Patriots shut out Ramsay, 38-0
HOMEWOOD – Five forced turnovers and pressure on special teams led unbeaten Homewood to a dominating 38-0 shutout win over defending Class 6A state champions Ramsay on Friday, Oct. 13.
Homewood quarterback Larkin Williams was picked off by Rams defensive back Starling Thomas on the Patriots’ first play on offense, but three plays later, CD Daniels slipped in front of Thomas, playing receiver, to intercept a deep pass in Homewood territory. The first forced turnover of the game set the tone for the Homewood pass defense.
“Our defense won this game tonight,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said. “They’ve just been amazing all year. They’re the heart of our team. They’re just great. They’ve taken up for us when we’ve been inconsistent on offense. Coach [Freddy] Lawrence is the best defensive coordinator in the state of Alabama, no doubt.”
The Patriots’ defense held Ramsay to 15 yards of total offense on its first five possessions and below 120 for the game.
It took until the Patriots’ third possession of the game and 27.5 seconds to play in the first quarter, but Williams put Homewood on the scoreboard with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Marcus McGhee. The Patriots’ special teams went to work, pinning the Rams inside their 25 to start the drive.
After holding Ramsay to a three-and-out, Trent Owens blocked a punt to give Homewood the ball at the Rams’ 24. Nick McCoy broke an 18-yard run up the middle before buckling at the 6 with a knee injury to end his night. Williams capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter. The two-touchdown lead remained at halftime.
Williams, who completed 10 passes in a row since the opening interception, finished the night with 84 yards on 11-of-13 passing and a touchdown. He also rushed 14 times for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Midway in the third quarter, Homewood pinned Ramsay at the 6 with a punt. After holding the Rams to only one yard, Rams punter Timothy Keenan was pressured and shanked a punt from his end zone. Jackson Griggs fielded the punt at the 11 and returned it for a touchdown, 21-0.
Two possessions later, Keenan was punting again from his end zone for the third straight time. Homewood took over at the Rams’ 34, followed by a 24-yard run by David Robertson to move inside the 10 to open the fourth quarter. The Patriots settled for a 21-yard field goal by Lane Gilchrist to make it 24-0. Gilchrist was also a perfect 5-for-5 on PATs in the win.
Homewood’s defense allowed a Rams first down but quickly ended the drive once again to force a Keenan punt. This time, a bad snap and pressure by Daniels and Owens forced Keenan to keep the ball, which popped loose upon impact from Daniels. Owens scooped it and scored from 15 yards out, 31-0, with 8:20 to play.
“Our special teams were outstanding tonight,” Berguson said. “Ramsay made some mistakes, but we were pressuring them. To get 14 points off special teams is awesome.”
Ramsay QB Isaiah Bradford tried for another deep ball, but Daniels picked off the pass in the end zone, his second interception of the night and 16th for his career, as he closes in on the Homewood record (18). Crawford Doyle also had an interception in the game.
“I really want to congratulate CD, because he got selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star this week and I gave him his jersey today,” Berguson said.
With the backups in the game, Homewood stalled on its next drive, but Cedarius Doss mishandled the Rams’ punt reception and Homewood’s Kris Wilkins was there to scoop it up and return it to the 9. Sophomore quarterback Pate Owen later punched in a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal, to cap the scoring at 38-0 with 2:42 to play.
It is the first time Ramsay (3-4, 3-2 Region 5) has been shut out since Briarwood did it on Oct. 19, 2012 – the Rams’ first season of football since the 1970s.
Homewood (7-0, 4-0 Class 6A, Region 5) can capture its first region title since 2014 with a win at Shades Valley next Friday, Oct. 20.