By Loyd McIntosh
It wasn’t pretty at times, but it’s a win.
The Homewood Patriots overcame sluggish first half on offense, uncharacteristic mistakes, and a costly turnover, rallying to beat the Hartselle Tigers, 31-24, in the second round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Friday at Waldrop Stadium.
In the end, Homewood quarterback Kaleb Carson had another stellar outing in spite of a rough start, scoring three rushing touchdowns, throwing for one score, and converting two key fourth downs to keep the Patriots’ hopes alive.
“We never could get into any kind of rhythm tonight, really, because we didn’t win first down. But that win came off of Kaleb Carson’s athleticism, and his ability to scramble and make big plays,” said Homewood head coach Ben Berguson.
Homewood’s initial drive started out promising as Carson spread the ball around playmakers Davis Griffin and Tomom Felton for productive gains. On the fourth play of the game, Carson hit receiver Kam Foster over the middle for a 36-yard gain to the Hartselle 19-yard line. However, the Tigers’ defense held strong as the Patriots settled for a 30-yard field goal by Judson Eanes. With 8:19 to play in the opening quarter, Homewood held a 3-0 lead over Hartselle.
Hartselle responded with a methodical seven-minute, 65-yard drive capped by a seven-yard jump pass from quarterback Carter Lee to a wide-open fullback Ethan Haynes. With 1:36 to play in the first quarter, Hartselle was up 7-3.
On Homewood’s next possession, the Homewood offense started to sputter. After two incomplete passes, Carson fumbled while scrambling to avoid being sacked, giving Hartselle excellent field possession at the Patriots’ 24-yard line. The Homewood defense stepped up, avoiding complete disaster, forcing the Tigers to a 40-yard field goal and holding the lead to seven points, 10-3.
Homewood’s next drive was again less than sharp as incompletions and multiple penalties forced Homewood to punt. Regaining possession with four minutes to play in the half, Homewood managed to put together a promising drive. Carson kept the drive alive with an 11-yard run on fourth down and one from Homewood’s 47.
With no timeouts and time running off the clock, Carson connected with Griffin for 16 yards, putting the ball on the Hartselle four-yard line. Hustling to get one more play before the end of the quarter, Carson darted up the middle for his first of three rushing touchdowns of the night as time expired, knotted the game 10-10 at halftime.
Hartselle snagged the momentum right back, taking just five plays to retake the lead, 17-10, with barely two minutes played in the third quarter.
Homewood started their next possession with excellent field position after recovering an onside kick attempt by Hartselle. Still, the offense struggled, as Carson tossed three incomplete passes in a row, bringing up fourth-and-ten from the Hartselle 23-yard line. With the game – and the season – on the line, Berguson rolled the dice.
With the pocket quickly collapsing, Carson scrambled to his right, wheeled to his left, and found Chappy Chapleau open on the Hartselle three-yard line. Carson took the ball up the gut on the next play to pull Homewood to a 17-17 tie.
Even with his early struggles, Berguson trusted Carson to come through in the clutch. “It was a little too long for a field goal, and I thought ‘we need to go for it,’” Berguson said.
“Everything just broke down,” Carson said. “Coach tells me every week, ‘go be a player if everything breaks down, and that’s what I did.”
On the ensuing Hartselle drive, Homewood grabbed the momentum for good when Joey Luckianow stripped the ball from Lee and recovered the fumble deep in Hartselle territory. Carson wasted no time taking advantage of the turnover, galloping for a 16-yard touchdown run on the next play to give the Patriots their first lead, 24-17, midway through the third quarter.
“That strip sack by Joey Luckianow changed everything right there,” Berguson said.
Homewood pushed the lead to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter when Carson connected with Felton on fourth-and-two for a 33-yard score with 7:56 to play in the game, 31-17.
Hartselle answered with a score at the 4:41 mark in the fourth to pull within seven, 31-24. However, Carson, his mojo back and working, ran the ball on all but one snap on the ensuing drive to run the clock out. Final score, Homewood 31, Hartselle 24.
Despite his early struggles, when the game is on the line, the game plan is the same – get the ball in Carson’s hands and let him cook.
“I take responsibility for that. My wide receivers were getting open, and I just couldn’t throw the ball to them tonight,” Carson said. “But they believe in me, and I had confidence all throughout the game, and I knew that we were going to get going.”
“At the end of the day, it comes down to Kaleb Carson,” Berguson said. “That’s a very good Hartselle football team. Very physical. I thought they did a great job tonight.
Homewood (11-1) advances to the semifinals of the AHSAA playoffs and will travel to Clay to face Clay-Chalkville on Friday, November 21.
