After trailing Randolph at halftime, unbeaten Priceville responded to the talk they received from coach Chris Foster.

The Class 4A, No. 4-ranked Bulldogs rallied to beat No. 10 Randolph 35-21 for the Region 8 championship. They trailed the host Raiders 7-0 at intermission at SportsMed Field in Huntsville.

“That first half I thought they were a lot more physical than we were,” Foster, in his fourth year, said. “I challenged our players at half to start playing up to the physical standards that we set first nine weeks.”

Mason Cartee scored four touchdowns for Priceville (10-0, 7-0). He had three rushing – from the 50, 3 and 1-yard line. He also caught a 47-yard TD pass from Jackson Prickett. Jaylen Moseley scored on a 5-yard run.

“Second half, offense, our line came out,” Cartee, a senior running back/cornerback, said. “Coach made some adjustments. We hit them in the mouth. Our line, they blocked. We hit them harder than they hit us. My job was to get through there, score those touchdowns.”

Andrew Hunter threw three touchdown passes for Randolph (7-2, 6-1). He connected with Grayson Davenport from 18, Conner Goodson from 19 and Nic Strong from 24.

Priceville earned its first region title since 2015 and spoiled Randolph’s first ranking in program history.

Star of the game: Cartee had 24 carries for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He had two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also intercepted a pass on defense.

Play of the game: Cartee capped the opening drive of the second half with his 50-yard burst up the middle. Weston Dutton kicked the extra point to tie the score 7-7 at 9:22 in the third quarter.

Key sequence: After Randolph muffed the ensuing kickoff, Priceville marched 30 yards in five plays for its first lead. Moseley scored from 5 and Dutton kicked the extra point for a 14-7 lead at 6:54 in the third.

Stat sheet: Priceville – Moseley had seven carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. Prickett completed 4 of 9 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Senior safety Xander Gaines made eight tackles. Randolph – Davenport had 12 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. Strong had 10 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also had five carries for 16 yards. Hunter completed 29 of 49 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

By the numbers: 394 – Priceville total yards with 302 rushing and 92 passing; 451 – Randolph total yards with 104 rushing and 347 passing; 3 – Randolph turnovers with two interceptions and one muffed kick return; 2 – Priceville wins in three games against the Raiders all time.

Coachspeak: “I thought our quarterback made a couple of big throws that first drive after half. And then after that we were able to find our footing running the ball.” – Foster.

“They just played really well. And we missed some opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. Turned the ball over too many times. And you can’t turn the ball over against good teams like that. Now we’re looking to regroup, get ready for the playoffs.” – Randolph coach David Lloyd.

They said it ,,, : “Going into halftime, we were down. We wanted to get back to fundamentals. Coach Foster was really adamant about what we do best, and we found a way to get it done against a really good ball team.” – Prickett.

“At halftime, we went in the locker room and just cleared our heads. We had to take ourselves back to the basics and be the most physical team out there.” – Gaines.

“It means a lot since this is my first full varsity season (after missing most of last year with a torn right ACL). It means a lot. We’re 10-0. And then they scheduled us for their homecoming. We beat them at home. I’m thankful for Coach Foster, all the coaching staff, every single one of them, for accepting me on the team.” – Moseley.

What’s next? Randolph will host Fairview while Priceville has an open week.