Despite struggling to find its rhythm on offense and letting upset-minded Pell City hang around, Homewood pulled away, earning a first-round Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) playoff win, 28-14.
After Homewood’s initial drive stalled at the Pell City 41-yard-line, the Panthers responded with an 80-yard drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by D.J. Verges late in the first quarter. With just over three minutes to play in the first quarter, Pell City held a surprising 7-0 lead over the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s fifth-ranked Patriots.
Homewood responded with a solid drive 67-yard drive finished with a three-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Kaleb Carson with 24 seconds to play in the opening frame. After one quarter of play, Homewood and Pell City were tied, 7-7.
Despite the quick responded by the Patriots’ offense, head coach Ben Berguson said the team started the game with low energy, were struggling against a solid Pell City defense, and needed a spark to gain momentum.
That spark was provided on special teams when Rodregus “Rod” Lambert blocked a punt by Pell City quarterback/punter Brody Gossett deep in Panther territory and was recovered on the three-yard-line. Carson scored on the next play, giving Homewood a 14-7 lead with 11:24 on the clock in the second quarter. More importantly, it moved the momentum in Homewood’s direction.
“I think we came out flat tonight. I took a blocked punt to get us going. When Rod blocked that punt, it gave us some juice,” said Berguson. “It wasn’t a designed play at all. We weren’t going after that ball. Rod just got through and blocked it and it gave us the jolt we needed.”
With the momentum swinging their direction, Carson led the Patriots on a 92-yard drive capped off with a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Tomon Felton. Catching the ball near the left sideline, Felton juked a couple of Panther defenders out of the jockstraps on his way to the end zone. At halftime, Homewood led 21-7.
However, Pell City wouldn’t go away.
In the third quarter, the defenses stole the shown as each team was forced to punt on their first drives of the second half. On their second drive, the Pell City offense found some success as Gossett led the Panthers on a 67-yard drive. Following a 20-yard circus-catch by receiver Mayson Dates, Verges rambled in for a 10-yard score, closing Homewood’s lead to seven points, 21-14.
Late in the third quarter, the Patriots. offense mounted another successful drive as the crew of running backs and receivers, Davis Griffin, Chappy Chapleau, Reid Goldstein, Felton, and David Welden, began to heat up. With the ball on the Pell City three-yard line and the Panthers’ defense bending, Homewood was poised to extend the lead to two touchdowns when a Carson pass was intercepted in the end zone by Ethan Isbell. However, Pell City was unable to capitalize on the turnover as the Homewood defense forced a turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter.
Clinging to a seven-point lead, the coaching staff put the ball in Carson’s hands. The senior quarterback used his legs to push the Patriots downfield and put the game away with an exciting 14-yard touchdown run, forcing several missed tackles on his way to the end the end zone, putting the game out of reach 28-14.
“That last run that Kaleb Caron had was special and that’s just how he’s been all year,” Berguson said.
Berguson said Pell City gave them one of the toughest games from a defensive standpoint all year. He added that their come-from-behind win on the road at James Clemens to close out the regular season was a good tune-up for this first-round matchup.
“I think (Pell City) has the best defensive front we’ve seen this year,” said Berguson. “They have a heck of a team, and I think they really played hard tonight.
“That was a really tough first-round draw for us. I think the game last week at James Clemens really helped us, having to fight back to win that game,” he added. “But, it’s the playoffs, anything can happen. Everybody’s good in the playoffs.”
Carson completed 21 of 27 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown while rushing 17 times for 69 yards and three scores. Senior receiver Tomon Felton had nine receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown, while Davis Griffin added 10 rushing yards and 13 receiving yards.
Overall, the Patriots finished with 284 total yards, 188 through the air and 96 on the ground. Pell City matched Homewood statistically, compiling 285 total yards, 153 rushing and 132 passing, but was hampered by 10 penalties for 90 yards and a late fumble recovered by Homewood defensive back Tate Burdshaw with just under a minute to play.
Homewood (10-1) will host Hartselle (10-1) in the second round of the AHSAA playoffs at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 14, at Waldrop Stadium.
