Photo by James Nicholas
The Homewood quarterback, Will Myers (11) lobs the ball right down the center lane for a touchdown during a game between Homewood and Mortimer Jordan High Schools on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Mortimer Jordan High School, Jimmie Trotter Stadium in Kimberly, Ala.
Homewood High School will be making a 13th consecutive playoff appearance this fall.
That stretch encompasses all of head coach Ben Berguson’s tenure to this point, as he will lead the Patriots to the postseason for the 11th fall in a row.
Twice in that stretch, Homewood has made it to the third round of the playoffs. After one of those appearances in 2022, the Patriots lost a star quarterback in Woods Ray, along with many other veteran standouts.
The Patriots knew the start of the 2023 campaign would be full of growing pains, but they did not anticipate starting with three straight losses to open the season.
But new starting quarterback Will Myers and the Patriots stayed the course and continued to improve throughout the year. They followed that streak with five straight wins and kept the program’s playoff streak alive.
“We really didn’t have any experience last year at the start of the year, so it was tough those first few games,” Myers said in an appearance on the “Under the Lights” podcast presented by SYNLawn Alabama. “Winning five in a row like we did, that obviously built a lot of confidence for our whole team.”
The lead-up into the 2024 season had the opposite feeling for Homewood. Expectations were high. Many of the previous fall’s standouts were back and ready to be a force in Class 6A, Region 5. Myers said the team’s confidence is “through the roof.”
Experience, coaching and the players’ camaraderie are among the reasons Myers says that.
“They all make my job easy,” Myers said of his teammates. “We’re all friends off the field, too. You see us making plays and being happy with each other, but that doesn’t stop off the field.”
Off the field, Myers has had some of the guys at his house for pizza and to watch the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” He’s a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, for what it’s worth.
Myers is the type of quarterback who can beat teams multiple ways. Against Mortimer Jordan, he threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns. But against Briarwood, he ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. While his versatility is a threat, he has a running back in Evan Ausmer — who has had an electric season of his own — and an offensive line that protects him well.
“Some cases, you have teams where the quarterback has to do it all, he has to run and he has to throw,” Myers said. “For our team, I can not run a single time the whole game and we can win easily. I can hand it off to Evan, or I can throw it.”
Berguson said he loves the relationship Myers has with offensive coordinator Heath Brunner and first-year quarterback coach Larkin Williams, a former Patriots QB himself.
“I grew up watching him, I was a big fan,” Myers said of Williams, who started for Homewood from 2016 to 2018. “He’s a great dude, and he brings excitement to our team.”
The state playoffs begin Nov. 8 and continue each week until the Super 7 Championships Dec. 4-6. The Super 7 will be held in Birmingham at Protective Stadium this year.
