VINEMONT, Ala. – The Vinemont Eagles hosted the Good Hope Raiders on a drizzly Friday night and unfortunately for the home crowd, the Raiders topped the Eagles 39-20 to collect their first win of the season.
Vinemont put the first points on the board when Rush Sandlin pitched one back to Kayden Henderson who found Kyler Pugh for a 39-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 6-0 with 10:09 remaining in the first quarter. It didn’t take long for the Raiders to answer as Carter Rutherford returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead.
After forcing a turnover on downs Good Hope added to their lead when Colten Whatley hooked up with Tyler Cone for a 28-yard touchdown to make the score 13-6 with 4:56 remaining in the opening quarter. Good Hope would tack on another touchdown right before halftime when Whatley found Rutherford from 30 yards out to send them to the locker room with a 20-6 advantage.
Early in the third quarter Whatley found Rutherford for a 33-yard touchdown to put the Raiders ahead 27-6. Two plays later Kayden Henderson raced up the middle for a 60-yard touchdown to cut the Raider lead to 27-12 with 8:52 remaining in the third quarter. Good Hope answered back with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Whatley to Weston Hancock to stretch the lead to 33-12 with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
Late in the third quarter Vinemont forced a turnover deep in their own territory but two plays later Good Hopes Mason Drake gave the Raiders a 39-12 lead thanks to a 14-yard interception returned for a touchdown. With 2:24 remaining in the game Vinemont’s Chris Knight scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 39-20 but Good Hope was able to run out the remainder of the clock to secure their first win of the season 39-20 over their county rivals.
Good Hope improves to 1-1 with the win and the Raiders will now turn their attention to their region opener at home against Cherokee County next week. Vinemont falls to 0-2 with the loss and will look to get in the win column against another county rival when the Eagles travel to West Point next week.
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