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Sarah Finnegan
Trae Ausmer (9) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Len Irvine (3) receives a pass during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Trae Ausmer (9) and Lucas Padgett (71) celebrate a touchdown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriots take to the field during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Homewood team captains Kameron Gaines (7), Trae Ausmer (9), Brody Butler (49) and Pate Owen (18) take to the field during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Brody Butler (49) tackles Hueytown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Pate Owen (18) hands off the ball to KeOnte Davis (1) during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Charlie Goode (11) tackles Hueytown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Len Irvine (3) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Darrius Hentley (17) and Gabe Madden (20) tackle Hueytown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Pate Owen (18) gets tackled during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
J'veon Snow (33) breaks up a pass during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Cameron Green (13) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Gabe Madden (20) and Kameron Gaines (7) tackle a Hueytown player during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Jackson Lindsey (41) tackles Hueytown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Trae Ausmer (9) dives for a pass during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Aron Marsch (10) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Trae Ausmer (9) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Players hold up four fingers to signal the start of the fourth quarter during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Pate Owen (18) looks for an open teammate during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
KeOnte Davis (1) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Trae Ausmer (9) runs the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Kameron Gaines (7) and Cameron Humes (28) tackle a Hueytown player during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Trae Ausmer (9) leaps for a pass during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
D.J. Parker (55) and Pate Owen (18) celebrate a touchdown during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Pate Owen (18) passes the ball during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
Pate Owen (18) runs the ball into the endzone during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
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Sarah Finnegan
Homewood VS Hueytown Football 2019
The Homewood Patriot Marching Band performs during a game between Hueytown and Homewood on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood.
HOMEWOOD – The Patriots left too many points on the field in the season opener, and it came back to bite them.
On Thursday night, the Homewood High School football team fell to Hueytown 32-19 at Waldrop Stadium, despite outgaining the visiting Golden Gophers by more than 100 yards.
“Too many missed opportunities,” Homewood head coach Ben Berguson said following the game. “We’ve got to score when we get in the red zone.”
Berguson pointed to four occasions throughout the game Homewood (0-1) entered the red zone inside the Hueytown 20-yard line. Out of those four instances, the Patriots came away with just three total points on a Nic Burczyk 21-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Despite the failure to cash in on multiple possessions, the Patriots had their chances. It was a one-possession game with 4:37 remaining on the game clock, when Homewood quarterback Pate Owen hit Trae Ausmer down the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. The score cut the Patriots' deficit to 26-19, but disaster struck on Hueytown’s next play.
On the first snap of the ensuing drive, with Homewood needing a quick stop to get the ball back, Hueytown (1-0) star running back Roydell Williams broke loose straight up the middle and ran 73 yards for the final score of the contest.
“I thought we did a good job keeping Roydell at bay until four minutes left to go in the game, but he’s a big time player,” Berguson said.
Williams, an Alabama commit, accounted for three touchdowns on the evening, opening the scoring in the first quarter on a 2-yard run and taking a swing pass 44 yards to pay dirt in the second quarter. He finished the night with 147 yards rushing and 57 yards receiving.
Homewood got a solid game from Owen, who made his second career start as the signal-caller. He eluded pressure much of the night and rushed for 109 yards, while also completing 25-of-40 passes for 236 yards. He scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown in the first quarter to go along with his late throwing score to Ausmer.
“I thought Pate did a great job tonight, staying in the pocket, because he had an awful lot of pressure and he made some great throws with the pressure,” Berguson said.
Ausmer finished with 92 yards on 11 catches, while Len Irvine caught seven balls for 80 yards.
Homewood’s defense returned just one starter from last year’s dominant unit, but the Patriots held their own against the Golden Gophers, limiting them to just 164 total yards before Williams’ game-breaking run.
Hueytown’s Alex Young completed 13-of-21 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns.
Berguson refused to use the team’s youth and inexperience as an excuse, even with it being the season’s first contest. The Patriots are back at home next week to take on longtime rival Vestavia Hills. The Rebels knocked off Homewood 17-10 on a late interception last fall.
“We’ve got to regroup here and get ready for a big game next week against Vestavia,” Berguson said.
Click here to purchase photos from the game.
