Patriots swarmed by Clay-Chalkville
HOMEWOOD – Another comeback wasn’t in the cards for the Homewood High School football team on Friday night.
After a thrilling come-from-behind win in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs, Homewood had no such luck in the second round on Friday night, as Clay-Chalkville shut out the Patriots, 30-0, at Waldrop Stadium.
The Patriots rallied from a 21-0 deficit against Fort Payne last week to win in the final minute. Faced with a 16-0 halftime deficit on Friday against the Cougars, the Patriots were unable to summon up any additional magic.
“We just made too many mistakes early,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said. “You can’t make those kind of mistakes on special teams against a good football team.”
The first quarter was a virtual stalemate with the exception of Willie Miller’s 70-yard touchdown pass to Roderick McCloud. The speedy receiver flew by his defender and ran under the well-thrown deep ball to make it 7-0.
Clay-Chalkville went up 9-0 midway through the second quarter, as Homewood surrendered a safety punting from inside its own end zone. After receiving the safety kick, the Cougars chewed up nearly the remainder of the second quarter with a 13-play, 53-yard drive, capped off by Logan Pruett’s 11-yard grab in the end zone to increase the margin to 16-0.
It could’ve been worse, though, as Clay-Chalkville began two other possessions in Homewood territory in the first half and the Patriots defense held firm, surrendering no points.
“I thought our defense played great tonight, for the most part,” Berguson said. “We just never could get anything going offensively. We just couldn’t block their front.”
Homewood’s offense struggled mightily in the first half, picking up just 15 yards and netting a single first down via penalty. Unfortunately for the home team, the second half wasn’t much better.
The Patriots amassed 67 total yards on Friday night, as the Cougars defense controlled the game from start to finish, harassing Homewood quarterback Larkin Williams all evening and not allowing Patriots receivers much separation.
“Boy, they’re good on defense,” Berguson said.
The second half spiraled quickly for Homewood and made it apparent that this year’s contest would in no way resemble the 2015 classic the two teams played, which Clay-Chalkville won 40-39 in a second-round contest.
The Cougars blocked a Homewood punt after the Patriots initial drive of the third quarter stalled, and Clay-Chalkville scored four plays later on Miller’s 4-yard keeper.
Homewood fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Clay-Chalkville capitalized quickly yet again, with Curtis Blakely’s 10-yard run providing the final points of the night.
Courtney Braxton led all rushers with 73 yards on 13 carries. McCloud hauled in five passes for 98 yards. For Homewood, Khardi Dalton picked up 30 yards on the ground, and David Robertson Jr. gained 29 yards.
Despite the sour ending, Homewood finished the season with a 10-2 record, the most wins for the Patriots since their 2005 state championship season.
Berguson said that is what he will remember the most from this campaign.
“The 10 wins more than anything, because in the past six years, we’ve had five nine-win seasons,” he said. “Getting that 10th win was awesome.”
Berguson also noted the win over rival Vestavia Hills as a big moment in the season and mentioned comeback wins over Shades Valley and Fort Payne as highlights as well.
“These guys have a lot to be proud of. It’s hard when it comes to an end. We’ve had a great season,” he said.
Clay-Chalkville will host unbeaten Oxford next Friday in the 6A quarterfinals.