conversion good at 22-0, Hackleburg.
Cherokee began at their own 42 yard line, but after incomplete passes and a complete pass on fourth down, turned the ball over on downs to Hackleburg.
This time, the touchdown honor fell to Austin Gerald. A pass from Blaise Vickery to Cooper ensured two points were added to make it 30-0, Hackleburg.
Cherokee turned the downs over again to Hackleburg at the beginning of the second quarter. On the second first down, a pass to Reeder in the end zone gave Hackleburg another touchdown. The two point try was no good this time, halting the score at 36-0.
Hackleburg had the ball again and took it to Cherokee’s 9 yard line. Davin Dulaney took the touchdown, with a good two point conversion by Swinney. This would make the score 44-0 in favor of Hackleburg.
Cherokee held possession for nearly the rest of the first half. It looked like the clock was going to run out, but after a 69 yard drive, Nikolas Curry took it in for a touchdown with 19.2 seconds left on the clock. The two point try was good, giving Cherokee the only score on the night: 44-8, Hackleburg.
The second half breezed by with a continuous clock, the downs turned over twice by Cherokee and once by Hackleburg. The only score happened in the fourth quarter when Hackleburg’s Daughtry Gober took a complete pass for the touchdown. The two point try was no good, finalizing the score at 50-8, Hackleburg.
Quarterback Blaise Vickery went 10 for 13 from passing, throwing 251 yards resulting in five of Hackleburg’s touchdowns on the night.
Secondary Quarterback Maddox Vickery went 5 for 9 with passes, resulting in one touchdown.
Davin Dulaney was the leading rusher for the Panthers, gaining 27 yards from five rushes, resulting in one touchdown.
Carson Swinney wasn’t far behind as he gained 26 yards from five rushes, scoring one two-point conversion attempt.
Daniel Cooper was on his game yet again, gaining 106 yards from four receptions, resulting in three of Hackleburg’s touchdowns and one two-point conversion.
Ja’quan Reeder gained 66 yards from three receptions, resulting in one touchdown for the Panthers.
Austin Gerald had a big 61 yard reception for a touchdown and Daughtry Gober scored a touchdown, having two successful receptions for 14 yards in the game.