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Homewood got all the offense it needed from its defense.
Patriots defensive back Jacob Biles picked off a Hueytown pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown on the third snap of the game and linebacker Tobbie Taylor closed the half with a 59-yard pick 6 of his own to stake the Patriots to a big halftime lead as host Homewood posted a 45-16 pasting on Class 6A, Region 5 rival Hueytown on Friday at Waldrop Stadium.
For good measure on Senior Night, Patriots defensive lineman Wesley Butler scooped up a Golden Gopher fumble and scooted 19 yards for a third defensive score of the night early in the fourth quarter.
Taylor added another interception in the second half.
“I thought our defense played great tonight,” Patriots coach Ben Berguson said. “They scored as many points as our offense scored tonight.
“Tobbie had a big night tonight – two interceptions – the pick 6. Really proud of him.”
Taylor had a feeling he could get an interception.
“We watched a lot of film and knew they run a lot of out routes,” the senior said. “I knew I had a chance to break on one in man coverage. So I just wanted on my opportunity and I broke on the ball and went for it.”
Homewood improved to 6-2, 4-1 in the region. Hueytown fell to 4-4 and 3-3.
The defense had to make an early adjustment. Hueytown quarterback Jaden Steele had torn his rotator cuff in last week’s game and didn’t play. Steele, a dangerous run-first threat, was replaced by junior Lucas Howton, a better passer, but not nearly the running threat.
Howton’s first pass attempt found the wrong target.
Biles’ pick, just 1:42 into the game, was a similar case of jumping a route. The junior broke down the right sideline, cut back and weaved home with some help from his teammates. Roger Castro’s extra point made it 7-0.
Homewood forced a punt, and on the Patriots’ first offensive series, took it 51 yards in a hurry. A 54-yard hookup between Carson Griffis and his favorite target, Alec Marsch, was a screen that Marsch hauled all the way down to the Hueytown 4. Chestin Jones cashed it two tries later from the 1 and Castro’s PAT made it 14-0 with 5:20 left in the opening quarter.
After the Pats defense forced a three-and-out, the home team went 62 yards on seven running plays. Griffis and Derrick Underwood gained a couple of big chunks of that real estate, and Jones got his second score on a 4-yard run. Castro made it 21-0 with 1:42 left in the opening period.
It looked like the rout was on, but the Gophers tried to dig out of the hole.
Howton began to settle down and execute the short passing game and led a drive that reached the Homewood 11 before stalling. Blair Hagood booted a 28-yard field goal to get the Gophers on the board.
Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Logan Price recovered for Hueytown on the Homewood 17. Howton hooked up with Carden Mellown for a 12-yard gain on third down, and Roderick Madden scored from the 3 to give Hueytown some hope. The PAT failed, leaving Homewood ahead 21-9 with 6:37 left in the half.
Jones immediately atoned for his fumble, taking the next kick out to the Patriots 40 and then ripping off a 33-yard run. The drive stalled, but Castro banged in a 35-yard field goal to push the lead back to 24-9 with 4:30 left before half.
An exchange of punts left Hueytown in excellent field position just before half at the Homewood 41. But Taylor saw the out route coming, and his timing was perfect, breaking on the ball and breaking the backs of the Gophers with his 59-yard score. The extra point made it 31-9 with just 25.6 left in the half.
Neither team had much sustained success in the second half. The Patriots managed a 47-yard scoring drive in the latter stages of the third quarter. Griffis and Marsch connected on a 23-yard pickup to the 12. It took another six plays, but Griffis cashed it in on a scramble that took him from one side of the field to the left pylon, where he dove in to make it 38-9 with Castro’s PAT.
Taylor’s second pick ended the next Hueytown drive, but Homewood had to punt. That set the stage for Butler’s scoop-and-score and a 45-9 lead after the Pat with 11:30 left.
Reserves played out the last 10 minutes of the game and accounted for Hueytown’s only other score, when Jeran Gates recovered a fumble and took it down to the Patriots 1. Julian Powolo scored from the 1 and the PAT by Hagood made the final 45-16.
Berguson was happy to get the win, but he wasn’t completely satisfied.
“I was really disappointed in our offense,” the coach said. “We just really never had any consistency tonight. We had way too many pre-snap penalties, we’ll have to clean all that up for next week no doubt.”
Jackson-Olin is up next Thursday. Walker beat Jackson-Olin Friday night to move to 5-1 in region play, tied with the Patriots but holding the tiebreaker advantage after beating Homewood last week.
“We’ve got to win next week to keep home field advantage in the playoffs,” Berguson said.
The top four teams in the region advance to the playoff and the top two get first-round home games.
