Patriots, Cavs wrap up seasons
The Homewood High School football team started the season slow, but a strong finish propelled the Patriots to a Class 6A state playoff berth for the eighth year in a row.
Homewood ended the season with a 4-7 overall record after falling to Pinson Valley in the playoffs’ first round Nov. 8.
The Patriots could not get anything going against the Indians in a 42-7 loss, but Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said his team played hard.
“I thought we played with great effort,” he said. “We had great effort; we were just outmanned.”
Homewood started the season 1-5, with losses to non-region foes Hueytown and Vestavia Hills in the first two weeks. The Patriots started 6A, Region 5 play with a convincing win over Pelham, but close losses set Homewood back.
Region champion Helena edged out Homewood 28-24 on Sept. 13. Homewood then dropped a non-region game to Center Point by only one point. Homewood’s slide continued with a shutout loss to region runner-up Minor. Homewood sat at 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the region with only four games remaining on the schedule.
The Patriots made the most of their opportunities late in the season, rattling off three region wins in a row over Chelsea, Carver and Jackson-Olin to earn a spot in the playoffs. Homewood dropped its regular season finale at Paul Bryant before falling at Pinson Valley.
As for the John Carroll Catholic High School football team, they too have turned their eyes toward 2020. The Cavaliers started hot with two wins to begin the season, but some close losses and a tough region left them at 2-8 once the season ended.
John Carroll head coach Logan Colafrancesco said his team was a lot closer than most people think to being .500.
“Seems like every game we turn the ball over three or four times when we get some momentum,” he said. “It kills our drive. That’s the difference between 2-8 and 5-5. We’re closer than we think. We have to eliminate some of the fumbles and mistakes.”
John Carroll beat Saint Clair County to open the season and then proceeded to knock off Leeds in double overtime to improve to 2-0. John Carroll trailed by six points with 1:39 left to play in the game against Leeds before making a goal-line stand on a two-point play to earn the 34-33 win.
After the hot start, John Carroll started to decline as 5A, Region 4 play started. John Carroll fell to Fairfield and Parker to drop to 2-2 on then let two games slip away against Woodlawn and non-region opponent Fultondale.
The Cavs led Woodlawn 7-0 before allowing 12 unanswered points to lose a heartbreaker. John Carroll also lost sophomore Aaron Mason for the season during the contest.
After the loss, John Carroll tried to secure a win on its homecoming, but another close loss to Fultondale doomed the Cavs. John Carroll came back from a 14-point halftime deficit to tie the game but missed an extra point in overtime. Fultondale took advantage of the mistake and scored while hitting the extra point to win.
John Carroll ended up losing the last four games to Briarwood, Pleasant Grove, Wenonah and Ramsay to finish 0-7 in the region. The Cavs doubled their win total from last season, but Colafrancesco said his team is ready to start competing atop of the region.
“They didn’t quit,” he said. “We lost three games by a total of eight points. Your record says what you are, but it doesn’t define these kids. These kids are resilient and work their tails off. They’ll be back in the offseason ready to go.”