Layton Dudley
Homewood vs. Shades Valley
Homewood students cheer during a game between Homewood and Shades Valley on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, at Frank Nix Stadium in Irondale.
After securing the Class 6A, Region 5 title last Friday at Shades Valley, the Homewood High School football team is looking to put the final touch on a pristine region run.
On Friday, the undefeated Patriots (8-0, 5-0 in region) host Hueytown (4-4, 2-3) for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Waldrop Stadium. It will be their final home game until the first round of the state playoffs Nov. 10.
Homewood enters tonight’s matchup on the heels of a thrilling, come-from-behind victory at Shades Valley. The Patriots trailed by 14 at halftime before storming back over the final two quarters to win, 37-27.
“That’s the way region championships are supposed to be,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said after the game. “I told them at halftime that we could only control us, don’t worry about what they’re doing. We just came out with a lot of heart in the second half.”
Quarterback Larkin Williams rallied his team after halftime. In the third quarter, he connected with wide receivers Marcus McGhee and William Hall on touchdown passes of 6 and 80 yards, respectively. Williams added another score in the final frame when he zipped a pass to TyShawn Buckner, who broke multiple tackles en route to a 58-yard touchdown reception.
Williams completed 16-of-24 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Buckner paced the receiving corps with three catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Even with the prolific passing performance, Homewood ran the ball effectively thanks to David Robertson Jr., who rushed for 160 yards on 30 carries in his first game as the full-time back. Robertson assumed the lead role following the season-ending knee injury sustained by fellow running back Nick McCoy on Oct. 13.
“I’m feeling good. I’m not tired. I want to keep playing,” Robertson said afterward. “Coach [Berguson] told us we needed to pick it up at halftime, and I guess we did.”
The Homewood defense clamped down as the offense sped up. After surrendering 27 first-half points, the Patriots held Shades Valley scoreless over the final two quarters.
But as exciting as comebacks can be, Homewood will try to avoid digging a similar hole against Hueytown, which enters Friday's game riding a wave of momentum. The Golden Gophers have won their last three contests against Pleasant Grove, Parker and Jackson-Olin. Their offense averaged nearly 40 points in each outing.
Hueytown topped Homewood last fall, 15-10, snapping a losing streak that had spanned more than four decades. Not since 1975 had the Golden Gophers defeated the Patriots. Homewood leads the teams’ all-time series, 12-3.
A win tonight would keep the Patriots in stride with the 2005 team that went 15-0 and won the 5A state title. This is the first time since the memorable season that Homewood is off to an 8-0 start.
The Patriots will wrap up their regular-season schedule next week in a non-region game at Paul Bryant.
- Robert Carter contributed to this report.
