BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — LaFayette High School had two first-half touchdown passes wiped away by penalties, and Wadley High School (5-4, 4-2) made the Bulldogs (2-7, 1-5) pay for every one of them.
Wadley turned the momentum swing into a string of explosive plays and rolled to a 38-14 region win Oct. 23 at Bulldog Stadium.
The loss ensured that LaFayette finishes the season in sixth place in Class 1A Region 6. Last season in Class 2A Region 4, the Bulldogs finished with a 4-6 overall record and also sixth overall with a 1-5 mark in region play.
After back-to-back weeks against No. 3 Winterboro High School and No. 5 Loachapoka High School, the Bulldogs got a third consecutive test from a quality Region 6 opponent.
Wadley, a traditional Class 1A powerhouse that won the 2024 state championship and five region championships since 2017, was ranked in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s top 10 earlier this season.
Both of LaFayette’s TDs came through the air, and both went to Kentavious Cobb. He caught a 7-yard TD from Tyler Lee and a 73-yard scoring strike from Kemare Harrington. Marq Swanson ran in a two-point conversion.
Lee completed 9 of 12 passes for 119 yards, a TD and an interception. Harrington was 1 of 7 passing, but his one completion went for 73 yards. He was also the Bulldogs’ top receiver, with four catches for 95 yards and a long of 45.
Once a bright spot early in the season, the running game never got going. LaFayette ran 14 times for 24 yards, with Jeremiah Whitlow gaining 34 yards on seven carries. Lee lost 19 yards on four rushes. The Bulldogs finished with 216 total yards and eight first downs, threw two interceptions and were flagged seven times for 60 yards.
Defensively, Zephi Madden was everywhere, making 21 tackles. Kentravion Patton added 17, and Swanson had 14, including a tackle for loss. Darryl Baines and Jahmeer Jones each also recorded a tackle for loss, and Harrington broke up a pass.
On special teams, Whitlow returned three kickoffs for 39 yards, with a long of 34. Ty’Kaden Williams punted once for 27 yards and averaged 45.5 yards on two kickoffs.
Both called-back scores came in the first half, and the first one stalled LaFayette right after Wadley had struck early. Another Bulldogs drive reached the 1 yard line before a penalty pushed it back.
While LaFayette played better after halftime and showed some fight, the deficit proved to be too large to overcome.
The Bulldogs host Class 2A opponent Central Coosa County High School (3-6) on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. The Cougars are coming off a 44-14 region win over Horseshoe Bend High School (0-9) on Oct. 23.
With it being the final home game of the season, LaFayette will honor its seniors with Senior Night and look to send them out with a final win at Bulldog Stadium.
