No. 9 Leeds Upsets 6th Ranked Guntersville in Round 1 Thriller

LEEDS, AL – The ninth-ranked Leeds Green Wave punched their ticket to the second round of the AHSAA Class 5A postseason, in dramatic fashion, with a3 5-28  come-from-behind victory over the sixth-ranked Guntersville Wildcats on Friday night at Homer Smiles Field.

With the win, head coach Jerry Hood’s Green Wave improves to 9-2 and marks their fifth consecutive appearance in the second round of the playoffs.

The Wildcats came off the bus firing, lighting up the scoreboard on their fourth play from scrimmage as quarterback Street Smith connected with Dadrien Waller for a 31 yard touchdown strike.  

Leeds responded early in the second quarter as standout signal caller Conner Nelson bolted into the endzone. The visitors answered back as Smith countered with a score of his own, diving across the goal line from two yards out to put Guntersville back on top 14-7. 

Nelson answered back with a 12-yard touchdown run and later gave Leeds the lead with a 3-yard run in the third quarter, capitalizing on an interception by Miles Jones.

Click here to check out the the full round 1 high school football scoreboard.

Smith brought the Wildcats back with a 28-yard touchdown scramble.

In the fourth quarter, Nelson scored his fourth touchdown with a 58-yard run, but Smith drove the Wildcats 65 yards to tie the game once more. He scored with a 1-yard QB sneak followed by a 2-point conversion pass to Waller, leveling the score at 28 all with 2:01 left on the clock.

Just as overtime seemed inevitable, Leeds receiver Taylon Gaiter had other plans. On 3rd down from their 35-yard line with 28 ticks remaining in the contest, quarterback Conner Nelson launched a pass downfield to Gaiter, who raced into the end zone, putting the game on ice.   

Nelson shined in both the passing and ground game, throwing for 153 yards, rushing for 186 yards, and even catching a pass, while also contributing on defense.

Guntersville quarterback, Street Smith, threw for 141 yards and rushed for 64, accounting for all of the Wildcats 28 points.

Guntersville’s season comes to a close at 9-2, while Leeds prepares to face the undefeated Fairview Aggies (10-0) in Cullman County next Friday night in the second round of the AHSAA Class 5A postseason.