Muscle Shoals tops Florence in Tennessee River Rivalry
The Trojan defense continued its dominating play on Thursday as Muscle Shoals improved to 2-0 with a 34-7 win over Florence in the Tennessee River Rivalry.
The Trojan defense held Florence to a fourth and short early in the opening drive, which the Falcons elected to go for.
Muscle Shoals swarmed the ballo carrier for no gain, forcing a turnover on downs at the Florence 39-yard line.
Seven plays later, Christian Pritchard put MSHS on the board with a goal line run. The point after by Jorge Garcia made it 7-0 with 8:55 remaining in the opening quarter.
This score would remain until early in the second when the Trojans capped a 15-play drive with a 39-yard field goal by Garcia.
Florence was held to a punt on the ensuing drive but regained possession on a fumble recovery after a muff by returner Pritchard.
However, the junior redeemed himself a few plays later by intercepting a Florence pass and galloping 45 yards down the field for a pick six.
Garcia’s point after extended Muscle Shoals’ lead to 17-0, and the kicker would add another field goal to the tally to make it 20-0 by halftime.
The Trojans continued rolling after the break, capping a six-play, 65-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Davian Reynolds.
The drive was aided by a 48-yard pass from Kade Clemmons to Jashad Samples.
Florence finally got on the board with a 19-yard touchdown pass, but Muscle Shoals would answer with another long drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown run by Reynolds.
“It’s all about coming out here and giving effort,” Reynolds told the Trojan radio crew after the game. “Coach Basden always works on effort. I’ve got to give it to my offensive line tonight.”
The Trojans will begin Class 6A, Region 7 play by hosting the Columbia Eagles next week on Sept. 5.
Columbia currently has the longest losing streak in the state of Alabama, which sits at 93.
The last Eagle victory was in 2015. The Trojans topped them 63-6 in 2024 and hold an 11-0 all-time record in the series.
