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Fourteen lettermen returned to the 1973 Glencoe Yellow Jackets as they prepared for the opening of the upcoming season. The Jackets came up short in their quest for a playoff spot the past three season even though they finished with at least eight wins each year. The combination of talent, experience and leadership led to a special season for the Yellow Jackets. A very good running game and the passing of quarterback Jeff Davis made the offense almost unstoppable.

J.B. Pennington 0   0   0   0   0     Glencoe 0   7   6   13   27

The Yellow Jackets opened the season with a 27-0 win over J.B. Pennington at home. The offense clicked and rolled up 227 yards rushing while the defense limited the Tigers to just 86 total yards of offense. Tailback Hal Smith accounted for four touchdowns and 180 yards during the game.           After leading only 7-0 at the half, the Jackets scored on a fake field goal, a punt return and a run by Smith to take home the win. Glencoe lost four fumbles or the outcome may have been much worse for the Tigers.

Handley 7   0   0   16   23     Glencoe 14   24   13   13   64

Glencoe defeated Handley 64-23 before the home crowd in week two. The Jackets scored first but Handley came back to tie the game on an interception return. The Jackets rolled to a 38-7 halftime lead and built it to 64-7 before the team from Roanoke scored on the Glencoe reserves late.

Glencoe 0   7   7   0   14     Hokes Bluff 0   0   0   0   0

On the road, Glencoe shutout Hokes Bluff 14-0 for their third victory of the young season. The defense allowed only 52 yards of offense and never let the Eagles cross midfield on their own. Jeff Davis found Greg Davenport for a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and Smith scored on a one-yard run to cap off the scoring in the third.

West Morgan 0   0   0   22   22     Glencoe 6   12   18   6   42

Glencoe got a measure of revenge against West Morgan for a loss to them in 1972. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Rebels 42-22 in week four. The offense rolled up a season high 563 yards while the defense held West Morgan to minus eleven yards rushing. Glencoe jumped out to a 36-0 lead before West Morgan got anything going on offense. Hal Smith gained 123 yards on 13 carries to pace the offense. Fullback Willie Davis added 115 yards on 12 attempts.

Glencoe 7   0   14   6   27     Weaver 0   6   0   8   14

The Yellow Jackets defeated a 4-0 Weaver team 27-14 in week five to run their record to 5-0. It was the only loss in 1973 for Weaver. Glencoe entered the game as the No. 3 ranked team in Class 2A. Tight end Greg Davenport scored twice on passes from Jeff Davis that covered 47 and 37 yards. Davis threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Hal Smith rushed for 79 yards and caught three passes for another 60 yards.

Piedmont             7     Glencoe             42

Glencoe outscored Piedmont 42-7 and got their third shutout of the season against Sardis by a score of 42-0 in the next two game.

Glencoe             42     Sardis 0   0   0   0   0

The Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 2 following these two routs with a perfect 7-0 record.

West End 0   6   0   0   6     Glencoe 6   15   13   12   46

West End travel to Glencoe in week eight and left with a 46-6 loss to the Yellow Jackets. The now No. 1 ranked team from Glencoe routed the Patriots behind an offense that racked up 323 yards of total offense in the game. West End had just tied the game at 6-6 when Willie Davis raced 80 yards for a touchdown that gave the Jackets a 13-6 lead in the second quarter. The defense took over from there and held on for an easy win.

Glencoe 7   14   0   0   21     Southside 0   12   8   0   20

The next week, Glencoe traveled to Gadsden to meet the team from Southside. It was a classic game that ended with another win for the Yellow Jackets but not without some drama. Glencoe pulled out a 21-20 victory in a contest riddled with mistakes by both squads. Hal Smith led all runners with 108 yards on 24 carries as the Jackets jumped out to a 14-0 second quarter lead.           Glencoe led 21-6 just before the end of the first half before Southside came back to score twice to pull within 21-20. The upset was averted when the Panthers failed on a fourth down play with just 2:28 remaining in the game. The Jackets ran out the clock for their ninth win of the season.

Glencoe             28     St. Clair County             6

The Yellow Jackets had little trouble disposing of St. Clair County by the score of 28-6 and wrapped up the school's first ever 10-0 regular season. The team also qualified for the state playoffs for the first time as the number one ranked Class 2A team.

Lauderdale County 0   8   7   7   22     Glencoe 12   13   0   0   25

After a week off, Glencoe entertained Lauderdale County in the first round of the playoffs at home. The Jackets scored on four of their first six possessions to take a 25-8 lead before the Tigers mounted a comeback bid to make the final score close. A late stand by the defense prevented Lauderdale County from taking the lead.           Jeff Davis completed 10-of-20 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Holmes, Davenport and Chris Norton all caught scoring passes from Davis. The win propelled the Jackets into a second round matchup with undefeated Holtville.

Holtville 0   7   14   0   21     Glencoe 15   7   0   7   29

Once again the Jackets jumped out to a big lead only to see it disappear. They led 22-0 in the second quarter before Holtville got anything going offensively and came back to cut the lead to 22-21. Jeff Davis tossed a touchdown pass and scored two more on the ground to pace the offense.           Glencoe drove 81 yards in 15 plays to take an 8-0 lead on their first possession. The next drive resulted in a 99-yard, eight-play march that ended in a Davis to Hal Smith 64-yard touchdown pass and a 15-0 lead. The lead increased to 22-0 minutes later on 41-yard halfback option pass to Davenport with 7:09 left in the half.           Holtville scored three times to pull within a single point at 22-21 before the Jackets went on a long time consuming drive to add a touchdown in a 29-21 victory. The Yellow Jackets were headed to a championship game at Florala with the huge win.

Glencoe 3   7   0   14   24     Florala 0   14  0   0   14

In the championship game, Glencoe took an early lead only to see in go away before making a comeback for a state title. After an opening 31-yard field goal by Glencoe, Florala took a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter and seemed to be on their way to a title. It did not turn out that way as Glencoe came storming back for three unanswered touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets finally took the lead with just 10:01 remaining in the game on a Willie Davis one-yard run.           Hal Smith led the Glencoe rushing attack with 99 yards on 11 carries, while Willie Davis added 65 yards on 16 attempts and Larry Nabors had 46 in five tries.           Late in the third, the Jackets drove 65 yards and scored on a short run by Davis to take a 18-14 lead they would never relinquish. After a short Florala punt, the Yellow Jackets were off again and scored after a two-play drive. The town of Glencoe and all the fans that made the trip to Florala could begin celebrating a championship.           The 1973 Glencoe Yellow Jackets finished with a perfect 13-0 record. They won the school's first championship and registered the most wins in team history. They also scored the most point (425) in the history of the team.           Named to the Birmingham News first team all-state squad were quarterback Jeff Davis and guard Willie Davis. Selected to the honorable mention team were running back Hal Smith and linebacker Steve Davis. 1973 Glencoe Yellow Jackets QB Jeff Davis 180 Sr.   T Chris Norton 190 Sr. QB Gary Lett 160 Jr.   T Larry Hale 190 Jr. QB Doug Prater 150 So.   T Steve Brown 185 Jr. FB/LB Willie Davis 215 Sr.   T Mark Walden 195 Sr. FB/LB Kelvin Colvard 165 Jr.   G David Holmes 180 Sr. FB Mike Marker 150 Jr.   G Dennis Daugherty 170 Sr. FB/LB Gene Richey 160 So.   C/DE Randy Phillips 190 Jr. HB Hal Smith 170 Jr.   C Terry Chapman 175 Jr. HB/DB David Burgess 160 Sr.   T Steve Davis 195 Jr. HB/LB Phillip Spann 170 Sr.   T Steve Rose 180 Jr. HB Bobby Sparks 145 So.   T Dennis Robinson 215 Sr. WB Larry Nabors 160 Sr.   T Lex Clowdus 155 So. WB/DB Billy Towe 170 Jr.   G Jerry Lewis 165 Jr. WB Johnny Watson 140 So.   G Donald Lancaster 160 Jr. WB Barry Dunston 145 So.   G Bobby Noah 180 Sr. TE Greg Davenport 170 Sr.   G John Edgar 150 Jr. TE Alan Norton 180 So.   G Edwin Scott 140 So. TE Don Richards 165 Jr.   G Frankie Hubbard 155 So. SE Mike Holmes 145 Sr.   C Mark Parrish 160 So. SE Darrell Reid 150 So.           SE Keith Daugherty 140 So.           SE Mike Link 140 So.                             Glencoe 1973 8/31 27 J.B. Pennington . . . . 0 9/7 64 Handley . . . . . . . . . . . 23 9/14 14 Hokes Bluff . . . . . . . 0 9/21 42 West Morgan . . . . . . . 22 9/28 27 Weaver . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 10/5 42 Piedmont . . . . . . . . . . 7 10/12 42 Sardis . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 10/19 46 West End Walnut Grove . 6 10/27 21 Southside Gadsden . . . 20 11/2 28 St. Clair County . . . 6 11/16 25 Lauderdale County * . . 22 11/23 29 Holtville * . . . . . . . 21 11/30 24 Florala # . . . . . . . . . 14 431 13-0 155 * Playoff game # State championship game

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


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