1 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB Will Myers (11) looks for pass in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
2 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB Will Myers (11) runs ball in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
3 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Lines set up in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
4 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB WIll Myers (11) runs free to two cheering band members in the endzone in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
5 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood K Whit Armistead (26) makes field goal in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
6 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Briarwood's OL Garrett Witherington (90) takes down RB Evan Ausmer (2) of Homewood in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
7 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
RB Evan Ausmer (2) of Homewood runs the ball against Briarwood's OL Garrett Witherington (90) in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
8 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB Will Myers (11) catches snap in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
9 of 24
Briarwood wide receiver John Paul Harbor (17) runs from a tackle during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
10 of 24
11 of 24
The Homewood football team celebrates a win after a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
12 of 24
Briarwood students watch their team during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
13 of 24
14 of 24
Briarwood defensive lineman Garrett Witherington (90) waits for the snap during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
15 of 24
Briarwood running back Jackson Reyer (39) is forced out of bounds by a group of Homewood Patriots during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
16 of 24
Homewood quarterback Will Myers (11) runs with the ball during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
17 of 24
A pride of Briarwood Lions tackle the Homewood ball carrier during a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
18 of 24
Homewood runs onto the field before a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
19 of 24
Homewood captains Will Myers (11), Maleik Smiley (5), Luke Berguson (9), and Evan Ausmer (2) get ready for the coin toss before a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
20 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB Will Myers (11) seeks to make a pass in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
21 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood OL Walker Williams (61) adjusts mask in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
22 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
Homewood QB Will Myers (11) makes a pass in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
23 of 24
Savannah Schmidt
K Will Armistead (26) of Homewood sets up for field goal in the Homewood vs Briarwood FB game at Waldrop Stadium on August 30, 2024. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
24 of 24
Homewood warms up before a game between the Briarwood Lions and the Homewood Patriots at Waldrop Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Richard Force.
Homewood High School couldn’t sustain drives against Briarwood Christian School on Friday night, but the Patriots will always have the second quarter.
Homewood scored on three consecutive second-quarter possessions to break a 7-7 tie and run away with a 28-7 win at Waldrop Stadium.
“I’m proud of the guys,” said Homewood head coach Ben Berguson. “Will Myers had a big night. Kylen Newell had some big grabs. But we’ve still got to get where we sustain drives.”
Knotted 7-7 entering the second quarter, the Patriots (2-0) made their mark. Running back Evan Ausmer capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Myers then bolted free for a 55-yard score and two minutes later broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots a 28-7 halftime advantage.
Neither team scored in the second half.
“The third quarter has not been kind to us two weeks in a row,” Berguson said. “We pretty much self-destruct in the second half. Way too many penalties.”
For Homewood, Myers finished 13-of-17 for 131 yards. In addition to the two second-quarter touchdowns, he rushed for a 5-yard score for the game’s first points midway through the first quarter. He finished with 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns on seven carries. Briarwood Christian (0-2) answered on the third play of the second quarter when quarterback Charles Dedmon threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Dane Whitehead.
Ausmer finished the night with 31 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Newell caught five passes for 81 yards, while Kaleb Carson hauled in six passes for 43 yards. John Griffin intercepted a pass for the Patriots.
For the Lions, Dedmon finished 5-of-9 for 101 yards and a touchdown. Brayden Robertson quarterbacked as well, finishing 6-of-9 for 45 yards and an interception. Running back Eli Thompson gained 19 yards on 11 carries, while Jackson Reyer rushed seven times for 15 yards. Whitehead finished with three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
“I think Homewood has got a really good team,” said Briarwood Christian head coach Matthew Forester. “You boil it down. Why did we have trouble running the ball? Because they have a good front seven. We’re going to get better. We’re going to learn.”
Homewood hits the road for Mortimer Jordan to begin Class 6A, Region 5 play next week.
“I’m ready to get into region play,” Berguson said. “We just have a bad taste in our mouth from last year, and we’re ready to roll.”
Briarwood Christian begins Class 5A, Region 5 play against Ramsay in its home opener. The last time the Lions started 0-2 was 2019, when they reeled off 11 straight wins and reached the Class 5A semifinals.
“We put it all together and we had a nice little run,” Forester said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Click here to sign up for our Under the Lights newsletter and follow us on social media.
Click here to view and purchase photos from this week's games.
