Andalusia secured its playoff spot in Class 4A, Region 1 Friday night, defeating Hillcrest-Evergreen 33-14 on homecoming.

Andalusia coach Brian Seymore summed it up best after the game. The Bulldogs failed to make the playoffs in Seymore’s first season in 2008.

“It feels good to secure that playoff spot,” Seymore said. “I’m proud of our kids. We were all worried about this week and they really came out focused and practiced hard. They practiced physical and paid attention to detail because they really wanted this game.”

The Bulldogs took control from the beginning of the game when they recovered an onside kick.

Andalusia’s T.K. Bullard then ran the ball in 20 yards for a touchdown with 10:47 left in the opening quarter.

Bullard would earn his second touchdown of the night halfway through the second quarter on a 4-yard run.

He led in rushing for the Bulldogs (5-3, 4-2) with 15 carries for 120 yards.

After Bullard’s first touchdown, Andalusia’s Johnny Jones rushed in from the 8-yard line with 9:11 in the first to make it 14-0. The extra point was good.

Andalusia’s next touchdown came on Hillcrest’s second possession.

The Jaguars’ quarterback Justin Nared threw an interception, which landed in the hands of Andalusia strong safety Shane Dorsey.

Dorsey then took the ball back 78 yards for the touchdown to bring his team’s lead to 20 points.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Hillcrest-Evergreen got on the board on a 17-yard pass from Nared. The Jaguars attempted a two-point conversion, but it was no good.

Andalusia scored its last touchdown with 2:27 to go before halftime when Marcus Jones cut through Hillcrest defenders from 50 yards out. The extra point was good.

Hillcrest (1-7, 1-5) added eight points with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Seymore said the win Friday night went out to the “community.”

“I’m proud of our team and I’m proud of our coaches,” he said. “This one goes out to the community and the administration for sticking behind me after last year with it being such a tough year. This is a credit to our kids and a credit to our coaches.”

Andalusia’s Johnny Jones had six carries for 32 yards and one touchdown; Marcus Jones had five carries for 55 yards and one touchdown; and Shane Dorsey had a 78-yard touchdown return on an interception.

“We’ve got some good backs,” Seymore said. “T.K.’s done a good job. Johnny’s a good fullback and Marcus is a good back. Our offensive line has done a better job being physical up front and I think our kids like doing that.

“We’ve got to continue to work,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to look forward to. We’ve got one more week, so I’m proud of our kids. We’ll just go back to work on Monday.”

Andalusia’s defense held Hillcrest-Evergreen’s offense to 189 yards.

The Bulldogs will be on the road next week when they face No. 7 UMS-Wright in Mobile to finish region play.