- Sophomore Alabama defensive lineman LaBryan Ray will lead five players from Madison who are on the roster for the Crimson Tide as they face Clemson for the National Championship on Monday, Jan. 7. Photo- Alabama Athletics Photography
“Madison Fivesome” Represent Madison For Alabama In National Championship Game
Published 12:53 pm Sunday, December 30, 2018
TUSCALOOSA- Madison City Schools will be well represented with the “Madison Fivesome” on Monday night, Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif. when the Alabama Crimson Tide face the Clemson Tigers for college football’s National Championship.
Five players representing both Bob Jones and James Clemens High Schools are on the roster for Alabama and have an opportunity to win back-to-back National Championships. From James Clemens- No. 89, LaBryan Ray, So., DL; No. 26, Kyriq McDonald, RS-Fr, DB-Special Teams; No. 53, Ryan Parris, Sr., SN. From Bob Jones- No. 60, Kendall Randolph, RS-Fr., OL; No. 98, Mike Bernier, Sr., P.
The 6-foot-5, 294-pound Ray has seen the most action of the “Madison Fivesome” as he played in each of the Crimson Tide’s games in its 14-0 season heading to the title game. He’s had 38 tackles in a part-time role as defensive lineman. He had his first start against Tennessee and had his top performance of the 2018 season with nine tackles versus Auburn.
McDonald, 5-11, 197, has played both defensive back and special teams this season and earned Special Teams Player of the Week awards in both games against Auburn and Miss State.
Ryan Parris was a walk-on for Alabama as a long snapper. The 6-0, 231 Parris has not seen on-field game action.
Meanwhile, Mike Bernier, 6-2, 219, who transferred to Alabama after playing one season at Eastern Illinois after signing a scholarship in his senior year at Bob Jones, saw his first-game action this season when he was named starter versus Tennessee. Since that start, Bernier has kept his starting position averaging 40 yards per punt.
Kendall Randolph is a redshirt freshman and has not seen any action in 2018. The 6-4, 298 offensive lineman is being looked at as a possible insertion to his position next season
The No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide defeated fourth-ranked Oklahoma 45-34 in the playoffs’ semi-final matchup while second-ranked Clemson easily defeated No. 3 Notre Dame 30-3. The Tide opened as an early 6.5-point favorite according to those in Las Vegas.
The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. The matchup will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, which is in the heart of Silicon Valley bordering San Jose and just 45 miles from San Francisco. The 75,000 seat stadium is the home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
