With the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game on the line, the Spanish Fort Toros relied on their defense and came away with a 27-13 road victory over the St. Paul’s Saints.

Spanish Fort senior Caleb Chesser delivered the final blow with a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final six minutes of regulation to break a 13-13 tie.

Classmate Newton Gardner provided a perfectly placed punt that rolled out of bounds and pinned St. Paul’s at its own 3-yard line with 7:44 remaining. The Saints tried airing it out, but a tipped pass fell in the hands of Chesser who raced to the end zone and gave the Toros the lead.

The Spanish Fort defense came up with one more stop on a tackle for loss by senior Camden Lumbard which forced a turnover on downs with only 2:17 left to play. Senior running back EJ King then capped the Toros’ scoring on a 19-yard rush with 1:25 showing.

With the win, Spanish Fort moved to 8-2 overall and finished 5-2 in Class 6A Region 1 to earn a first-round playoff game at home for a second-straight year. The Toros are set to host the Benjamin Russell Wildcats, who finished 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Region 3, to open postseason play next week.

Shamburger, Toro defense dominates first half

The Toros dominated the first half and took a 13-0 lead into the halftime break where St. Paul’s was limited to -1 yards of total offense on 17 plays according to stats from the UTV44 broadcast.

On the other side of the ball, Spanish Fort junior quarterback Aaden Shamburger did most of his damage on the ground. Shamburger opened the scoring with a 17-yard rushing touchdown then extended a second-quarter drive with a 32-yard scramble on 3rd and 11 to set up a 6-yard run to pay dirt.

Senior Nehemiah Hixon, an AHSAA All-Star, showed up on special teams but not in his usual role as a returner. Contrarily, Hixon raced down on punt coverages and downed two of Gardner’s kicks inside the St. Paul’s 5-yard line.

Saints rally, but it’s not enough

The Saints quickly made noise in the second half and found the end zone in the first two minutes of the third quarter. A blocked punt set St. Paul’s up at the Spanish Fort 7-yard line before junior Tate Johnston registered a short-yardage touchdown with 9:24. However, a blocked extra point made it a 13-6 game.

Johnston was then on the receiving end of a 74-yard touchdown pass from senior Kenny Johnson where the receiver caught the ball over the middle and escaped the over-pursuing safety to run to pay dirt untouched. A good point-after try tied the game at 13-13 with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

Although the Saints were close to a defensive stop, Shamburger provided another big scramble to extend the drive. The 47-yard scamper eventually set up Gardner’s final punt.

Other Week 11 final scores

Elberta Warriors 44, Marbury Bulldogs 6

Foley Lions 38, LeFlore Rattlers 6

Gulf Shores Dolphins 46, Murphy Panthers 0

McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets 41, Baldwin County Tigers 14

St. Michael Cardinals 35, UMS-Wright Bulldogs 28

Tuscaloosa Academy Knights 14, Bayside Academy Admirals 13