Patriots fall, still advance to playoffs
HOMEWOOD -- A last-second heave for the end zone came up incomplete for the Homewood High School football team in a 10-7 loss to Pelham, but the Patriots are still going to the Class 6A playoffs.
Homewood (5-5) finished in a three-way tie with Chelsea and Shades Valley, all of which were 3-3 in Region 5 play, but the Patriots benefitted from early-season wins over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Vestavia Hills out of region. The teams Homewood defeated there had more combined wins than those of Chelsea and Shades Valley, and Chelsea’s loss to Calera on Thursday clinched the Patriots’ spot as the No. 3 seed.
Homewood will travel to Arab next week to open up the playoffs.
“I really think we’re playing hard,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said. “We’ve just had so many injuries. If we get a couple of guys back, we may make a little run here.”
One of the injured players was quarterback Woods Ray, who was held out with a high ankle sprain until the very end. But his fourth-down pass from the 28 intended for J.C. Daniel down the right sideline was well-covered by Pelham’s Jylen Tate.
Sophomore Harris Fowlkes started at quarterback, but he was lifted late in the third quarter for senior Brian Condon and then the Patriots started to rally. Pelham led 3-0 at halftime and 10-0 after one third-quarter play on Gabe Gamble’s 68-yard run, but Homewood finally got in the end zone on a 63-yard drive led by Condon and ending with a 3-yard touchdown run from Aron Marsch on a direct snap with 6:49 left.
Pelham’s Gamble then went 57 yards on a fourth and 1 down to the 2, but a false start pushed the Panthers (7-3) back. On third and goal from the 9, Homewood’s Carter Ingle dove and intercepted a tipped ball at the 1-yard line.
That meant the Patriots had to go 99 yards with 3:11 left. Condon led the Patriots to the Pelham 43, sparked by completions to Harvey Ray and Marsch, and Woods Ray came in with 38 seconds left.
“We had a lot of confidence in Harris all week,” Berguson said. “Late in the third quarter, we tried to get a little spark by putting Brian Condon in. At the end when we saw we had an opportunity to win the game, we said, ‘Let’s sneak Woods out there and see if we can win it with a touchdown pass.’”
The ankle sprain hindered Ray’s ability to scramble, so he could only drop back. He completed just 1-of-7 passes for 15 yards to Marsch down to the 28. The Patriots thought about trying a 46-yard field goal to tie it, but instead elected to go for the win.
“He’s just limited on mobility right now,” Berguson said. “We were in good field position so we thought we’d take a couple of shots at the end zone. Hopefully we’ll get him back next week and have him pretty healthy.”
Berguson also said he hoped to have receiver Jackson Parris, who has been out for several weeks, back from injury for the playoffs.
Condon completed 7-of-9 passes for 72 yards. Listed as a defensive back, he played some quarterback as a sophomore for the Patriots and practiced this week at the position. Fowkles was 5-of-8 for 33 yards with the two interceptions. Marsch caught seven passes for 76 yards and Mondrell Odell rushed 14 times for 82 yards.
Pelham’s Gamble rushed for 193 yards and the touchdown on 18 carries.
“We just missed on a couple of opportunities,” Berguson said. “I thought our defense was outstanding tonight other than a couple of big plays.”