Photo courtesy of Scott Butler
Homewood quarterback Woods Ray throws a pass during a game agaisnt Briarwood on Oct. 21, 2022.
HOMEWOOD — On Friday night, the Homewood High School football team put the finishing touches on a perfect region run.
One week after securing the Class 6A, Region 3 title, Homewood (7-2, 6-0 in region) looked razor-sharp in a 34-10 home win over Briarwood (3-6, 1-5). The victory bumps the Patriots to 6-0 in league play, earning them their first undefeated region season since 2017.
“This program really needed that to get back to where we were just a few years ago, and hopefully we can make some noise in the playoffs,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said.
Homewood will host the No. 4 seed coming out of Region 4 in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 4. Next week, the Patriots will finish up the regular season at Jasper.
Whether it be next week in the regular season finale or the following week in the playoffs, Homewood hopes to get similar quarterback play from Woods Ray. The senior was spot-on Friday night in Waldrop Stadium, connecting on 23 of his 28 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns.
He kicked the Patriots offense into gear with three TD passes to three different receivers in the second quarter. He started with a 6-yard toss into the corner, where Charlie Reeves cradled it for a 7-0 lead with 9:08 remaining in the second.
On the following Homewood drive, Ray threw it on four consecutive plays and capped the 84-yard march off with a 69-yard pass to Hunter Drake, who looked in the short pitch, shook free from a tackle and charged down the home sideline for a 14-7 advantage.
Ray ended his half with a 30-yard TD strike to Jackson Parris. That drive was set up by a Parker Sansing interception at the goal line. Homewood went to halftime with a 20-7 lead.
However, the Pats were a little shaky coming out of the break, allowing a blocked punt, which set Briarwood up at the Homewood 23-yard line. It would be a squandered opportunity for the Lions after sophomore quarterback Will Clark fired a pick-six to Patriots senior Owen Isenhower on the second play of the drive.
“I was really proud of Owen Isenhower getting our momentum back with a huge pick-six,” said Berguson. “Everything’s about momentum this time of year, so we can’t afford, this late in the year, to have a letdown. I thought we played really well.”
Offensively, Homewood was spurred by a trio of receivers: Parris (10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown), Reeves (five receptions for 52 yards and two scores) and Drake (three receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown). The Patriots totaled 356 yards of offense while holding Briarwood to 226.
The Lions only touchdown came midway through the second quarter when Clark hit Ben McNulty for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The connection evened the score at 7-all, but Briarwood would not score again until the closing seconds of the fourth when Aidan Punch connected on a 21-yard field goal.
Briarwood will bring its season to a close next week at home against Fairhope.
