No. 1-ranked Saraland pinned Spanish Fort to the ground from the time the first ball went airborne and never let the Toros come up for air Friday night.

The Spartans scored on their first six possessions and Saraland’s defensive starters held the Toros scoreless and to just 72 yards of total offense in a 49-7 rout atop The Hill in Spanish Fort.

Quarterback K.J. Lacey was 13-of-18 passing for 185 yards and three touchdowns, Ryan Williams caught six passes for 127 yards and two TDs and the Spartans scored twice in the first quarter on blocked punts to give the Toros their worst loss in the history of the series.

Spanish Fort has been a longtime nemesis for Saraland — it’s the only regular opponent with a winning record against the Spartans — but trailed 42-0 at halftime and fans in the Toros’ bulging bleachers began leaving at halftime.

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” said Saraland coach Jeff Kelly, who is now 5-8 against Spanish Fort.

Lacey threw TD passes of 23 and 34 yards to Williams, who enjoyed his best game of the season as a receiver.

Santae McWilliams added touchdown runs of 11 and 3 yards and Lacey threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Jordan Dees.

But the Spartans (4-0, 3-0 6A Region 1) raced to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter on two blocked punts recovered for touchdowns.

The first one came when linebacker Isaiah Bowie pushed Spanish Fort’s upback into punter Newton Gardner and Zion Williams picked up the ball and returned it 30 yards for a 14-0 lead.

Later in the first quarter, Williams blocked another punt and Jamison Curtis returned it 15 yards for a 28-0 lead.

“That took away their hope,” Williams said.

The Toros (2-2, 2-1) avoided a shutout when Sterling Dixon grabbed a fumble in mid-air and returned it 8 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter with Saraland’s backups in the game.

This post will be updated