Alexander failed to take advantage of several first half scoring chances and got nothing done offensively in the second half as the Cougars fell to talented Banneker 51-7 Friday night on the road.

Alexander, playing wihtout starting quarterback Dempsey Abernathy who wasn’t cleared to go following a concussion against Douglas County Oct. 9, had to watch as sophomore Davis Marler ran the team for the first time.

AHS got off to a great start, recovering the opening kickoff as the Trojans fumbled at their 20. However AHS was pushed back to the 29, where Chris Howell’s field goal was blocked and returned to midfield.

Banneker marched 50 yards in eight plays to take an 8-0 lead. D.J. Williams bust up the middle for a yard and the touchdown.

Later in the first quarter AHS punted to Banneker’s Demetruce McNeal at his 30. It appeared McNeal signaled for a fair catch, but he made the grab and raced 70 yards for a touchdown. That put Banneker up 14-0 with 4:50 left in the first quarter.

Alexander marched from its 33 to the Banneker 15, where they lost the ball on downs. A 22-yard pass from Marlar to Joe Gallegos was the key play on the drive.

On its next series Banneker was moving the ball when quarterback Tres Houston threw a pass right at Alexander’s Allen Igwebuike, who made the catch and raced 55 yards for the TD. That cut the gap to 14-7 with 8:24 left before halftime.

Banneker attempted a punt at its 23, but couldn’t even get an attempt off as the Cougars took over at the Trojans 12. Again the Banneker defense held and Howell missed a 32-yard field goal.

Banneker needed just five plays to cover 80 yards. Four running plays moved the ball to midfield, before Kowalski Kitchens took a swing pass and after two missed tackles he went the distance as the Banneker lead grew to 21-7 at the break.

Alexander received the second-half kickoff and was soon faced with a fourth-and-one from its 43. They elected to punt, which proved to be a bad decision.

Three plays later Banneker was again on the scoreboard. Again Kitchens took a little swing pass and dodged several tacklers on a 70-yard trip to the end zone. That upped the lead to 29-7 with 8:37 left in the third period.

Two minutes later Banneker was on scoreboard again. Following a poor punt, the Trojans took over at the Alexander 38. A 30-yard pass from No. 2 quarterback Patrick Thomas to Delononte Amey, set up an 8-yard scoring run by Amey. The rout was officially on as the Bannaker lead grew to 35-7 midway through the third period.

Banneker’s next TD came on a sack in the end zone and fumble recovery by Larry Jefferson before a 67-yard run by Robert Brantley wrapped up the scoring.

Alexander (3-6, 2-4) will end its season at a sub-region B opponent Friday, while Banneker (7-2, 5-1) is headed to the region playoffs.