Patriots survive comeback to beat Parker
BIRMINGHAM – Homewood survived a second-half comeback by Parker to escape Major Brown Memorial Stadium with a 20-14 win Friday night in both teams' Class 6A, Region 5 opener.
The Patriots led 20-0 at halftime, but were held to 66 yards on 18 offensive plays in the second half, while Parker turned up its run game.
Corey Dudley scored two third-quarter touchdowns for the Thundering Herd to pull within six, 20-14, entering the fourth quarter. Homewood relied on Parker miscues and a few key plays on defense to escape with the win, including a fourth down pass breakup in the end zone by C.D. Daniels with 40 seconds to play.
“I tried to guard against a letdown all week after the Vestavia win. We just didn’t play with the same intensity tonight as we did last week,” said Homewood coach Ben Berguson. “That one will come back and help us later, having to win a game like that.”
Nick McCoy put the Patriots on the board, 7-0, with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. Homewood added a 28-yard field goal by Lane Gilchrist on its next possession to go up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots did not allow a Parker first down through its first six possessions. Midway through the second quarter, Homewood quarterback Larkin Williams found TyShawn Buckner for a 65-yard connection, but Buckner was tripped up at the 6. The Patriots settled for a 33-yard field goal from Gilchrist and a 13-0 lead.
Williams, who completed 9-of-16 passes for 172 yards in the game, threw his only touchdown pass of the night with 28 seconds left in the first half, finding Marcus McGhee in the right corner of the end zone from 26 yards out. The play was set up by a sack from John Firnberg at the Parker 1 to force a punt from the back of the end zone. Homewood led at the half, 20-0.
Dudley led Parker in the second half with 49 yards on the Herd’s first drive of the third quarter, capped by a 3-yard touchdown. He later sidestepped a defender and punched a 5-yard touchdown up the middle. Parker quarterback Tony Bufford ran in the 2-point conversion. Dudley finished the night with 130 yards rushing, 93 in the second half.
The Patriots responded quickly to move the ball into the Parker red zone but stalled as the fourth quarter began and settled for a 29-yard field goal try from Gilchrist but missed wide with 10:50 to play in the game.
Homewood was unable to get going on offense in the second half, leaving its defense on the field most of the half as Parker racked up 187 yards in the second half.
Homewood (3-0, 1-0 in region) returns home next week to host Jackson-Olin.