SPANISH FORT, Alabama — Q&A time. That's roughly how Spanish Fort head coach Mark Freeman condenses what much of the playoff season is all about. After Demopolis opened each half with a score, The Toros answered with matching touchdowns each time and then some for a 38-14 second-round, home-field victory over the Tigers on a damp, cold Friday night.

"This time of year you are going to face nothing but good teams and they are going to do what good teams do," he said. "They take advantage of opportunities like tonight. The challenge for us is, are we going to be good enough to respond? And tonight we did."

A Toro fumble recovered by Tiger defender Tyler Merriweather on the Spanish Fort 22 led to a 12-yard touchdown run by Demopolis quarterback Tucker Jones. SF responded with a 62-yard Joel Poe to Devonte Patrick touchdown pass to tie the score 7-7 after Lleif Midgorden of DHS and SF's Alexander Theodore kicked the extra points.

Spanish Fort went on to score 21 more first-half points on TD runs by Sammy Tolbert from 10-yards, seven-yards and two yards while Poe tossed a two-point conversion pass to Blain Crain to take a 28-7 lead into halftime on The Hill.

The Tigers scored first again after the break to finish a 59-yard drive in the third quarter with a three-yard run by Roderick Davis to make it 28-14.

But Spanish Fort replied with a 36-yard touchdown Poe pass to Crain on a subtle post-fly route to the endzone and Theodore hit a 27-yard field goal set up by a Tyler Johnson interception (his fourth) and a 47-yard run by Ed Autry. The Tigers never gave up but turned the ball over twice more when Kylan Cotton picked off his fourth pass of the year and John Stockton recovered a fumble to stop the final DHS drive at the Tiger two-yard line where Poe took a knee in the victory formation. Chase Holliman recovered a fumble for SF in the first half to stop a DHS drive in the red zone and had a big sack to help set up Tolbert's third TD of the first half. Theodore's punts also helped keep the Tigers away from Toro territory most of the game.

"(Demopolis) is a well coached team," Freeman said. "Coach (Tom) Causey always has well prepared teams and we spent every minute of all our time this past week preparing for them. I'm proud of our kids and proud of our coaches for putting in the effort, but it paid off. We figured adversity was going to hit and it hit early. And they converted like a good team is going to do. I don’t know what happened on the fumble. Obviously we'll go back and check the film. But when adversity hits, we come back and we answer it. Then we come back when they score later in the game and we answered it. This time of year, you’ve got to answer.”

Tolbert finished with 111 yards on 15 carries while Autry rushed nine times for 99 yards. The 11-1 Toros will host Benjamin Russell in the quarter finals Friday at 7 p.m.

Spanish Fort is averaging 46 points scored per game while holding opponents to 18 ppg.