Phil Campbell ends 2024 campaign with 64-22 win over rival Red Bay

The Phil Campbell High School varsity football team (4-6) ended its season on a high note Friday night, notching a big 64-22 win over rival Red Bay (2-7) at Fred Bostick Jr. Stadium. The victory was Phil Campbell’s third in its last four games of the 2024 season.

“It’s a huge win for us. Obviously, anytime you beat a rival it’s a huge win, but just to end the season, the last two games on a great, positive note, having things going our way, it was huge for morale, huge for the kids and for our seniors to end (their careers) the right way beating Red Bay,” second-year Phil Campbell head coach Jacob Hamilton told the Franklin Free Press.

“I’m proud of my kids, and it was a great night,” Hamilton added. “You know, any time you can beat Red Bay it’s a great win.”

After falling down 8-0 to start the contest, the Phil Campbell offense responded right away and tied the game up on a 35-yard Hayden Wingo touchdown run. The Bobcats took the lead 16-8 early in the second quarter after a 17-yard Chandler Benford score and from there never surrendered their advantage. The visitors ended the half with two rushing touchdowns by sophomore quarterback Hayston Scott. Scott’s second, an 85-yard sprint to the endzone, came right before halftime and gave the Bobcats a 32-14 lead at the break.

Entering the game, Scott was sitting on 841 yards rushing for the season and needed 159 yards against the Tigers to break the 1,000-yard milestone and join his teammate Wingo, who eclipsed the mark in Phil Campbell’s previous matchup against Hanceville. The sophomore scrambler nearly reached the number he needed in the opening 24 minutes.

“(Scott) hadn’t had 160 yards rushing in a game before, but anytime you need to put the game on his back, that’s when he comes in clutch,” Hamilton said. “He knew that he was close to (the 1,000-yard rushing mark), and I would say that it was a goal he had going in. He needed 159 (yards) for the game and he had 155 in the first half.

“There was 31 seconds left in the half and we were up 10 and…he breaks one for 85 yards. So, I knew when he broke that 85-yarder, I knew he was getting closer,” Hamilton added. “They came and told me he was at 155 at halftime, and I said, ‘Oh, he’s gonna get it then. All he has to have is four more yards.’ But he’s an awesome kid, and he’s only a sophomore.”

Of course, Scott found the four yards he needed early on in the second half of the game and tacked on an additional 73 yards for good measure. He finished with a team-high 232 yards rushing and in the process played his part in achieving a Phil Campbell first:

“I’ve been told it’s the first time in program history where we’ve had two kids rush for over a thousand yards in a season. Hayden Wingo got that against Hanceville and then (Scott)...reached a thousand in this one,” Hamilton said.

Scott’s accomplishment, Hamilton said, was well-deserved. The sophomore serves as a leader on the squad, and, according to his head coach, he’s dedicated to the work necessary to improve his game.

“He’s the heart and soul of our team. He’s our quarterback, so obviously he’s a leader in that respect, and he’s my little cousin so I’m the hardest on him. But he’s the hardest worker in the room, he’s always got a great attitude, and he’s a great kid. We put a lot on him and we have high expectations for him,” Hamilton said. “He’s gonna work. He’s already putting in the work right now to get ready for next season. (Monday) he came into seventh period and started to get to work to get ready for next season. That’s the kind of kid he is, and we expect a lot out of him.

“We’re very proud of him. I can’t wait to see him continue to grow and develop, and he’s gonna be the backbone of this team for the next two years.”

In the second half, Scott continued to drive the offense and had a hand in two more touchdowns: Phil Campbell’s opening score in the third quarter, a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Taylor, and his third rushing touchdown of the night, a 47-yard dash early in the fourth quarter. 

The senior running back Wingo added a long 85-yard rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter for his second score of the night, while Logan Cooper capped the night for the Phil Campbell offense with a short, two-yard touchdown run with eight minutes remaining. Red Bay tacked on a late touchdown with around three minutes left, but the Bobcats’ dominant performance in the second half left no doubt about the outcome.

In addition to Scott’s rushing accolade, the game also proved to be one of historical significance for the Phil Campbell football program in two other ways: the Bobcats’ 64 points were the most in program history and the 42-point margin of victory was Phil Campbell’s largest ever over Red Bay. Those two facts highlight Phil Campbell’s control in all facets of the game against the Tigers.

“We played a great game both offensively and defensively, and having that come together was awesome,” Hamilton said. “Our defense played lights out, and we held them in the run game pretty well.

“We were very physical, and that’s what I was very proud to see was the physicality that we brought to the game,” he added. “Offensively we were just clicking and only punted one time and that was at the very end of the game. We were just firing on all cylinders and it was awesome. I think we had 580-something yards of offense and we had 503 of that on the ground. Anytime you’re rushing like that, you’re gonna have a good night. It was a great night, man, and it was a lot of fun.”

Fun—and, Hamilton said, a great way to end a campaign that didn’t go exactly as planned. Full of pride for his players, Hamilton added that throughout the season the Bobcats kept persevering, and he believes the 2024 season will prove to be a solid building block for future success.

“There’s a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and, I mean, some things didn’t go our way. Every coach is gonna have calls that they wish they could get back, calls they wish they could change, but, you know, my kids showed up every day ready to work,” Hamilton said. “They were always prepared, always fought to the very end, and that’s something I think we can build a foundation on and going into next year.

“We’re losing some great seniors, but you’re gonna have that in every program, you know, so we're gonna build on the positives of the ones that we have. We got a lot of guys that are ready to put in the work already for next season, and that's all we can do is show up every day, punch that clock and continue to work and continue to improve and set our goals high and work every day to try to achieve them,” he added. “Eventually we'll get there. We've got a solid foundation that we've built. We've got some good kids coming back. So, all we can do is work, man, and that's what we're going to continue to do starting right now.”