Saraland's Long earn POW honors

SARALAND, Ala. -- Sean Long scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns -- the final one on a five-yard run with 26 seconds left in the game to lead third-ranked Saraland past Daphne, 21-14, in a Class 6A, Region 1 showdown on Friday night.

Long, a senior, finished the night with 134 rushing yards for the Spartans (1-0).

"I don't think anyone was surprised by tonight," Spartans' coach Jeff Kelly told al.com after the victory. "If anyone came here expected to see a runaway on either side, I would be shocked. This is exactly what I thought it would be like. I knew Daphne was an outstanding program and is very well coached. I was hoping we could make one more play than they did, and I'm proud we were able to do that tonight."

For his efforts, he has been named the Reese's Senior Bowl Player of the Week. Each week, the Reese's Senior Bowl will pick a top player from the week. At the end of the season, the area's Player of the Year will be recognized and honored in front of a packed Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Reese's Senior Bowl Saturday.

Long helped the Spartans reach the 6A state title game last season, rushing for 1,389 yards and 17 touchdowns.