By Loyd McIntosh Photos by Jordan Wald
The milestones keep on coming for Homewood High School football.
With their win over Ramsay on October 23, the Patriots secured back-to-back region championships for the first time since winning three straight from 2012-2014. Additionally, this is the first time Ben Berguson has achieved consecutive region titles, giving him five overall since being promoted to head coach in 2014.
Berguson says the 2026 season was something of a question mark after graduating 30 seniors from last year’s squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) playoffs in 2025. While the 2026 Patriots squad is younger and had to replace standouts like quarterback Kaleb Carson
and wide receiver Tomon Felton, Berguson says the group gelled early and established its own identity.
“It was a little bit unexpected this year because we went from 30 to 19 seniors, but what’s really cool is to see 92 players united by one common goal, and when everyone buys in, special things happen,” says Berguson. “It all goes back to our football culture. Success breeds success, and once you get a taste of winning, all you want to do is keep winning. They’re not afraid of anyone. They think they can beat anybody on any given Friday night.”
The Patriots have benefitted from many new players stepping into larger roles, including freshman Cyn’mauree DeBruce and senior Jackson “Chappy” Chapleau, who have evolved into a solid tandem at running back leading the Homewood rushing attack. Junior wide receiver Beckham Newell has also emerged as a major offensive weapon, closing in on 1,000 receiving yards this season. Additionally, quarterback Jack Myers is having a solid season, completing 59 of 99 attempts for 776 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The big question mark for the Patriots’ offense is the status of junior Reid Goldstein, a dynamic all-around athlete for whom Berguson and the coaching staff had high hopes. Goldstein has been hampered by a nagging hamstring injury, missing the first two games of the season and hasn’t seen action since the Patriots’ win over Pelham on September 11. He was also a major factor in Homewood’s victory over Mountain Brook on September 4, Berguson’s first win over the Spartans as head coach.
Berguson adds that the coaching staff hopes to have Goldstein back for the playoffs. “Reid basically beat Mountain Brook by himself,” says Berguson. “He played a couple of series in the Pelham game, but he pulled his hamstring again, and we haven’t had him back since. We’re trying to get him back for the playoffs because he’s a difference maker. Our big goal right now is to get him healthy for us to make the kind of playoff run we want to make.”
Defensively, Berguson has been impressed with his front seven, led by senior nose guard Dennis White, Jr., whom Berguson believes is one of the most difficult linemen to block in Alabama. Senior Major Moorer is also having a standout season, and junior defensive lineman Cannon Tutor has led the Patriots in tackles in multiple games. Sophomore Jakari Haynes has provided additional depth up front, and senior Rodregus Lambert has excelled following a move from defensive end to linebacker.
Berguson says the secondary has also been impressive, with junior Michael Luckianow, junior Quincy McGhee and sophomore Caalab Thomas forming a talented rotation at cornerback.
Another uncertainty coming into the 2026 season was the AHSAA realignment, which moved Homewood from 6A to 5A and into a region with a slew of new teams, including Mountain Brook, Pelham, Helena and Ramsay. On paper, the schedule looked daunting.
However, since a surprising non-region loss to Briarwood Christian in the second week of the season, Homewood has won eight games in a row, including seven straight region wins, and has outscored its opponents 261-72. Along the way, the Patriots easily handled a pair of solid five-win region foes, Pelham and Helena, notched comfortable wins over Mountain Brook and Calera and shut out Chelsea and Chilton County.
The only true test came during Homewood’s final region game of the year, a 10-7 defensive slugfest against Ramsay, state champions in 2016 (6A) and 2022 (5A). Homewood sealed the deal on a 42-yard field goal by Jozy Hicks, capping a perfect 7-0 record in 5A Region 4 and, more importantly, getting a wake-up call going into the AHSAA playoffs.
“We really needed that,” Berguson says. “Ramsay had a heck of a defense. I think that’s the best defense I’ve seen in a few
years. I could see them making some noise in the playoffs just for that defense alone. We needed to get punched in the mouth and have to fight to win a game, because we haven’t seen that all year, and that’s the way the playoffs are going to be.”
Homewood beat non-region opponent Oak Mountain 24-15 in their last regular season game on October 30 and beat Theodore 36-14 on November 6 in the opening round of the AHSAA playoff. Homewood will host Pike Road on November 13 in the 2nd round of playoffs.
