For the third consecutive year, the Russellville Golden Tigers have advanced to the second round of the 5A state playoffs.
With a 63-10 win over Boaz last Friday night, the Golden Tigers advanced to a second round matchup with 9-1 Pleasant Grove.
While the score might suggest that the Golden Tigers won in blowout fashion, it took a breakout play by freshman Cam Phinizee for the Golden Tigers to find their footing against the Pirates.
Facing a Boaz team that had a pass-oriented offense was something the Golden Tiger defense was prepared for, as it limited Boaz to one touchdown and 244 passing yards, along with a Banks Langston interception.
Russellville's game plan getting the ball in the hands of senior receiver Randall Johnson, who racked up 364 yards on 11 receptions.
Harrison Burch led the aerial attack, completing 17 of 27 passes for 481 yards and seven touchdowns. The Golden Tigers finished the night with 588 yards of total offense, a pleasing statistic to RHS head coach John Ritter.
“We collectively played well on offense the entire night. Cam Phinizee stepped up and played hard. He only had 65 yards total, but they were much needed. It won't show up in the books, but his pass protection was outstanding. We were able to throw more because we had him protecting Harrison Burch all night,” Ritter said.
Defensively, the Golden Tigers pass attacked and held Boaz to 10 points, well below the Pirates' 25 point per game season average.
Reese Carson had 21 total tackles with eight solos, 12 assists and a sack. Multiple Tigers came up with fumble recoveries, including Gunner Sappington and Richard Scott.
The Golden Tigers face Pleasant Grove in the second round of the playoffs. The two teams are no strangers as Russellville has faced Pleasant Grove four times since the 2000 season. Russellville holds a 3-1 advantage over the Spartans, although Pleasant Grove won the most recent matchup, in 2014, 36-14.
As for how Russellville will prepare for Pleasant Grove, Ritter spoke more in general terms, rather than specifying a plan of attack.
“We've got a good game plan. In the playoffs, you can't turn the ball over and you have to minimize mistakes. We have to seize the moment,” Ritter said.
For Coach Darrell LeBeaux's Spartans, they have come close to seizing their own moment each of the past three seasons. Pleasant Grove has reached the 5A state championship game in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Former RHS standout Ty Cox coaches the offensive line for Pleasant Grove. Cox, the son of former RHS coach Don Cox and Patricia Cox, was a center on the Golden Tiger teams that saw so much success in the early 2000s.
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