CEDAR BLUFF – The Cedar Bluff Tigers took a firm hold of the Class 1A, Region 7 football race Friday, and they almost set a new state defensive record as well.

The sixth-ranked Tigers smothered visiting Donoho on homecoming, holding the Falcons to minus-48 yards rushing in a 53-9 victory.

The suffocating defensive effort by the Tigers (7-0, 7-0) is the second-fewest rushing yards allowed, according to the Alabama High School Athletic Association record book. Aliceville was held to minus-49 yards rushing against T.R. Miller in 1969.

For the game, the Falcons (4-3, 4-2) were held to 24 total yards.

“It’s hard to do much better than that,” Cedar Bluff coach Jonathan McWhorter said. “I like our chances if we’re playing like that. If you’re playing defense at that level, you can pretty much win any game. I’m just proud of our kids and our coaches.”

As big a night as the Tiger defense had, senior quarterback Levi Mintz had as big a night offensively.

Mintz completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 327 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed 18 yards on four carries and another score.

He got the Tigers going with 4:24 to go in the first quarter with a 33-yard scoring strike to senior receiver DeAngelo Hardy. Curtis Abernathy’s extra point gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

The Mintz-to-Hardy connection scored again at the 1:14 mark of the first quarter – this time on a 52-yard touchdown – giving Cedar Bluff a 14-0 advantage.

Sophomore running back D’Shawn Fife tallied the Tigers’ next touchdown on a 2-yard run with 6:06 remaining in the second quarter. Abernathy’s extra point was no good, keeping the Tiger lead at 20-0.

Fife led the Tiger rushing attack with 99 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.

Mintz accounted for the remaining two scores of the first half – a 51-yard touchdown strike to senior receiver Alex Hairston and a 1-yard run on the final play of the second quarter. The scores gave Cedar Bluff a commanding 32-0 lead at halftime.

Mintz continued to roll in the third quarter by tossing his final two touchdown passes – another one to Hairston (35 yards) and a 15-yard strike to senior Rickey Pendley. After three quarters, Cedar Bluff held a 46-0 lead.

Pendley finished with seven catches for 78 yards and a score. Hairston snagged three passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore rusher Blake Terry scored Cedar Bluff’s final touchdown of the night on a 35-yard run. Abernathy’s point after made it 53-0 Tigers.

Terry tallied 53 yards on seven carries with a score.

The Falcons recorded their first score of the night on a safety off a bad Cedar Bluff snap in the end zone with 4:40 remaining in the game. Senior quarterback Marshall Ghee connected with senior receiver George McMillan on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:02 to go for the final. Ghee completed 11 of 28 passes for 72 yards.

Cedar Bluff will enjoy an open date on Friday before traveling to Spring Garden on Oct. 26.

“It’s not something you necessarily choose, but it just happened to be something that couldn’t be helped,” McWhorter said of the Tigers not being able to schedule a game for Week 8. “We’ve got some kids injured and banged up, so really, this couldn’t come at a better time, especially going to Spring Garden for another big region game in two weeks.”