MONTGOMERY, Ala. – aaron Frye threw for two touchdowns and led No. 1 Clay-Chalkville to a decisive 35-7 victory over Saraland in the Class 6A state championship game Friday night at Cramton bowl. The win secured Clay-Chalkville’s third state title in program history and capped off a dominant season for the Cougars.
Clay-Chalkville seized control early, punctuated by a dramatic 2-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass as time expired in the first half. After halftime, the Spartans faced a second-and-32 following a botched snap, but Frye connected with Ray for 19 yards, followed by a 15-yard run and a 37-yard touchdown pass to ray on fourth-and-8, extending the lead to 24-7.
Joshua woods led the Clay-Chalkville ground attack with 66 yards on 14 carries. Receivers Jacari Johnson (two receptions for 77 yards and a TD) and Ray (three receptions for 60 yards and a score) proved key targets for Frye. LSU signee corey Barber added two receptions for 17 yards. Defensively, Xavier Starks recorded 7 tackles, and Brayden butler contributed 6.
Saraland’s offense was led by PJ Brown, who rushed for 36 yards on 6 carries, and AJ Martin, who caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Tamidrae Sewer anchored the Saraland defense with 9 tackles.
“You never know what happens if you can put pressure on those guys, but we just couldn’t do it tonight,” said Saraland head coach Jeff Kelly.
Clay-Chalkville head coach Stuart Floyd celebrated a championship victory as a player, assistant coach, and now head coach at the school.”My coaching journey is nothing short of God putting me where I couldn’t put myself,” Floyd said. “His ways are not my ways. His thoughts are not my thoughts. To be sitting here with these guys in this moment is hard to put into words.”
Frye echoed the sentiment, stating, “This is amazing. We put in a lot of work for 11 or 12 months after our season got cut short last year. To go on this journey with my brothers is the best feeling I could have. We left it all on the field.”
Kelly, despite the loss, expressed pride in his team. “I’m really proud of our guys. I feel their hurt and disappointment. As head coach, I would love to be able to put them in better situations, so they don’t feel like they did tonight, but I’m not disappointed at all in our guys. What they have done with targets on their backs week in and week out is such a testament to each and every one of our players and coaches.”