Photo by Dan Starnes
Derrick Underwood breaks loose on a 62-yard touchdown run against Pelham.
The Homewood Patriots hit the road to North Shelby County for their first away game of the season when they take on Briarwood Christian on Friday.
The Patriots (2-1, 1-0 Class 6A, Region 5) bounced back from a tough loss to Vestavia Hills to pound Pelham 54-20 in the region opener.
“We played with great effort,” said Patriots coach Ben Berguson. “I was really happy with how we responded. The old Homewood showed up this past week.”
The Patriots entered game week nicked up after the 41-7 loss to the Rebels. Both quarterback Carson Griffis and running back Derrick Underwood had injured wrists.
It didn’t show.
Griffis was 14-of-23 passing for 251 yards and four touchdowns. Underwood rushed 16 times for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns and racked up 187 all-purpose yards.
Alec Marsch hauled in two of Griffis’ TD passes, ending the night with four catches for 117 yards.
Briarwood Christian (0-2, 0-1) dropped its second straight game when the Lions lost at Jackson-Olin last Thursday 26-20.
“We’ve beaten Briarwood three in a row, but this is definitely the biggest rivalry game in the region,” Berguson said. “Our secondary will be tested this week because they throw it and throw it and throw it.”
William Gray has stepped in as starting quarterback this season after Walker Lott transferred to Thompson. Berguson said he is impressed with him.
“He can really throw it. Hopefully our secondary can step up to the challenge.”
Defensively, nose tackle Everett Badeaux is a player that impressed Berguson after he watched Briarwood film.
He knows the Patriots will be in for a fight.
“They need to win a region game. Their backs are against the wall and I think they’ll give us a great game.”
Against Pelham, Homewood ran some two-back sets. Nick McCoy had a good game as a complement to Underwood, but the Patriots have another running back who’ll get into the mix this Friday.
Chestin Jones, who attended Homewood up to the ninth grade before transferring to Center Point, enrolled in school and has become eligible.
Berguson said he’s excited about what Jones, who is a 5-foot-9, 190-pound junior, brings to the team.
“We knew about him [when he attended Homewood], but he’s become something special. He’s an explosive runner. Very physical, good speed. He’s got big-play potential, and we think he will complement Derrick Underwood. We’ll showcase them at the same time in some two-back sets. And we can do things with Derrick like move him into the slot, because he’s got such soft hands and is a great receiver.”
Homewood holds a 9-4 lead in the series.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Lions Pride Stadium.
The Patriots return home to face John Carroll Catholic for homecoming next Friday.
