By JOSEPH ANTONIO / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – On Friday night, Oct. 30, the Kingwood Christian Lions played host to the undefeated Monroe Academy Volunteers and the game was an obvious mismatch from the beginning. The Volunteers drew first blood when quarterback Griffin McKenzie hooked up with Dalton McKenzie on a 54-yard touchdown strike to take a 7-0 lead. Monroe added to its lead just minutes later on a six-yard rushing touchdown from Drew Black, increasing the lead to 14-0.

Kingwood was stymied on offense for most of the game and committed a critical turnover on its ensuing possession. This lead to another Volunteers touchdown with still over a minute left to play in the first quarter to put the score at 20-0.

Monroe Academy kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter, scoring on a three-yard rush from Isaac Brewton and off a 30-yard touchdown catch by Noah Goodman. The score at half time read 34-0 in favor of the Volunteers.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Kingwood finally managed to get on the scoreboard via a 39-yard field goal from Charlie Crepps. The Lions soon added to their score total on their next possession, when Darius Morton rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to bring the final tally to 34-10.

Kingwood Coach Sheldon Ward conceded he was ready for the offseason. “We got to recruit the hallways and get some of those kids out,” he said. “We’ve got some good football players walking the halls. If we get them out, we can really turn this thing around.”