By Loyd McIntosh
HOMEWOOD—Homewood’s offense exploded for multiple big plays as the Patriots defeated rival Mountain Brook, 33-13, in an important region matchup Friday at Waldrop Stadium.
Unlike last year’s crazy finish, there would be no last-second win for Mountain Brook as the Patriots’ defense shut down a second-half surge, securing Homewood’s first win over the Spartans since 2009.
“I like the effort we played with. I felt like we controlled the line of scrimmage tonight. We didn’t do that last week against Briarwood,” said Homewood Head Coach Ben Berguson. “It’s nice to get that first region win over a really good Mountain Brook football team.”
The game was also a coming-out party for all-around athlete Reid Goldstein, who missed the first two weeks of the season with a sore hamstring. Goldstein had a monster night, racking up 164 yards and three touchdowns, including a 46-yard scoring run in the second quarter and a 42-yard backbreaker in the fourth quarter to ice the game for Homewood.
“I think the story of the night is Reid Goldstein. I wish we had had him last week,” said Berguson. “He’s a gifted athlete. He’s probably the best athlete in our school, and I’m glad he made his appearance tonight. He’s back and healthy, and I wish we would have had him last week.”
Homewood continued their two-quarterback system, typically rotating senior Jack Myers and junior Timothy Roshell every other series. Myers got the nod to start the game and led the Patriots on an efficient 80-yard drive, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown toss to Kam Foster. The extra point was blocked, giving Homewood a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Mountain Brook answered on their second possession as sophomore running back Butler Teague found open space down the left sideline for a score. The extra point was blocked, knotting the score at 6-6 with 10:29 to play in the first half.
Homewood regained the lead on their next series as Goldstein blasted through the line for a 46-yard gallop on fourth-and-two, the first of his three touchdowns. This time, the extra point was successful, giving the Patriots a 13-6 lead with 7:51 to play in the second quarter.
The Patriots scored again on their next possession on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Roshell to Beckham Newell. Homewood held a 20-6 lead at halftime.
The second half belonged to Goldstein, who scored on a four-yard run set up by a roughing-the-kicker penalty on Mountain Brook, one of seven costly infractions on the night. Once again, the extra point was blocked, giving Homewood a 26-6 lead midway through the third quarter.
Mountain Brook cut the lead to 13 points after quarterback Pruet James scored on a six-yard touchdown run at the 8:30 mark in the fourth quarter.
However, Goldstein iced the game for the Patriots on a 42-yard score from the wildcat formation, his third touchdown of the game. Final score: Homewood 33, Mountain Brook 13.
“It felt really good. Our team played so well, and our line dominated them. I was going five yards every single play,” said Goldstein. “Kudos to our O-line!”
Berguson also highlighted the Patriots’ defense that registered four sacks and forced two interceptions, both by Kaleb Thomas.
“Coach (Freddy) Lawrence has them ready to play every Friday night,” said Berguson. “I thought our defense played lights out tonight, and I thought they did last week. Kaleb Thomas had two interceptions tonight, which was huge.”
While Mountain Brook kept the game close for a quarter and a half, penalties and turnovers sank their chances to beat Homewood for the second year in a row.
“When you have that many penalties, you’re going to have a hard time overcoming that,” said Yeager. “We’ve got to learn to block with our hands inside; we’ve got to learn to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
“It’s just going back to fundamentals. There’s nothing earth-shattering schematically,” Yeager added. “We’ve got to continue to work on that and grow, and try to get better.”
Mountain Brook has a short week to prepare for another key region matchup with Helena on Thursday. Yeager said that with the compressed time frame, the Spartans need to shake off the loss and prepare for the Huskies quickly.
“The only thing we can do is learn from this game, move on to the next one, and do the best we can to prepare,” said Yeager.
The victory was significant for Homewood, as it ended a six-game losing streak to Mountain Brook and was Berguson’s first win over the Spartans. Despite their geographic proximity and cultural connections, Mountain Brook and Homewood don’t play that often, meeting only six times since 1999.
However, the Alabama High School Athletic Association reclassification ahead of the 2026 season put Homewood and Mountain Brook in the same region for the first time since 2021. Mountain Brook still leads the series, 22-16, dating back to their first meeting in 1972.
Homewood had 396 total yards, 160 passing, and 236 rushing. Roshell completed 3 of 5 passes for 84 yards, while Myers went 8-for-11 for 76 yards. Newell led the Patriots in receiving with five catches for 86 yards, followed by Foster with three receptions for 43 yards.
Goldstein was the leading rusher with 162 yards on 12 carries, followed by Chappy Chapleau with 45 yards on nine carries.
Mountain Brook was held to 229 total yards on the night. James completed 13 of 22 attempts for 161 yards, including a 63-yard pass to John Colvin, but had two interceptions. Colvin led all Spartans’ receivers with seven catches for 112 yards, followed by Archie Andrews with 44 yards on five receptions. Teague led the team in rushing with 36 yards on 12 carries.
Mountain Brook (1-2, 0-1) hosts Helena on Thursday, September 10, while Homewood (2-1, 1-0) travels to Pelham on Friday, September 11.
