Madison County celebrated homecoming night by remaining red-hot in September.
The Raiders, who haven’t lost this month, built a 21-2 lead over Salem during the third quarter and held off the Seminoles for a huge 21-16 win.
The victory moved Madison County’s record to 4-1 as the resurgent Raiders remain tied for second in 8-AAAA.
“That’s huge, especially after the past couple of years,” Madison County safety Bracken Turner said. “Starting off 4-1 is something we needed. It’s something the community needed. I think they were starting to get down on Madison County football a little bit.”
Kendrick Butler ran for 112 yards on just 10 carries in the win while quarterback Jacob Owens had touchdown runs of 18 yards and one yard. Stan Maxwell also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Patrick McCrary as Madison County ended a two-game losing streak to Salem.
The Raiders led 21-9 until the closing moments of the game when the Seminoles threw a seven-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left.
Madison County's defense held Salem to just 76 yards in the first two quarters as the Raiders took a 14-2 lead into halftime.
The turning point of the game came in the third quarter when Salem drove to the Madison County one-yard line where the Raiders turned back the Seminoles with a goal line stand. Madison County then moved 99 yards for a touchdown, capped off by a one-yard plunge by Owens to put the Raiders up 21-2.
Turner said he and a Raider assistant coach were calling the defensive stop “probably the biggest goal line stand in Madison County history,” noting that Salem ran six plays inside the Madison County five but couldn’t score.
“That pretty much sealed it for us,” Turner said.
The Raiders ran for over 200 yards for the third straight week, racking up 244 yards on the ground.
Salem 0 2 7 7 -- 16
MCHS 14 0 7 0 -- 21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Butler 10-112, Cooper 15-49, McCrary 3-48, Maxwell 2-18, Dean 2-11, Turner 1-5, Owens 12-1-2 TD
PASSING -- Owens 4-10, 84 yds; Maxwell 1-1, 14 yds., 1 TD
RECEIVING -- Butler 1-44, McCrary 2-34-1 TD, Cooper 1-15, Turner 1-5
Apalachee 20, Rockdale Co. 14
Madison Co. 21, Salem 16
Clarke Central 14, Heritage 10
Hab. Central 42, Winder-Barrow 35
Loganville 35, Cedar Shoals 7
Apalachee 4-0
Madison Co. 4-1
Clarke Central 4-1
Salem 3-2
Hab. Central 3-2
Loganville 2-2
Cedar Shoals 2-3
Rockdale Co. 1-3
Winder-Barrow 1-3
Heritage 1-4
Monroe Area 1-4
