Patriots set for playoff rematch against Clay-Chalkville
It didn’t look like the playoff rematch between the Homewood High School football team and Clay-Chalkville would present itself after a half of football last week.
In the first round of the Class 6A playoffs, Homewood was on the ropes, trailing Fort Payne 21-0 at halftime.
But the Patriots (10-1) rallied and turned the tables, outscoring Fort Payne 28-0 and winning, 28-21, on a David Robertson Jr. 13-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds to play.
Robertson rushed for over 100 yards in the second half alone and finished the night with three touchdowns, as he willed his team to the win.
“David Robertson was amazing this game,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said. “That may have been the best cut on that last touchdown I’ve ever seen a running back do in my life. He just exploded. I can’t even describe it.”
The Patriots began their comeback with a 71-yard drive on 13 plays, capped by a Larkin Williams 1-yard scoring run. Parker Allen notched an interception for Homewood minutes later, and Robertson scored his first touchdown on a 9-yard run with 1:26 to play in the third quarter.
Chance Hall picked off Fort Payne quarterback Jay Tyler Ellis six plays later to give Homewood possession with 11:01 to play in the final quarter. Facing third-and-24 from their own 29-yard line, Williams connected with Wilson McCraw for a 27-yard throw and catch to continue the drive. On fourth-and-2 from the Fort Payne 36, Williams kept the ball for a 9-yard run to extend the drive again. Robertson scored five plays later on a 15-yard run, tying the game 21-21 with 4:32 to play.
Homewood likely won’t be able to follow that same script again this week, as it hosts Clay-Chalkville at Waldrop Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I just told them [at halftime] they couldn’t score enough in a half to beat us,” Berguson said. “It just shows the character of our kids. You can’t spot a good football team 21 points and expect to come back like that, so we can’t do that next week for sure."
The game pits two teams that played one of the most thrilling games of the 2015 postseason, a second-round game that top-ranked Clay-Chalkville prevailed in, 40-39. In that contest, Homewood scored a late touchdown and elected to go for a two-point conversion to take the lead. But the try failed, and the Cougars held on and advanced all the way to the state championship.
Both teams look much different than they did two seasons ago, to be sure, but the matchup features two teams with just three combined losses.
Homewood’s only setback was a 13-7 defeat at the hands of Paul Bryant in its final regular season contest. Clay-Chalkville boasts a 9-2 mark, with losses to only Pinson Valley and Park Crossing.
Both the Cougars and Patriots boast stout defenses and opportunistic offenses. Each defense allows fewer than 13 points per game, while Homewood posts 26 points per game and Clay-Chalkville scores 33 per contest.
The winner gets the winner between Muscle Shoals and Oxford in the quarterfinals.
- Gary Lloyd contributed to this report.