ScoutSouth.com Star of Alabama Week 6

From staff reports
Published: Saturday, October 9, 2008

The second half of the 2008 season started with a bang last week. There were upsets and exclamation wins with many outstanding performances. The Stars of Alabama selections were difficult except for one spot: Player(s) of the Week.

Matt Sandlin
6-4, 205 pounds
Junior Quarterback

Trey Conley
6-0, 190 pounds
Junior Linebacker
American Christian Academy 6-0 (4-0)

The Patriots keep rolling along with Sandlin at the helm. The big junior completed 11-of-18 passing attempts for 396 yards and three touchdowns.

Conley helped the defense to hold Hale County to a 42-6 deficit with 13 total tackles (nine solo) with two tackles for a loss.

Sandlin passes ACA to big win over Wildcats

By Cedrick Alexander, Special to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Friday, October 3, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 12:31 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | American Christian Academy not only celebrated homecoming Friday night, but also marked the official Matt Sandlin coming out party. The Patriots’ 6-foot-4 junior quarterback compiled a highlight reel of incredible throws, displaying an entire arsenal of passes to lead ACA to a 42-6 victory over Hale County.

Sandlin completed 61 percent of his passes and dispersed the ball to seven different receivers for 380 yards and three touchdowns before head coach Stephen Hooks decided it was time for the backup quarterback to step in and get some experience. Sandlin lived up to the pedigree of quarterbacks that ACA has a tradition of producing, with Chris Smelley currently starting for South Carolina and his brother Brad Smelley on scholarship at the University of Alabama.

“We were planning on having to run a lot,” Sandlin said. “We were expecting a cover two, but once we saw they were in single-coverage and there were no safeties, we knew we had the advantage with (Brandon) Gottfried’s size and (Steadman) Shealy’s speed.”

Hale County came out aggressive early, electing to begin the game with an onside kick. The attempt failed when a member of the coverage team touched the ball before it went 10 yards.

ACA’s first play from scrimmage resulted in a Sandlin sack, and the Wildcats defense looked to set the tone early. However, the slow start did not rattle Sandlin and the Patriots offense. On the next play from scrimmage, Sandlin connected on a 55-yard touchdown strike to Shealy.

The Wildcats’ offense could not get anything going offensively all night.

A fourth-down collapse by the ACA secondary netted the Wildcats their only score of the night. Vincent Kortbawi broke the pocket scrambling and found Jovan Spence alone in the back of the end zone for the touchdown.

“Defense is something we’ve been focusing on,” Hooks said. “We are tired of scoring 35 points in the third round of the playoffs and not winning.”

After the Wildcats failed to do anything productive with the first two drives, the Patriots took full advantage.

An aerial attack moved the ball for the Patriots, concluding in a 1-yard touchdown run for sophomore Daniel O’Quinn. Sandlin delivered a slant route to Gottfried that the 6-5, 207-pound junior took 35 yards before a Hale County defender brought him down.

Sandlin found Gottfried again later in the drive for 10 yards that put the Patriots well within scoring position.

After jumping out 14-0 in the first quarter, the Patriots did not look back. On the Patriots’ next possession, ACA scored in two plays.

The first, an 84-yard connection from Sandlin to Gottfried, put the Patriots knocking at the door of the Wildcats’ red zone again. The next play Sandlin found Harrison Pollard on a slant, and Pollard made a few nifty moves before finding himself in the end zone.

ScoutSouth.com Star of Alabama Week 5

From staff reports
Published: Saturday, October 2, 2008

Don’t think big performers only come from the 4A-6A schools. You need only look across the SEC to see South Carolina’s Chris Smelley from 2A American Christian Academy, Alabama’s Nick Walker and Vanderbilt’s Chris Nickson both graduates of 3A Pike County. ScoutSouth.com presents Stars of Alabama for Week 5.

Matt Sandlin
6-4, 205 pounds
Junior Quarterback
American Christian Academy

Matt Sandlin, American Christian Academy, junior quarterback completed 17-of-28 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for a three-yard touchdown in a win over Southern Choctaw.

Shealy, Gottfried make ACA a double threat

By Ben Dake Special to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 1:15 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | For most quarterbacks, having one go-to receiver would be enough to have an incredible season.

American Christian Academy quarterback Matt Sandlin doesn’t have one go-to receiver, though. He has two in senior Steadman Shealy Jr. and junior Brandon Gottfried.

“It gives me choices to throw to any one of our receivers,” Sandlin said. “I don’t have to look for just one to throw down the field to.”

The two have family ties to the University of Alabama. Gottfried is the son of UA’s head men’s basketball coach, while Shealy’s father was quarterback on two national championship teams with the Crimson Tide.

Gottfried is a big target for Sandlin at 6-foot-5 and 207 pounds. Sandlin has been able to connect with him for seven touchdowns, which leads the team. Gottfried said that he believes his size has definitely put him at an advantage on the football field.

ACA coach Stephen Hooks said he has noticed defenses making adjustments to Gottfried because of his size.

“A lot of times he’ll draw double coverage,” Hooks said.

“Or at least they’ll go into a cover two or a cover four and try to bring somebody over the top.”

The Patriots are off to a 5-0 start. Shealy said that how the team performs is even more important to him now because he is a senior, especially this week’s homecoming game against Hale County.

“If our team can come together this year, we can (win a state championship),” he said. “It’s really important that we come together this year.”

Shealy has been doing his part to help his team win this year, leading the team in receptions with 24, receiving yards with 546 and his four touchdowns are enough for second behind only Gottfried.

Sandlin has also been able to find a groove with his receivers this year, throwing for more than 1,400 yards with 16 touchdowns through the first five games of the season.

All three players agreed that their pass-heavy offensive style gives them a slight advantage over defenses because they’re used to seeing the wishbone and power-I formation.

“It makes football fun and makes you look forward to practicing,” Shealy said.

Coach Hooks said that he doesn’t really believe the Patriots’ puts them at an advantage as much as it used to, because more teams are doing it aren’t surprised by it. He said that it might help them some during the playoffs when they face a team that has never seen the attack.

Coach Hooks said that the attitude of the team lends itself to the type of success ACA has been having this year.

“This is the most selfless group of kids I have ever been around,” he said. “They play hard and with a lot of class.”

Coach Hooks said that his team has to stay disciplined on the defensive side of the ball against Hale County if they want to win because he

said they are big and athletic on the offensive side of the ball.

“They utilize a lot of misdirection,” he said. “And we have to be aware of that.”

For the offense to be successful, coach Hooks said ACA has to do the same thing it does every week.

“We just have to take what the defense is giving us,” he said. “And we have to take advantage of whatever it is their giving us.”