ARAB, Ala. — The Arabian Knights were back home to host the Homewood Patriots Friday night in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs but unfortunately for the Arab fans in the crowd, it was all Homewood from the start and the Knights’ season ended with a 42-14 loss to the Patriots.
Homewood got the ball to start out the game and behind their running game, they gave Arab fits as they had gains of 11 and 17 yards during the drive. A 21-yard pass put them at the three-yard line, and the Patriots scored on a three-yard run to give them a quick 7-0 lead with 8:05 remaining in the first quarter. The Knights looked to answer on its opening possession. Hayden O’Reilly picked up five on the first play, then two plays later, Ed Johnson found Dakota NeSmith for a 16-yard gain. O’Reilly got 29 yards on the next two carries, then Ed Johnson found Wes Johnson over the middle for a 15-yard score as that tied the game up at seven with 5:59 remaining in the opening period.
Arab looked to shut down Homewood’s running game on its next possession, but it didn’t happen as the Patriots continued to rack up first downs on the ground, including picking one up on fourth down. A 12-yard pass set Homewood up at the five-yard line and they punched it in on the ground from there on the next play to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead with 10:06 remaining in the first half.
A huge pass interference penalty on Homewood on the second play gave the Knights a first down at the 45, and Ed Johnson touched the ball on the next four plays as he picked up a huge first down on fourth down. He later picked up another one on third down, but an offensive pass interference penalty put a kink to their drive as an Ed Johnson pass got picked off. A mixture of the run and pass helped the Patriots move the ball down the field and their drive ended with an eight-yard run as that stretched the Arab deficit to 21-7. Neither team found the end zone the rest of the half as the Knights found themselves down 21-7 at the half.
The Knights looked to start out the second half strong offensively, but on the first play, Homewood picked off an Ed Johnson pass. The Patriots cashed in off the turnover as a four-yard touchdown pass increased the Arab deficit to 28-7. The Knights looked to get something going offensively; after a slow start, Ed Johnson found Wes Johnson for 10 yards and a first down on third down. Arab later picked up another first down, but they did nothing else after that as they turned the ball over on downs.
Homewood got some help on its next series as after a nine-yard completion, the Knights got called for a personal foul, which put the ball at the 39-yard line. Their running game continued to wear down Arab’s defense as they scored on a 13-yard run to make it 35-7. The Patriots scored late in the fourth on a one-yard run; the Knights put up their final score of the night on an O’Reilly four-yard run. Arab’s season comes to an end as they ended up dropping their game to Homewood, 42-14.
O’Reilly finished the game with 136 yards and a score for the Knights. Ed Johnson finished 7/18 for 56 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Wes Johnson finished with three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Arab finishes the season 8-3 and 20 seniors played their final game as an Arab Knight. Some key players will be returning for Arab next season as they will look to make it back into the postseason.
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