GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders were back on the field at James W. Shabel Stadium Friday night to host a massive region game against Hamilton and thanks to a strong running game and an even stronger defensive performance, Good Hope knocked off Hamilton 28-6 to remain unbeaten and stay around the top of the region standings.
Good Hope recovered the kickoff to start out the game, and thanks to the duo of Mason Drake and Tyler Cone, the Raiders quickly moved the ball down the field. A short run by Drake helped them get a first down at the 25, but a huge penalty on fourth down negated what would’ve been a first down, and they ended up turning the ball over on downs. Good Hope’s defense, though, quickly forced a three-and-out on its opening possession. On third down and seven from the 42, a 26-yard run around the right side by Tyler Byrd put the ball at the 16, and Cone scored on the next play to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.
The Aggies converted on fourth down to help keep their drive alive, but Good Hope’s defense stiffened, and they forced them to turn the ball over on downs. The Raiders stuck to their game plan, as they continued to run the ball right at the Hamilton defense. A 28-yard run by Drake, followed by a 24-yard run by Cone, quickly put them at the 16. They didn’t do much after that, though, as they turned the ball over on downs.
Hamilton went on a long drive, picking up several key first downs in the process. A 14-yard pass on fourth down kept their drive alive, as that put them at the nine. A few plays later, the Aggies were looking at a fourth down from the one, but the Raider defense stood tall and kept them out of the end zone to keep the score at 7-0 at the break.
The second half started out the same way as the first half for Good Hope, as Drake and Cone continued to churn out some tough yards against the Aggie defense. On the fifth play of their series, Drake broke multiple tackles on his way to a 58-yard score to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter. Hamilton went on a long drive on its opening series, as they picked up a few first downs. A 12-yard pass gave them a first down at the 21, but the Raider defense refused to break, as they forced another turnover-on-downs.
A face mask penalty on Hamilton put Good Hope at the 34. A penalty moved them back to the 29, but they quickly got those yards back, as a big five-yard run by Cone on fourth down kept their drive alive. The Cone/Drake continued to wear down the Aggie defense on the ground, as a 21-yard run by Cone, followed by a 13-yard run by Drake, had the Raiders at the one. Cone punched it in two plays later to push their lead to 21-0 with 10:10 remaining in the contest.
It didn’t take long for Hamilton to respond, as they picked up a first down on fourth down and ended up scoring on a 15-yard pass to cut it to 21-6 with a little over eight minutes to go in the game. Good Hope looked to seal things on its next series. They stuck to their ground game, and a pair of big runs by Cone put them at the 21. On the next play, Drake found a big hole up the middle and ended up scoring to make it 28-6. Cody Stevens collected a sack on their final drive, and Hank Hudson picked up a pair of sacks during that drive as well, and the Raider defense got one last stop to help seal the 28-6 region win over Hamilton.
Drake finished with 157 yards on 13 carries and a pair of scores for Good Hope (7-0, 5-0). Cone added 142 yards on the ground on 25 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Hudson finished with a pair of sacks and had some key tackles for the Raiders. Stevens collected a sack as well.
The Raiders will head to Fayette County for another big region game next week.
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