WEST POINT, Ala. – Points were tough to come by in this Cullman County rivalry battle Friday night and four quarters weren’t enough to settle things between West Point and Good Hope. Finally, Raiders running back Kaleb Jones was able to find the endzone in overtime to make it a 6-0 game and Good Hope’s defense got the final stop it needed to secure a season-opening 6-0 win for the Raiders.
Good Hope got the ball first to start off the game and got a first down on an 18-yard pass from Colten Whatley to Tucker Malin. Later on, Kaleb Jones got another first down for the Raiders on fourth down but were forced to punt. West Point went three-and-out on its first possession, and both punters had a very busy night tonight. After a Raider punt, Hunter Hensley got a first down on a 14-yard run, but two plays later, the drive quickly ended for the Warriors as Tyler Cone picked off a Hensley pass and returned it to the 37-yard line.
The running game, led by Whatley and Jones, helped Good Hope move the ball down the field and a Whatley to Cone eight-yard connection put them at the 15-yard line. On fourth down, West Point’s defense stepped up and stuffed Jones for a two-yard loss to force the Raiders to turn the ball over on downs. The Warriors started the drive at the seven and slowly started to get down the field. Hensley found Parker Marks for a 24-yard gain and that put them at the 40-yard line, then on third and six from the 44, Noah Laney ripped off a 24-yard run to put the Warriors at the 32. Several plays later, West Point found themselves at the seven after a Hensley 12-yard run, but on fourth down and inches, the Raider defense stuffed Hensley for no gain.
Neither team could get another sustainable drive started and the game remained scoreless going into the half. West Point, though, looked to be that team to crack the scoreboard first as they started out the second half with some great runs by Garit Roberson that helped them get past midfield. Hensley picked up a crucial first down on fourth down and would later do it again as his seven-yard run gave them another first down at the 28. But a holding penalty later in the drive quickly hurt their momentum and they were forced to turn the ball over on downs.
Charlie O’Neil got the Raider drive off to a strong start as he picked up 12 yards on the first drive, then two plays later, Whatley added 13 more on the ground for another first down. After that, though, things quickly went downhill for Good Hope and on fourth down, they tried a fake punt and Cone’s pass got picked off by Marks. The duo of Roberson and Laney helped West Point move the ball down the field; a Laney 10-yard gain gave them a first down at the 32. Two plays later, Hensley picked up nine more on the ground and another first down, but things quickly went south for the Warriors after that. A holding penalty and an Eli Clements sack on fourth down quickly brought West Point’s drive to an end.
Good Hope went three-and-out once again and punted once again, but it got blocked by Riley Wayne and Daniel Dean recovered the ball to put the Warriors in excellent field position at the 29. Back-to-back runs by Roberson and Laney quickly put them at the 19, but a huge personal foul on the Warriors on fourth down pushed them back to the 27. On the next play, Landon Bagwell sacked Hensley to put an end to the drive. Neither team could find the end zone and the game would be decided in overtime.
On Good Hope’s first possession of overtime, O’Neil gained seven yards on the first play, and two plays later, Jones found pay dirt from a yard out to put the Raiders on the scoreboard. All West Point needed to do was score to keep the game going, but the Raider defense had second thoughts as an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the game and the Raiders pick up a thrilling, 6-0 win over the Warriors.
Jones finished with 46 yards on 13 carries and the game-winning touchdown for Good Hope (1-0). O’Neil added 47 more on seven touches. Cone ended up with an interception; Clements and Bagwell each added a sack. For West Point, Laney finished with 68 yards on 14 carries. Roberson added 58 yards on 18 carries and Hensley ended up with 53 yards on 14 touches. Wayne blocked a punt and Dean recovered it; Marks finished with an interception.
Good Hope will host Vinemont next week while the Warriors travel to take on Hanceville.
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