Tanner's Kian Jackson makes a move.

Another monster individual effort from Jayden Gilbert and solid play all around led Clements to a 47-12 win Friday over Elkmont.

Gilbert rushed 25 times for 350 yards and five touchdowns and he also completed five passes for 97 yards and two scores. Gilbert has now rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season and 25 touchdowns.

“It’s always special when he’s got the ball in his hands. You never know what you’re going to get,” Clements coach Michael Parker said.

Clements (5-3, 2-2 in Class 3A, Region 8) built a big early lead on the way to a critical region win, but Parker believes the Colts can be a lot better.

“When it came down to push and shove, we got it done,” he said.

Clements started the season 1-3, following an overtime loss with two blowout defeats. Since then, things have been better.

The Colts already have their winningest team since 2019 and could push for more. Parker said execution problems exist but the team is “close” to operating the way he wants.

“We’re on a four-game win streak right now, so the confidence level’s going up,” he said. “They believe in each other a little more than they have in the past.”

Elkmont fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the region. Clements hosts Colbert County next week.

Class 2A, Region 8Tanner 64, Lexington 34Friday night was a departure from the status quo from the Tanner Rattlers.

After a few weeks of mostly controlling games, the Rattlers found themselves down 34-8 in the second quarter to Lexington.

No matter. After all, seven touchdowns can fix a lot.

The 56 consecutive points Tanner scored not only turned what might have been a blowout loss into a blowout win that could lead to a region title, it also served as a reminder of what the team can do at its best.

“In every game there’s a lesson,” Tanner coach Oscar Bonds said, noting a 24-0 lead his team had before falling to Mae Jemison earlier this year.

Bonds wanted to make sure his team handled any frustration the right way.

“Once you play together, nobody can beat you,” he said of his message. “It’s going to be hard to beat us when we play together.”

Lexington (5-2, 3-1) took a big lead thanks in part to big plays.

“They got three halfback passes on us and we got caught napping,” Bonds said.

But Ny’Quavius Green returned a fumble for a touchdown and Kian Jackson had a touchdown run before halftime to keep Tanner somewhat close. Then, the Rattlers took over.

Tailan Hall had three long touchdown runs for Tanner (6-2, 5-0) – all after halftime. Endymion Tyus also had two long touchdown runs and caught touchdown passes from Karl Parham and Skylar Townsend – again, all after halftime.

It all spoke to what Bonds has called this team’s strength, getting the ball to the perimeter and letting playmakers make things happen.

The defense, he said, made adjustments as well and he was proud of that.

“You’ve just got to chip away at it,” he said. “And that’s what we did.”

Class 4A, Region 7

West Morgan 42, West Limestone 7Preston Moore gave West Limestone a lead with a touchdown run in the first quarter Friday, but the fun was short-lived for the Wildcats.

The high-scoring West Morgan Rebels, ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, scored six unanswered touchdowns for a 42-7 win.

It was 14-7 at halftime before West Morgan (7-0, 5-0) pulled away.

West Limestone (5-3, 2-3) hosts Central-Florence next week.

Class 7A, Region 4Austin 28, James Clemens 7James Clemens avoided a shutout on a DJ Williams touchdown with less than five minutes to go, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Jets’ first region loss of the season.

Gavin Fuqua had a pair of long touchdown runs to propel the Black Bears (6-2, 3-2) to a 21-0 halftime lead.

James Clemens hosts Albertville next week. The Jets (5-3, 4-1) are tied with Bob Jones for the region lead and do have a head-to-head victory.

Class 5A, Region 8Lawrence County 43, East Limestone 22East Limestone led 22-19 on a short touchdown pass just before halftime, but Lawrence County took control with three unanswered touchdowns after the break.

The Indians led 14-0 thanks to a pair of first-quarter scores by Xavier Edwards. They also got a safety early in the second quarter and Jake Cochran threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Ritter as well.

East Limestone (0-7, 0-4) hosts West Point next week.

Class 5A, Region 8West Point 21, Ardmore 14

The Tigers played the Warriors tough on Friday night but couldn’t quite escape with a win.

West Point led 7-0 before Hayden Durham’s 2-yard touchdown run just before halftime tied things up.

Ardmore (1-6, 0-4) eventually took a 14-7 lead following Alex King’s 55-yard TD pass to Noah Stafford midway through the third quarter.

But the Warriors (4-4, 1-3) tied the score a few minutes later and went ahead for good on a touchdown with 8:55 remaining in the game.

The Tigers travel to Russellville next week.