By Loyd McIntosh
The 2025 football season came to a close for Homewood as the Patriots lost to Clay-Chalkville, 35-17, in the third round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) playoffs on Friday.
Despite two promising drives in the first quarter that could have put Homewood up by as much as two touchdowns, the wet, windy weather and stingy Cougar defense kept the Patriots out of the end zone until the third quarter.
With Homewood receiving the opening kickoff, quarterback Kaleb Carson methodically led the Patriots downfield, chewing up yardage and pushing the ball deep into Cougar territory. However, the drive stalled inside the red zone, forcing an early field goal from senior placekicker Judson Eanes. With barely four minutes played, Homewood held a slim 3-0 lead over the undefeated Cougars.
After forcing a rare three-and-out on the Cougars’ opening possession, Carson and the Patriots’ offense settled into a groove, connecting on effective passing plays to wide receiver Kam Foster and solid rushing attempts from running back Davis Griffin.
Once again, the Homewood offense was stopped deep in Clay-Chalkville territory, this time at the Cougars’ 11-yard line. However, Eanes’ field-goal attempt was blocked, and Clay-Chalkville took possession on their own 35-yard line. After two promising early drives and a chance to build a big lead over the Cougars, Homewood came away with just three points, leading 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The blocked field goal also shifted momentum in Clay-Chalkville’s favor. The Cougars, led by standouts Aarron Frye at quarterback and running back Joshua Woods, took firm control, scoring touchdowns on the next two drives. Frye capped a ten-play, 65-yard drive with a four-yard burst up the middle for the Cougars’ first score of the night to take a 7-3 lead.
With just under 30 seconds to play in the first half, Woods capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown to give Clay-Chalkville a 14-3 lead at halftime.
The Cougars, with one of the most explosive offenses in the state in all classifications, essentially put the game away on the first play of the third quarter as Frye broke through the line and bolted down the right sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. With less than 30 seconds gone in the second half, Clay-Chalkville held a commanding 21-3 lead over Homewood.
Frye added to the Cougars’ lead on a short run up the middle, pushing Clay-Chalkville’s lead to 28-3 midway through the third quarter.
Despite the setbacks, the Patriots refused to fold. Homewood scored its first touchdown at the 2:46 mark in the third quarter on a 19-yard pass play from Carson to Foster to cut the lead to 18 points, 28-10.
The Cougars ended Homewood’s comeback hopes after intercepting a Carson pass early in the fourth quarter on the Homewood 26-yard line. With excellent field position, Clay-Chalkville scored five plays later on a 1-yard plunge from Woods, pushing the lead to 35-10.
Homewood responded on its next possession with a toss from Carson to a wide-open Jackson “Chappy” Chapleau for a five-yard touchdown with 5:46 to play.
However, it was too little, too late as the Cougars ran out the clock, ending Homewood’s chances to advance to the AHSAA semifinals, 35-17.
Despite the loss, Homewood gave Clay-Chalkville its toughest game and tightest margin against a 6A opponent, 18 points, in 2025. Coming into the contest, Clay-Chalkville had outscored all 6A teams on its schedule 572-132 with an average margin of more than 40 points. They were also victorious over 7A behemoth Thompson, 28-24, in October.
Homewood finished with 273 total yards, while Clay-Chalkville racked up 417 yards. Despite the loss, several Patriots had solid performances. Carson completed 26 of 43 passing attempts for 207 yards and one touchdown. Foster led the Patriots in receiving with eight receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. He was followed by Tomon Felton with four catches for 54 yards, and David Walden with five catches for 39 yards.
The Patriots gained only 66 yards on the ground. Carson led Homewood with 26 yards on 11 carries, followed by Griffin with 22 yards on four attempts.
The Patriots close out 2025 with an impressive 11–2 record—their best season since the early 2000s, when the program captured three 5A state championships in four years. Homewood also finished a perfect 6–0 in Class 6A Region 5 and extended its playoff streak to 14 consecutive seasons.
