SPORTS

Russell Moore
Sports Writer
Saturday, Nov 07, 2009

CORDOVA — Cordova has imposed its will on its Class 3A opponents all season.

Montevallo was the latest victim Friday night.

Ryan Smith rushed 13 times for 121 yards and four touchdowns, Jake Howton combined for 143 total yards of offense and No. 2 Cordova rolled to a 49-14 victory in its first-round playoff game at Hudson-Kirby Field.

“Most people don’t understand how good of a football team Montevallo is,” said Cordova coach Pete Bush. “We just lined up and didn’t try to do anything fancy with our offense. All of it worked. Plus, we got up in the air defensively and pulled down some interceptions.”

Cordova (10-1) posted a season-high in points, surpassing the 48 points scored against Dora in the season opener. The Blue Devils set up a second-round playoff game next week with Dadeville, which was a 28-12 winner over West Blocton Friday.

Cordova put together a 19-play, 75-yard drive on its first possession of the game and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run by Howton. The Blue Devils ate up more than nine minutes on the drive, converted on a 4th-and-12 and managed six first downs before punching it in the end zone.

The Blue Devils’ punishing offense continued to wear the Bulldogs out and Cordova cashed in on three interceptions.

Once again, Cordova had a handful of offensive starters finish with strong nights.

Smith had touchdown runs of 57, 8, 3 and 7 yards.

Howton finished 7-of-8 passing for 89 yards and added 54 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.

Fullback Hunter Beaird contributed 14 carries for 72 yards and Darius Bush had 74 yards combined.

Cordova’s defense also continued its stingy season. Smith, Howton and Cameron Robinson each collected interceptions and the Blue Devils limited Montevallo dual-threat quarterback Kevin Callender to an ugly 4-of-16 passing for only 22 yards and three picks.

The opening drive for Cordova set the dominant tone and the Blue Devils never let up. Cordova scored touchdowns on three of its final four possessions in the second quarter.

On Cordova’s second touchdown, Smith broke through the left side, stiff armed a Montevallo defender to the ground and hurdled another for a highlight reel 57-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 7:28 remaining in the first half. Montevallo muffed the ensuing kick and Cordova recovered and scored immediately. Howton completed a 20-yard pass to Malik Harris and after two offside penalties on Montevallo, Smith scampered in for an 8-yard score and a 21-0 advantage.

The Blue Devils extended the lead to 28-0 on a Smith 3-yard run with 37 seconds remaining in the half. The score was set up by a 17-yard run by Howton and two straight 17-yard passes from Howton to Bush.

Cordova sustained a 28-0 advantage at the half and pushed it to 35-0 on its first possession of the third quarter on a 7-yard run by Smith.

Howton had an 8-yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining in the third to make it 42-0 before Montevallo finally got on the board.

Callender quickly answered with a 71-yard touchdown run for Montevallo’s biggest and longest play of the night.

Sophomore Theo Werling capped off the scoring for Cordova with a 2-yard run with 7:19 remaining in the game.

Montevallo’s Garrius Chappell had a 32-yard touchdown for the final score of the night.

Cordova has now won 10 playoff games in less than three years and has another home playoff game next week against a high-powered Dadeville (10-1) squad.

“This time of the year you can really throw records out the door,” Bush said. “You just try to survive. That’s what we will keep doing. We’ll keep trying to survive week-to-week.” 

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