Sarah Finnegan
Homewood Football
Homewood's Nick McCoy (2) hurdles a defender in a game between Parker and Homewood on Friday, September 2, 2016, at Waldrop Stadium in Homewood, Alabama.
There were certainly positives to take away from Homewood's 25-21 loss to Parker last week.
The Patriots jumped out to an early lead behind a strong running attack and even stronger defensive play, as Chestin Jones had 54 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense had forced two safeties and given up just one first down.
Unsurprisingly, Homewood held an 18-7 lead.
The lead evaporated, but the Patriots fought back to reclaim the lead. Facing third-and-21 from his own 40, Jones slashed through the core of Parker’s defense, barreled through a cornerback-turned-bowling pin and scampered down the right sideline for a 60-yard TD. The score gave Homewood a 25-21 lead.
Also along the line of positives, the quarterbacks seem to be growing more comfortable in their roles.
Ty Hatcher and Larkin Williams continued to share time at quarterback, as the two swapped signal-calling duties every two drives. Hatcher started the game and went 6-of-9 passing for 34 yards. Williams went 10-of-16 passing for 89 yards.
Head coach Ben Berguson's postgame comments indicated that he realized that Jackson-Olin would be no slouch in the Patriots' second Class 6A, Region 5 contest.
The Mustangs destroyed Woodlawn and Central-Tuscaloosa in the season's first two weeks, and had last week off to prepare for the Patriots.
Homewood has defeated Jackson-Olin all six times the programs have met, including a 27-3 win last fall.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jackson-Olin on Friday.
