Saraland started slow in its Class 6A, Region 1 contest against McGill-Toolen at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium on Friday night, but proved why it’s ranked No. 1 in Class 6A with a 70-27 rout of the Yellow Jackets.

Even without regular starting receivers Ryan Williams and CD Gill, who were held out of the game as a precautionary measure, the Spartans (10-0, 8-0) had plenty of other weapons.

One of those weapons was Jordan Dees, who caught six passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Texas commit KJ Lacey, who played only the first half, was 11-of-20 for 259 yards. Santae McWilliams rushed 13 times for 88 yards and three touchdowns, Camron Lafitte returned an interception 40 yards for a score, Arterus Moffett blocked a punt and returned it 12 yards for a score, Teran Senegal caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Gage Weaver, and backup running back Tamidrae Sewer scored on a 10-yard run.

“He’s been stepping it up a lot lately,” Lacey said of McWilliams. “Giving him the ball, throwing him the ball into space, he’s going to make big plays. We’ve been also trying to get Jordan the ball especially with Ryan being out. He stepped up tonight.”

“We started out kind of slow because coach (David) Faulkner had a great plan coming in,” said Saraland head coach Jeff Kelly. “They kind of made some plays that woke us up.”

McGill-Toolen (5-5, 4-4) got 90 yards on 15 carries and a score from freshman Ladarien Miller, while quarterback Andrew Murchison was 10-of-19 passing for 165 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

“He’s a really good player,” said Yellow Jackets head coach David Faulkner of Miller. “He’s got some really good young players around him who can help him, and if we can develop them, we’ve got a good nucleus for a good football team.”

Miller gave the McGill-Toolen faithful plenty to cheer about as the Yellow Jackets capped the game’s opening drive with his 48-yard touchdown run. But it was pretty much all Saraland after that, as McWilliams had a 3-yard touchdown on Saraland’s ensuing drive to tie the game. On McGill-Toolen’s second possession, Lafitte stepped in front of a defender and ran 40 yards for a pick-six to give the Spartans the lead.

That would be the last time the game would even be close, as Saraland outscored the Yellow Jackets 42-7 in the second quarter. McWilliams had a 9-yard touchdown run, and then after the Spartans forced a three-and-out, Moffett blocked the punt and rumbled 12 yards for a score and a 28-7 lead. Saraland then recovered an onside kick, and McWilliams ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

The Spartans then went to the air, as Dees caught three touchdown passes covering 17, 11 and 35 yards respectively within a six-minute span. Dees’ 35-yard touchdown reception came with 58.2 seconds left in the half and moments after Murchison hit Rev Zuniga on a 62-yard touchdown pass.

“We scored on our first drive, but it wasn’t smooth,” said Kelly. “We were missing two of our key guys, CD and Ryan tonight. We weren’t smooth early, but we got smooth pretty quick. You look at the job Jordan did coming out, and I’m so proud of the year he’s had and how he’s worked to improve week in and week out.”

The game went to a running clock in the second half. Weaver made it 63-14 in the third quarter when he connected with Senegal, and in the fourth quarter, both teams — which had reserves — traded touchdowns. Murchison connected with Blane Barre on a 36-yard touchdown pass, Sewer made it 70-21 on his 10-yard run, and Barre, who came in for Murchison at quarterback, connected with Reid Watkins on a 23-yard touchdown pass as time ran out.

Star of the game: Plenty of people to choose from, but give the nod to Dees as he came in to replace Williams as Lacey’s primary target and made the most of his opportunity.

Play of the game: Surprisingly, it was Saraland’s defense and special teams providing the pivotal moments. The first momentum changer came on Lafitte’s pick-six, and the second came on Moffett blocking the punt and returning it for a touchdown. Both plays helped create a Spartan scoring avalanche.

Stats: For Saraland, Lawardrick Jones had 13 carries for 80 yards, Weaver completed both his passes for 9 yards and a score. For McGill-Toolen, Barre had three catches for 43 yards, and Zuniga caught two passes for 70 yards.

By the numbers: 2, number of fumbles lost by McGill-Toolen; 9, total number of penalties for Saraland; 20, number of first downs Saraland had in the first half; 80, total number of yards Saraland had in penalties.

Coachspeak: “That was the first time we’ve been behind since the Lipscomb game, and that was good for us to get hit in the mouth. I understand that it ain’t gonna always be easy, but we came out and made some adjustments. The pick-six was a big turning point, and the blocked punt was big.” — Kelly.

“They (Saraland) do what good teams do. They didn’t panic; they just stayed there and took over the game as it went. But I was proud of our kids; they came out and competed. I wish we could’ve played better and played a few more plays, but that’s where we’re at right now and we’ll get back to work next week and get ready for 2024.” — Faulkner.

Up next: Saraland hosts McAdory in round one of the Class 6A playoffs next week. McGill-Toolen’s season is over.