Patriots advance to quarterfinals for first time in 12 years
GARDENDALE – Homewood High School football head coach Ben Berguson is a family man.
“We’re a very close family, and I wanted the family to be together for Thanksgiving,” the Patriots’ fifth-year coach said following a 14-0 win over Gardendale in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs at Driver Stadium on Friday.
The win, Homewood’s 10th for the second straight season, sends the Patriots to a 6A quarterfinal matchup with top-ranked Pinson Valley at Waldrop Stadium next Friday. Asked how he will be spending next week’s holiday, Berguson grinned and said, “Practicing football.”
Two minutes later, a handful of players surrounded Berguson and dumped a pitcher of cold water across his shoulders. That mini-bath probably never felt so good. Why? The win accomplishes a quarterfinal berth for the Patriots (10-2), something they haven’t done since 2006.
The story of Friday night’s win was field position. In the first half, Homewood started four of its six drives in Gardendale territory. Its worst starting field position was its own 37-yard line. Gardendale (6-6), meanwhile, started four of its six drives inside its own 10-yard line, with a best starting spot of its own 26-yard line. This was due in large part to Homewood punter Lane Gilchrist.
“Teams take that for granted, but that’s what championship teams have,” said Homewood quarterback Larkin Williams. “They have all the pieces. (Lane) is so valuable and most of the time he’s overlooked. He’s a really good punter. He’s important to our team, and he flipped the field.”
Gilchrist had punts of 40, 35, 54, 25, 29, 28 and 38 yards in the game, most of which secured tough starting field position for the Rockets.
“It was huge,” Berguson said. “We kept them on a long field and we played on a short field. That was huge. His punts were just great tonight. He kept them on a long field all night, kept them pinned deep. He did a great job.”
Both of the game’s touchdowns were scored in the second quarter. Williams scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter to put Homewood on top 7-0. On Gardendale’s ensuing possession, the Rockets went for it on fourth-and-1 on a direct snap to Jacob Wright on their own 35-yard line, but they were stuffed. On the next play, Williams threw a 35-yard strike to Wesley Williams for a touchdown.
That was all the Homewood defense, which is now allowing 11.5 points per game, needed. Tobias Thomas recovered a first-half fumble and perhaps the play of the game came when Gardendale had momentum on its side. The Rockets got inside the Homewood 10-yard line but quarterback Will Crowder was intercepted in the end zone by Crawford Doyle, a play in which Doyle stopped and turned to snag the pass.
“He’s a good athlete,” Larkin Williams said. “He looks like a big bruiser guy, but he’s an athlete. I’m proud of all of them.”
Larkin Williams finished 5-of-15 passing for 97 yards and the touchdown. KeOnte Davis bled the clock for much of the game for Homewood, rushing 25 times for 69 yards. Trae Ausmer caught two passes for 47 yards.
John Firnberg registered two sacks and helped on a tackle for loss for Homewood’s defense, which allowed just 28 rushing yards in the game. Crowder, who rushed for 103 yards last week at Fort Payne, was held to minus-11 yards on 14 carries. Crowder completed 24-of-35 passes for 168 yards and an interception.
“Coach (Freddy) Lawrence is, in my opinion, the best defensive coordinator in the state,” Firnberg said. “He does a great job preparing us.”
That preparation will be intense for the next week, as Homewood watches film and gets ready for No. 1 Pinson Valley (10-1), which defeated Muscle Shoals 45-21 on Friday. Pinson Valley posted a perfect 15-0 season en route to the Class 6A state championship last year.
“We really can’t look at it as if they’re the defending state champ,” Larkin Williams said. “Our coaches tell us all the time, ‘You’ve got to play your best ball at this point in the year.’ We’re going to go out and play our best ball. Tonight, we probably didn’t play our best ball, but we were still fortunate enough to get the W.”
Homewood is 3-1 all-time against the Indians, with the last game being played in 1995. Bo Nix, the Auburn commitment, is one of the best signal-callers in the country, and he is surrounded by quality athletes on the outside and on defense. The challenge is obvious.
“It’ll be tough,” Berguson said. “Bo is a great quarterback. Every week is a one-game season now, and our goal is just to be 1-0 at the end of every week.”
Larkin Williams recognizes the talent that Pinson Valley possesses, and he said the Patriots will need their A-game to down the Indians on Black Friday.
“We’re going to have to go out and play a heck of a game to beat them,” he said. “We’re going to have to go out and outplay them.”