SPANISH FORT, Alabama – The Spanish Fort Toros charged to a 51-7 win over Carroll High School Friday night in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.

Spanish Fort runners gained 210 yards on 30 carries. They were led by Samuel Tolbert with 117 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Trey Shabel gained 53 yards on nine carries and added a touchdown.

Toros’ coach Mark Freeman credited the offensive line for the strong running performances.

“The offensive line did a good job,” he said. “Carroll brought a lot of three and four man fronts and they did a great job with adjustments.”

The Toros defense played well, Freeman said, holding the Eagle runners to 98 yards on 38 carries. Quarterback Austin Holt threw for 17 yards on three-of-five passing.

“The defense did a really good job,” he said. “For us to win down the road the defense will have to play like that.”

Toros’ quarterback Joel Pope went 15-of-24 for 284 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

The first of those four touchdowns came in the opening drive for the Toros on a 13-yard screen pass to Tolbert. The Alexander Theodore kick was good and Spanish Fort took a 7-0 with 9:02 left in the first quarter.

The ensuing Eagle drive stalled when Austin Holt was sacked by Chris Morehouse at the Eagle 39-yard line. The teams traded three-and-outs until Spanish Fort found the end zone on a 14-yard run by Tolbert with 8:41 left in the second quarter. Theodore’s kick was good and the Toros took a 14-0 lead.

Spanish Fort’s Jonathan Cook returned an interception for a touchdown with 6:14 left in the half. The Theodore kick was good and the Toros took a 21-0 lead.

The Toros scored again on a 15-yard pass from Poe to Devonte Patrick. The Theodore kick split the uprights and Spanish Fort took a 28-0 lead with 3:07 left in the second quarter.

Spanish Fort scored on its next drive with a 35-yard pass from Poe to Blain Crain. The kick was true and the Toros took a 35-0 lead with 1:25 left in the half. The snap went over the head of Holt on the Eagles’ ensuing drive and he went down for a safety to give the Toros a 37-0 lead at the half.

The Eagles’ Roderick Roberson returned the second half kickoff to the 15-yard line, which led to a one-yard touchdown run for Allen. The kick was good and Carroll cut the lead to 37-7 with 10:15 left in the third quarter.

The ensuing Toros’ drive was capped by a 46-yard pass play from Poe to Patrick. The drive also included two seven-yard runs by Ed Autry and two Poe passes for 10 yards. The Theodore kick made it 44-7 with 7:30 left in the third quarter.

Spanish Fort scored its final touchdown on an eight-yard run by Shabel with 2:15 left. The kick made it 51-7.

The Toros will host Demopolis at 7 p.m. Friday in round two of the playoffs.