Homewood had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They walked away with a 31-24 win over the Athens Golden Eagles on Friday. The Patriots have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Golden Eagles, too.
Kaleb Carson was a one-man wrecking crew for Homewood as he rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 174 yards and a touchdown. Those 102 rushing yards gave Carson a new career-high. Homewood also got a significant boost from Evan Ausmer, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 91 yards.
Homewood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Athens only rushed for 131.
When it comes to explaining why Athens lost, don't look at Brogan Gross. Despite the final result, he rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on only five carries, and also threw for 195 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Xavier Edwards, who gained 135 total yards and a touchdown.
The victory was the third in a row for Homewood, bringing their record for this year to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.3 points per game. As for Athens, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 8-3.
Homewood will challenge Fort Payne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fort Payne is coming into the match with four straight wins on the road, so Homewood will have to stop a team with plenty of momentum. Athens does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
