By Santana Raye

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham City Schools hosted its Under the Lights Game of the Week on Thursday, where the Ramsay Rams took on the Calera Eagles at historic Legion Field. Both teams entered the game undefeated in region play, with Ramsay holding a 1-0 record and Calera a 2-0 record.

Both offenses started slow in the first half, partially due to the defensive clinic provided by both teams. Seniors Jiquan Rogers and Karlos May led the charge up front, with Rogers forcing three fumbles on the night and May living in the backfield. For Calera, the defensive unit was not shy, creating a massive five forced turnovers that kept them in the game.

Ramsay struck first when Davy Lawrence connected with Mitchell Orr for the early score, but after a missed extra-point, the score remained 6-0. This remained the only score of the first half after Calera’s own Cameron Smith halted a promising drive by the Rams with an interception that ultimately ended in an Eagles missed field goal. The defense continued to remain sound by containing any offensive chances throughout the half.

The Eagles, however, struck late in the third when Kristian Whatley opened up the scoring for Calera, connecting with Xzavier Boone from 35 yards over the middle for a touchdown to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter. For a while, that looked like it was going to be the deciding factor due to three turnovers by the Rams: one by way of interception and two back-to-back fumbles. Even with those key turnovers, the Eagles’ offense could not manage to extend their lead.

The turning point in this game was when the Rams defense managed to pin the Eagles deep into their own territory, forcing a punt that ultimately only reached the 30-yard line. Giving the Rams a short field to work with to try and seal the deal. After an illegal substitution by the Eagles, Rams running back Zamarion Scroggins exploded out of the backfield and found a huge hole on the left side to punch in the go-ahead touchdown, making it 12-7, Ramsay.

With 27 seconds left on the clock, Whatley and the Eagles had one more chance to make an attack, but ultimately stalled out on three consecutive plays. On fourth down, May of the Rams’ defense recovered a fumble and took it back to the house 47 yards for a game-sealing touchdown, securing an 18-7 win.

After the game, Ramsay celebrated their gritty win. When asked what made the victory rewarding, Rogers said, “It just shows how we were able to fight through adversity all night as a team, which feels good.” May, who also put on a show, credited their defensive success to a strong week of practice: “We knew we were going to have good competition this week, so it started with me and the guys hitting practice hard all week.”

So there it was after a long-fought battle between the Ramsay Rams and the Calera Eagles. The Rams remain undefeated in region play and will move on to play Pinson Valley next Friday Night at 7pm. Calera looks to bounce back against Gardendale next week, also at 7 p.m.