GADSDEN, Alabama -- The Gadsden City Titans wanted to prove to the state that they were the best team in Class 7A and they did that tonight at Titian Stadium as they go on and defeat Bob Jones 44-23.

Gadsden City (5-0, 3-0 Class 7A, region 4) led 16-13 at the half, but went on to outscore Bob Jones 28-10 in the second half for the big win. "Great effort tonight, we had great physical play," said Titans head coach Matt Scott. "We both played a sloppy game in the first half, but we played at a high level tonight. We expected to win this game. We think that we can play a whole lot better than the way we did."

Turning point in the game, was early in the second half. After forcing Bob Jones in a three and out after halftime, the Patriots punted to WR Darnell Mooney. Mooney weaved in and out across the field and finished in the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown. The Titans grabbed the momentum early in the second half and didn't look back.

With 4:31 left in the third quarter, Damon Williams scored on a 5-yard touchdown run and extend the Titians lead to 30-13 and this game was getting out of reach. A big Jaylen Williams 73-yard reception from Ahmad DeRamus setup the Titans touchdown. Bob Jones cut the lead with 10:57 left in the game on a Jeremy Frye to Jonathon Rice 34-yard touchdown pass.

With 8:16 left in the game, Gadsden City answered back with a Rodney Bowman 36-yard touchdown run around left end to give the Titans a 37-20 lead. On the next Bob Jones drive, defensive back Adrian Sumpter picked off a Patriots pass with 6:45 in the fourth quarter.

Bob Jones (4-1, 2-1) forced a punt on that drive but with 4:21 left in the game, Sumpter intercepted his second pass of the game on a deep pass. On the first play for the Titans, Williams raced 72-yards down the left sideline and the Titans were about to knock off the #1 Bob Jones Patriots.

In the first half, running back/safety Dante Rudolph scored on a 4-yard and a 1-yard touchdown runs to give Gadsden City the early first half lead. "We played hard tonight," said the Titans senior Rudolph. "We made some mistakes early but we are going to get beter and better. We just beat the #1 team and it is just a great win for our team."

The Titans ground game was the differnce in this game. Offensive lineman Malik Jelks, Nolan Boatner, Gregory Collins, Jamahl Jelks, and Jayson Watkins did a great job of opening some big holes for the stable of running backs. Gabe Ford rushed for 110 tough yards on 13 carries, Williams had 116 yards on 12 carries, Bozeman had 66 yards on 11 carries and Rudolph had 18 yards on five carries & two touchdowns. These four backs rushed for a whopping 7.6 yards per carry on the game tonight which was the difference in the win. "Our guys are physical up front," Scott added. "If we feel like if teams have to honor the pass, then teams are going to have a hard time to stop the run. That is why were trying to develop some balance on offense so teams just can't load up in the box."

Gadsden City did a great job of stopping the Patriots on first and second downs while putting the Patriots on long third down situations for most of the game. "We just got beat in all three phases of the game," said Patriots head coach Kevin Rose. "We got beat by a good football team on the road, but we need to get back to work on Monday and correct some mistakes to get better as a football team. We had some opportunities but didn't make enough plays."

Next week, Bob Jones will host Florence in a non-region game while Gadsden City host Hewitt-Trussville in a non-region contest.