No. 1 Clay-Chalkville Pulls Away From Jackson-Olin, Advances in Class 6A Playoffs

CLAY, AL — The top-ranked Clay-Chalkville Cougars defeated Jackson-Olin 49-26 Thursday night at Jerry Hood Field in the opening round of the AHSAA Class 6A high school football playoffs.

Head coach Stuart Floyd’s Cougars remain undefeated, improving to 11-0 on the season. They now stand with Muscle Shoals and Saraland as the only unbeaten teams left in Class 6A. Jackson-Olin, led by second-year head coach Joe Webb, concludes its season with a 4-7 record, a significant turnaround from their 0-10 finish in 2024.

For the first 18 minutes of the contest, Jackson-Olin kept pace with the favored Cougars, trailing just 21-20 with 6:39 remaining in the second quarter.

However, Clay-Chalkville then seized control, scoring 21 unanswered points to build a commanding 42-20 lead by the midway point of the third period.

The Cougars’ offensive charge was led by quarterback Aaron Frye and running back Joshua Woods, who accounted for a combined six touchdowns. Frye ignited the offense early, throwing for three touchdowns in the first quarter. He connected with Jacari Johnson for a 54-yard score, Nasir Ray for a 13-yard touchdown, and Corey Barber for a 42-yard touchdown pass.

After Jackson-Olin closed the gap, Woods took over the game, scoring three consecutive rushing touchdowns to put the game out of reach. Cornelius Eldridge added the final score for the Cougars with a 25-yard touchdown run.

With this first-round victory, Clay-Chalkville advances to round two. The Cougars will host the winner of Friday night’s first round matchup between the Gadsden City Titans and Jasper Vikings.