The Shelby County Wildcats kept their eye on the prize, defeating the Valley Rams 21-7 in first round playoff action Friday night.

The Wildcats came out rapid fire on their first series of the night with senior quarterback Aaron Howard leading the way connecting with Tyrone Buie on passes of 38 and 20 yards.

Fullback Darion Sutton scored on a 2-yard touchdown plunge for a 7-0 first quarter lead.

&8220;For the last two weeks we had primarily been in run formations, and we wanted to catch them off guard in the four-wide set,&8221; said Shelby County head football coach Ryan Herring.

&8220;For that first drive it worked well, but we had to adjust when they shifted to the man to man coverage&8221;, Herring said.

Midway through the second quarter the Rams offense lit up when quarterback Tre Brown heaved a 65-yard touchdown pass to Salasky Gates to even the score.

After a four-and-out series to begin the fourth quarter, an SCHS punt pinned the Rams back at their own 6-yard line.

Three plays later, sophomore Wesley Howard pounced on the loose ball to put the Wildcats in business the same spot.

On third and goal from the 1-yard line, Sutton muscled his way into the end zone for his second score of the night and a 14-7 lead.

After a corner blitz sack, the Rams were forced to punt yet again to the Wildcats.

SCHS marched down the field from the Rams&8217; 48-yard line.

On a pivotal third and 10 play, Kevin Stafford rumbled to the 16-yard line.

Sutton put the icing on the cake with an 11-yard bolt to the end zone.

The Wildcats held Valley to 22 yards on the ground and 96 yards through the air for 118 yards total offense.

Herring said to hold a wishbone to that kind of ground yardage was saying something.

The Wildcats gained 221 yards on the ground in 54 attempts and added 78 yards through the air.

&8220;Our offensive line won the battle in the trenches.

This win gives us some momentum going into next week and keeps us rolling.

We will start back at zero this week in preparation for UMS (Wright)&8221;, Herring said.

The Wildcats (8-3) will travel to the southernmost tip of Alabama to take on UMS Wright 9-2) Friday night