Wake-up call
- Updated: July 18, 2026
Alexandria rebounds from early loss to Weaver to reel off six consecutive victories, win Piedmont 7-on-7.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT — Alexandria’s wakeup call came early in Saturday’s Piedmont 7-on-7, and it was effective.
The Valley Cubs recovered from a loss to Weaver in the opener to finish 6-1, beating Piedmont 20-2 in the final on the Field of Champions.
This after Alexandria edged Glencoe 15-14 in the semifinals. Piedmont beat White Plains 25-23 In overtime in the other semifinal.
Nine teams, including Piedmont’s A and B teams, participated.
Alexandria came into the 7-on-7 with fourth-year starting quarterback Cole Wheeler and a strong returning core of skill players, including junior wide receiver M.J. Morris, who made a highlight-reel play with a leaping touchdown catch between two Glencoe defenders.
All the Valley Cubs needed was a wakeup call, and the morning loss to Weaver did the job.
“We didn’t really get out of bed,” Alexandria coach Todd Ginn said. “I told our guys, we’re still holding on to the pillow pretty regular there.”
Alexandria reeled off six consecutive victories, and defense was key. The Valley Cubs held Piedmont without a touchdown, and Jonathan Santos’ interception at the goal line saved their semifinal victory over Glencoe.
“I thought we got better today in our coverage stuff,” Ginn said. “We don’t do many of these, but I thought we got better.
“Our underneath guys learned some things. Some of our guys, the corners and safeties, learned some things and made some big plays when we needed to make a big play. That interception in the semifinals was a huge play.”
Piedmont, moving on under second-year starting quarterback Cole Austin after losing wide receiver and Jacksonville State signee Rollie Pinto to graduation, also went 6-1.
Austin threw a touchdown pass and conversion pass to Mason Morrow to clinch the victory over White Plains in the semifinals.
“Overall, it was a good day for us to get out there and compete against other people,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said. “We made it to the last game, which is a plus.
“Alexandria is athletic, and it showed in that last game.”
White Plains and Glencoe each went 4-2 on the day.
White Plains is looking to make a leap forward in its second season under head coach Clint Smith. Saturday’s 7-on-7 marked the Wildcats’ second this summer, following their visit to Central-Clay.
“We played really well in the tournament,” Smith said. “We had a good game against Munford and beat them. We had overtime right here (against Piedmont) and had a chance, but we just couldn’t put it together.
“I’m proud of them. We made a lot of improvements from the last one we were at. Still got a long way to go, but a lot of bright spots.”
Glencoe is looking to build off of its first playoff appearance since 2015 coach first-year head coach B.J. Brooks, who took over after Bayley Blanchard moved on to Cherokee County.
“We were good at times, bad at times,” Brooks said. “In 7-on-7s, there’s a lot that translates to football, even though it’s not real football.
“That last game we played, even though we lost, was the best game we played all day, from a communication standpoint on defense and, probably, everybody playing with the effort they needed to play with.”
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