Ramsay scored in all three phases in the first half and quarterback Tremell Washington threw three touchdown passes to lead the fifth-ranked Rams to a 49-0 victory over Hayden on Thursday in a Class 5A, Region 5 showdown at Birmingham’s Legion Field.

Ramsay (7-2, 7-0) clinches the region title with the win and will host a first-round playoff game.

The Rams marched into the red zone on their opening possession of the game, but a bobbled snap resulted in Will Vines recovering for Hayden. The Wildcats went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and Ashton Ashford put Ramsay up 7-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run, capping a seven-play, 64-yard drive.

Ramsay forced two more three-and-outs and Washington connected with Kristian Stinson for 12- and 20-yard touchdown passes following each defensive stand. Hayden fumbled on its next possession as James Jones ripped the ball from the hands of Taylor McAdams and returned the turnover 44 yards to give the Rams a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Wildcats were able to drive into Ramsay territory on its next possession, but they turned the ball over on downs after a holding penalty pushed Hayden back behind the red zone. Jalen Jones extended the lead to 35-0 on the ensuing play with a 74-yard touchdown reception and Zedrick Powell capped the first-half scoring with a 45-yard punt return with 35 seconds remaining in the half.

Caleb Patterson, for the second week in a row, stripped a ball carrier and returned the fumble for a touchdown, extending Ramsay’s final advantage to 49-0 in the second half.

“Caleb always finds a way to make plays,” Ramsay coach Ronnie Jackson said. “He works his tail off on the field. He’s a hard worker, a real hard worker.”

A running clock was initiated to open the final two quarters with Hayden (4-4, 3-3) producing only 33 yards of offense for a total of 94 yards in the game. The visitors managed four first downs and a 2-for-8 performance on third-down conversions.

Star of the game: Washington. The sophomore quarterback has played at an elite level since taking over for an injured Kameron Kennan and improved his record to 3-0 with the Rams. He finished 6-of-8 passing for 129 yards and three touchdowns, adding 18 yards on three rushing attempts.

“It all goes back to practice. We treat it like a game. Being in practice and working hard and playing hard translates to the game,” he said.

Keenan entered the game on the final series, taking eight snaps, and finished 2-of-2 for 25 yards and a single rushing attempt for 4 yards.

“It’s still going to be a competition, depends on who’s playing well,” Jackson said. “Kam is our guy so it’s going to be a quarterback battle, but the good news is we have both of them. We can do multiple things with both of them.”

By the numbers: 7, the number of tackles for a loss by the Ramsay defense, compared to only one by Hayden. … 3, the number of consecutive games in which Ramsay exploded out of the gates to prompt a running clock in the second half. … 1, Hayden’s initial first down resulted in Ramsay’s James Jones returning a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown.

Stat sheet: Ramsay – Ashford led the rushing attack to 207 total yards on the ground, logging 121 yards and a score on 10 carries, and Dakoriae Foster had two rushing attempts for 53 yards. Stinson finished with two receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns and Jalen Jones had three catches for 89 yards and a score. Hayden – Vines was 4-of-8 passing for 21 yards and recovered a fumble on Ramsay’s initial drive of the game. McAdams finished with 12 rushing attempts for 53 yards and Ashton Hicks had six carries for 20 yards.

Coachspeak: “I’m excited for my guys, (they’re) region champs. They deserve it because we put the work in. Now it’s time to get ready for Carver next week and then a bye before getting ready for playoffs.” – Ramsay’s Ronnie Jackson

They said it: “That’s my brother. If I start, I love him. If he starts, I love him. Our connection from me being a wide receiver and running back is better than any other connection on the team.” – Washington on Keenan

“We practice that every day so it’s routine. Coaches tell us to have a dog mentality all game. When you see ball, you get ball.” – James Jones on Ramsay’s two fumble returns

What’s next? The Rams travel to Carver-Birmingham for the season finale while Hayden hits the road to Fairfield.