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The Andalusia Bulldogs entered the 1977 season having not lost a regular season game since the 1972 season. They finished last year with a 13-0-1 record and shared the state championship with Athens after the two teams fought to a tie in the title game.

Clarke County 6   0   0   0   6     Andalusia 7   6   6   12   31

The Bulldogs cruised past Grove Hill in the first week of the season 31-6 at home. Roy Ben Dorsey rushed for 112 yards on only four carries to lead the ground attack. The only Grove Hill score came following the Bulldog's inital score when they returned the kickoff for a touchdown.    Statistics Scoring       A- Dorsey 67 yard run   Andy Grove Hill GH- Stabler 97 yard Kickoff return First Downs 17 6 A- Dorsey 25 yard run Rushing Yards 44-270 27-75 A- Henderson 4 yard run Passing Yards 90 54 A- Odom- Anthony 13 yard run Total Yards 360 129 A- Henderson 5 yard run Completes 6-8-0 4-9-0         Rushing Dorsey - 4-112 yards

W.S. Neal 0   0   0   0   0     Andalusia 0   14   14   6   34

The Bulldogs outmanned W.S. Neal in week two by a score of 34-0. After getting off to a slow start, Andalusia led 14-0 at the half on two scoring passes from Short to Van Starnes and 28-0 after three quarters. The defense limited the Eagles to just 94 yards of total offense in the game.   Statistics Scoring       A- Short-Starnes 39 yard pass   Andy W S Neal A- Short-Starnes 30 yard pass First Downs 19 5 A- Henderson 11 yard run Rushing Yards 42-224 28-55 A- Short-Starnes 28 yards Passing Yards 144 39 A- Trent Taylor 2 yard run Total Yards 388 94   Completes 7-14-0 3-11-0         Rushing Ball - 84 yards

Andalusia 8   27   0   7   42     Southside Selma 0   0   0   0   0

Andalusia had little trouble with Southside of Selma in week three. The Bulldogs scored 27 second quarter points on their way to a convincing 42-0 rout on the road. Short tossed a couple of touchdown passes in the second quarter to get the offense going.   Statistics Scoring       A- Henderson 11 yard run   Andy Southside A- Short-Starnes 27 yards First Downs 20 6 A- Ball 46 yard run Rushing Yards 47-254 62 A- Short-Anthony 5 yard pass Passing Yards 192 42 A- Hattaway 1 yard run Total Yards 463 104 A- B Smith 10 yard run Completes 13-19-0 3-12-0         Receiving Enzor - 5-78 yards

Andalusia 14   14   7   6   41     Chavala 0   0   0   6   6

Joe ball scored three touchdowns on runs of 54, 1 and 1 yard runs to pace the offense as once again the Bulldogs jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead. In the end, Andalusia routed Chavala 41-6 on the road. The defense was superb in holding Chavala to just 156 yards of offense, blocked two punts and registered three interceptions in the game.           Ball finished the evening with 110 yards rushing on just ten carries.   Statistics Scoring     A- Ball 54 yard run (Short run)   Andy Chavala A- Short to Anthony 20 yard pass First Downs 12 8 A- Ball 1 yard Rushing Yards 36-235 69 A- B Smith 11 yard run Passing Yards 61 87 A- Ball 1 yard run Total Yards 296 156 C- Jones 5 yard run Completes 4-7-0 6-20-3   A- Hattaway 3 yard run Rushing Ball - 11-110 yards Henderson - 8-64 yards B Smith - 6-44 yards Defense Vinson Blkd Punt Grace, Dix, Moore -1 Int Nall 10 T , 5 A Landrum 8T, 4A Vinson 5T,5A Godwin -Blkd Punt

Andalusia 7   6   14   7   34     Charles Henderson 0   0   0   8   8

Andalusia traveled to Troy the next week and returned home with a 34-8 win over Charles Henderson. Dorsey rushed for 152 yards on 13 carries and Ball added another 51 yards. Ball scored az couple of touchdowns on runs of 40 and 60 yards. The defense intercepted four Henderson passes.   Statistics Scoring     A- Dorsey 40 yard run   Andy Troy A- Henderson 1 yard run First Downs 10 11 A- Starnes 29 yard run Rushing Yards 46-256 75 A- Short-Starnes 75 yard pass Passing Yards 115 103 A- Dorsey 60 yard run Total Yards 371 178 T- Davis 1 yard run Completes 4-7-0 8-22-4         Rushing Dorsey - 13-152 yards Ball - 7-51 yards Defense Grace 2 ints Foshee 2 ints

Andalusia 7   7   0   13   27     Opp 0   6   0   0   6

The Opp Bobcats play the Bulldogs tough for a half, training 14-6, before succumbing to the pressure of playing a great team. In the second quarter with Andalusia leading 7-0, Opp recovered a Bulldog fumble in the end zone to pull within 7-6. It was short lived as Ball returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown.           Henderson and Dorsey scored fourth quarter touchdowns to put the game out of reach for win number six on the season.   Statistics Scoring     A- Dorsey 13 yard run (Ware kick)   Andy Opp O- Stoudemire fumble rec in end zone First Downs 12 10 A- Ball 91 yd kickoff return Rushing Yards 46-209 29-84 A- Henderson 2 yard run Passing Yards 20 72 A- Dorsey 4 yard run Total Yards 229 156 Completes 3-4-0 6-16-0     Rushing Dorsey - 43 yards Henderson -  41 yards Ball - 17-96 yards Defense Vinson 2 fumble rec Nall fumble rec Landrum 7T Blair 6T

Ashford 0   3   0   0   3     Andalusia 0   13   15   13   41

Henderson scored twice and Ball returned another kickoff for a touchdown as the Bulldogs outscored Ashford 41-3 in week seven of the season. Ball ended the night with 119 yards rushing on 18 carries and Dorsey added another 90 years on the ground.   Statistics Scoring     A- Henderson 2 yard run (Ware kick)   Andy Ashford ASH- Tolar 22 yard Field goal First Downs 20 6 A- Ball 91 yard kickoff return Rushing Yards 56-335 34-60 A- Henderson 2 yard run (Henderson run) Passing Yards 91 77 A- Dorsey 22 yard run Ware kick Total Yards 426 137 A- Smith 2 yard run Ware kick Completes 4-6-0 6-9-1   A- Dix 13 yard run Rushing Ball - 18-119 yards Dorsey - 10-90 yards Defense Foshee - Int Landrum - Fumble Rec

Ozark 0   0   8   0   8     Andalusia 0   13   8   7   28

Carroll came to Andalusia n week eight and left on the short end of a 28-8 score. The ground game rolled up 277 yards rushing behind Dorsey with 86 yards rushing, Ball 108 yards and Henderson with 95 yards. Henderson scored three touchdowns on runs of 1, 2 and 10 yards while Ball added another score.   Statistics Scoring       A- Henderson 1 yard run (Ware kick)   Andy Ozark A- Henderson 2 yard run First Downs 20 10 O- Williams-Harvas 8 yd pass (6 yd drive after blkd punt) Rushing Yards 56-277 28-103 A- Henderson 10 yard run (Short-Anthony) Passing Yards 42 80 A- Ball 8 yard run (Ware kick) Total Yards 319 183   Completes 5-10-0 6-20-2         Rushing Dorsey - 86 yards Ball - 108 yards Henderson - 95 yards Defense Odom Int Vinson Fumble Rec, 9T, 3A, 3 sacks

Elba 0   9   0   0   9     Andalusia 7   8   6   7   28

Andalusia rolled past Elba in week nine by a score of 28-9. Ball again led the ground attack with 101 yards rushing and Dorsey added 77 on the ground. Henderson scored twice on runs of 3 and one yards. The defense held Elba to just 53 yards on the ground and 112 total yards in the game.   Statistics Scoring     A- Ball 4 yard run   Andy Elba E- Martin 27 yard field goal First Downs 19 8 E- Dyess 1 yard run Rushing Yards 47-255 34-53 A- Henderson 3 yard run Passing Yards 46 59 A- Henderson 1 yard run Total Yards 301 112 A- Dorsey 9 yard run Completes 4-9-0 3-9-0         Rushing Dorsey - 15-77 yards Ball - 15-101 yards

Andalusia 14   13   6   0   33     Geneva 0   16   0   0   16

The defense limited Geneva to minus nine yards rushing as the Bulldogs ended another regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. Andalusia jumped out to a 27-0 second quarter lead before Geneva got a couple of quick scoring passes just before halftime to cut the lead to 27-16. The defense shutdown Geneva in the second half for win number ten on the season.   Statistics Scoring     A- Ball 24 yard run (Ball run)   Andy Geneva A- Short-Anthony 61 yard pass First Downs 19 9 A- Ball 55 yard run Rushing Yards 23-278 -9 A - Brabham-Enzor 19 yard pass (Ware kick) Passing Yards 159 161 G- Robinson - Menshaw 7 yard pass Total Yards 437 152 G- Robinson - Thomas 48 yard pass Completes 5-11-2 14-27-0   A - Nall 3 yard run Rushing Ball - 7-203 yards Receiving Anthony - 2-68 yards Starnes - 2-66 yards Def  Landrum - 4 sacks Vinson - 6 tackles

Andalusia 14   14   13   7   48     Smiths Station 0   0   8   6   14

The Bulldogs opened the playoffs with a big 48-14 win over Smiths Station on the road. The game was never in doubt as Andalusia led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 by halftime. Ball got the first two scores on runs of 3 and 80 yards and finished the night with 121 yards rushing on ten carries.   Statistics Scoring     A-Ball 3 yard run (kick failed)   Andy Smiths Station A- Ball 80 yard run (Short Run) First Downs 19 15 A- Short-Ware 8 yard td pass (Ware kick) Rushing Yards 42-313 41-214 A- Dorsey 8 yard Run Passing Yards 190 59 A- T Hattaway 2 yard run Total Yards 503 273 A- Brabham 2 yard run (Hattaway Kick) Completes 7-10-0 3-15-4 SS- Henderson 2 yard run   A - Dix 43 yard run         SS- Henderson 12 yard run Rushing Ball - 10-121 yards Dix  - 5-74 yards L Hattaway - 5-32 yards Receiving  Enzor - 3-77 yards Defense  Pierce 2 Int Odom 1 int Vinson - Fumble Rec

Escambia County 0   0   0   0   0     Andalusia 7   6   6   0   19

Andalusia shutout Atmore in the second round of the playoffs to keep their title hopes alive. Dorsey ran for 121 yards on 13 attempts and Ball added another 67 yards as the offense rolled up 250 yards on the ground. Ricky Vinson led the defense with an interception and a fumble recovery.   Statistics Scoring     A- Ball 1 yard run (Hattaway kick)   Andy Atmore A- Dorsey 12 yard run First Downs 17 3 A- Dorsey 10 yard run Rushing Yards 54-250 66   Passing Yards 55 33   Total Yards 305 109   Completes 5-14-1 3-13-0         Rushing Dorsey - 13-121 yards Ball - 24-67 yards Defense Blair - 2 fumble recovery, int Vinson - Blocked punt, fum rec, 6 tackles Landrum - 10 tackles Nall, Moore Interceptions

Andalusia 0   0   6   3   9     Stanhope Elmore 0   0   0   0   0

Andalusia defeated Stanhope Elmore 9-0 in the semi-finals to earn the right to play for another state championship. The Bulldogs dominated the stats but had a little trouble finding the end zone in the game. They rolled up 325 yards rushing led by Ball's 151 yards and Dorsey's 137 yards but managed to score only a single touchdown in the third quarter.           It was all they needed in a 9-0 shutout of the team from Elmore County. Hattaway added a fourth quarter field goal and the Bulldogs could celebrate another win.   Statistics Scoring     A- Henderson 4 yard run   Andy Stanhope Elmore A- Hattaway 27 yard FG First Downs 22 10   Rushing Yards 56-325 33-108   Passing Yards 19 33   Total Yards 344 141   Completes 2-4-1 2-6-0         Rushing Ball - 20-151 yards Dorsey - 20-137 yards Henderson - 10-34 yards Defense Vinson -  9 tackles Nall - 7 tackles

Andalusia 0   7   0   0   7     Walter Wellborn 0   0   0   0   0

Statistics Scoring     A- Henderson 4 yard run   Andy Walter Wellborn   First Downs 6 7   Rushing Yards 38-136 153   Passing Yards 0 4   Total Yards 136 157   Completes 0-2-1 2-13-1         Rushing Ball - 13-32 yards Henderson - 17-65 yards Dorsey - 4-16 yards Short - 5-14 yards Defense Landrum 14 T, 4A Vinson 5 T, 5A Blair 6T, 3A Nall 8T, 3A Blackwell 5 T, 4A           Andalusia wrapped up the 1977 Class 3A state title by defeating Walter Wellborn 7-0. The Bulldogs have not lost a game since the 1975 finals against Athens some 28 games ago. Last year Andalusia tied Athens for the 3A crown. In a defensive struggle it was appropriate that the only score was set up by a big play on defense.           Andalusia's Ricky Vinson broke free through the Wellborn line to block Barry Miller's punt attempt. The Bulldogs would move the football 44 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Eddie Henderson would get the honors on a two yard run with 9:49 remaining in the second quarter.           Eddie Henderson led the Bulldogs with 63 yards on 16 carries. Wellborn had their chances and drove to the Andalusia five yard line on their opening possession of the third quarter but two incomplete passes would turn the ball over on downs.           Andalusia was content to keep the ball on the ground and work on the clock for most of the second half. This was the first title appearance for the Panthers of Wellborn as they lost in the second round last season.           Named to the Birmingham News first team all-state squad were center Denny Merritt and guard Ricky Vinson. Junior Doug Collins was selected to the second team as a tackle.           A special thanks to Brant Locklier for providing much of the information and the stats.

1977 Andalusia Bulldogs Andalusia 1977 8/26 31 Clarke County . . . . . 6 9/2 34 W.S. Neal . . . . . . . . . 0 9/9 42 Southside Selma . . . . 0 9/16 41 Russell County . . . . . 6 9/23 34 Charles Henderson . . . 8 9/30 27 Opp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 10/7 41 Ashford . . . . . . . . . . . 3 10/14 28 Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10/28 28 Elba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 11/4 33 Geneva . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 11/11 48 Smiths Station * . . . 14 11/18 19 Escambia County * . . . 0 11/25 9 Stanhope Elmore * . . . 0 12/2 7 Walter Wellborn # . . . 0 422 14-0 76 * Playoff game # State championship game Season Statistics- 1977 Andalusia Bulldogs       Rushing  Carries Yards Passing  com-att-int Yds   Joe Ball  200 1423 Short 42-79-2 769   Roy Dorsey 102 902 Brabham 19-30-2 342   Eddie Henderson 127 632 Pierce 2-8-0 22   Bobby Smith 21 152 Odom 3-6-0 57   Leon Hattaway 10 55 Starnes 1-1-0 17   Shannon Brabham 11 52 Grace 0-1-1 0   Ronnie Dix 11 119   Todd Hattaway 20 65 Receiving Atts Yds   Lex Short 49 78 Starnes 25 490 5 td's Tim Nall 11 53 Enzor 13 250 1 td Trent Taylor 14 48 Anthony 17 238 4 td's Van Starnes 3 39 Rostick 7 85   Craig Copeland 9 38 Ware 6 94   Gary Odom 7 22 Taylor 1 18   Calvin Grace 3 8   Butch Foshee 1 5           Scoring Points Eddie Henderson 92 Joe Ball  80 Roy Dorsey 68 Van Starnes 36 Bill Anthony  26 Leon Hattaway 19 Bobby Smith 18 Ronnie Dix 12 Todd Hattaway 12 Shannon Brabham 6 Lex Short 6 Tim Nall 6 Rhett Enzor 6 Dee McClelland 1 Team Stats Andy Opponents First Downs 228 114 Rushing Yds 650-3515 1166 Passing Yds 1259 903 Return Yds 319   Total Yds 5093 2069 Completes 68-125-5   Fum-Lost 39-21   Penalties 66-663   Punts 40-1339   Score By Quarters         Andalusia  85 148 101 88 422 Opponents 6 34 14 20 74 All State Players   Doug Collins T   Denny Merritt-C   CB Landrum-DE   Ricky Vinson- NG   Tim Nall- LB   Joe Ball - RB HM Leslie Little -T HM Gary Odom- DB HM All SAC PLAYERS Denny Merritt Calvin Grace CB Landrum-DE Ricky Vinson- NG Tim Nall- LB Joe Ball - RB Leslie Little -T Team Awards Best Offensive Lineman Leslie Little Best Blocking Back Trent Taylor Best Defensive Lineman Ricky Vinson Best Defensive Back Calvin Grace Best Running Back Joe Ball Most Dedicated Athlete Denny Merritt Specialty Teams Capt Ronnie Blair Most Improved Roy Ben Dorsey Most Versatile  Van Starnes Most Dependable Tim Nall Scholastic Award Bert Pierce Gladiator Award CB Landrum MVP Joe Ball Team Capt.   Tim Nall, Ricky Vinson,C B Landrum, Denny Merritt Montgomery Adv Rankings 1. Andalusia 10-0 2. Athens 9-1 3. Stanhope Elmore 10-0 4. Walter Wellborn 10-0 5. Gardendale 9-1 6 Fairfield 8-2 7 Hanceville 9-0 8 Demopolis 9-1 9 Atmore 8-2 10. Fayette Co 9-1

Amazing Seasons, a series on the greatest seasons in high school football history


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