GOOD HOPE, Ala. – After collecting a 48-23 region win at Brewer last week, the Good Hope Raiders returned home to take on another region opponent, the Guntersville Wildcats, on Friday night. Good Hope jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead at the break and had to withstand a furious comeback attempt by Guntersville in the second half to win, 35-21.
Good Hope’s Ayden Young returned the opening kickoff to the 31, then a personal foul on Guntersville after the return moved the ball up to the 46. A nine-yard pass from Web Buchanan to Young put the ball at the 45. A pair of Raider penalties put them in a third-and-long situation, but a 15-yard pass from Parker Johnson to Young kept their drive alive. Later on that drive, on fourth down, Johnson connected with Kamden Collins on a 21-yard pass to put them at the 16. Another penalty, though, put them behind the sticks, and they fell short on fourth down.
A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to Good Hope, and that’s how quick they found the end zone. On just the second play of the series, Johnson faked the handoff and took it 57 yards to the house to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 4:13 remaining in the opening period. Good Hope’s defense forced another three-and-out, and on third down, Buchanan found Hollis for four yards and a first down. Hollis rumbled for 23 yards and another first down, then he, along with Collins, and Johnson, pounded the ball right at Guntersville’s defense. Johnson’s 14-yard run gave them another first down at the 22, then Hancock ran around the right side and found the end zone on the next play to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
The penalty bug hurt the Raider defense on its next series, as a pair of flags quickly put the Wildcats at the 30. Guntersville was looking at a fourth-down-and-11 from the 31, but they picked up that exact amount to help keep their drive alive. Good Hope, though, settled down defensively, and they forced a missed field goal. A 12-yard run by Hollis gave the Raiders a first down at the 32. Later on that drive, Johnson found Hancock for six yards and another first down. After another Hollis run, a personal foul on the Wildcats moved Good Hope up to the 39. Two plays later, Hollis picked up 23 yards and another first down. The duo of Hollis and Johnson continued to wear down Guntersville’s defense on the ground, and Johnson finished off the drive with a one-yard score to widen the Raider lead to 21-0 at the half.
Hancock recovered the kickoff to start out the second half for Good Hope, but they quickly went three-and-out on their opening series. Guntersville’s passing attack picked the Raider defense apart, as a 37-yard pass quickly put them near midfield. Later on in that drive, a 10-yard pass, followed by a pass interference penalty on Good Hope, had them knocking on the end zone. After losing six yards on first down, the next play saw them complete a 41-yard pass for a score to cut it to 21-7. Back-to-back penalties on the Raiders quickly put them behind the sticks, and they were forced to punt. The Wildcats found the end zone in just two plays, as a 39-yard touchdown run trimmed it to just a touchdown lead for Good Hope at 21-14.
Another Raider punt gave the ball back to Guntersville, but Buchanan picked off an errant pass at the 19. Good Hope faced a third-and-11 from the 20, and Johnson connected with Young on a 20-yard screen play for the score to give them a 28-14 lead. A seven-yard pass by the Wildcats on third down kept their series alive, but Kamden Collins collected a sack on the next play. On the next play, though, a 39-yard pass put them at the eight. Later on in that drive, on fourth down from the six, they found a wide-open receiver in the left corner of the end zone for the score to cut it to 28-21 with a little over eight minutes to go in the game.
Good Hope stuck to their game plan on its next series. A big run by Johnson on the first play gave them a first down at the 48, then back-to-back tough runs by Hancock netted them yet another first down at the 42. A 22-yard run by Hollis put Good Hope at the 20. Two plays later, another big run by Johnson gave them yet another first down at the eight, and Hollis ran around the left side and scored on the next play to put the Raiders ahead, 35-21. Guntersville wasn’t going to go away quietly, as a 31-yard pass, and later on in that drive, a 15-yard pass on fourth down, quickly put them at the 30. After a penalty backed them up five yards, an 18-yard completion had them eyeing the end zone. On second down, though, Mason Wright collected a huge sack, but another big pass by the Wildcats kept their drive alive once again.
Guntersville quickly went backwards after that, as a penalty, a one-yard loss, a bad snap and a penalty after that play ended, had them looking at a third-and-goal from the 29. Chase Boles would seal the 35-21 win for Good Hope with an interception, as the Raiders are now 2-1 on the season, and more importantly, 2-0 in the region.
Johnson finished with 136 yards on 19 carries and a pair of scores, while also adding a touchdown through the air to Young. Hollis added 114 yards on 14 touches and a touchdown. Hancock collected 32 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Collins and Wright each picked up a sack in the game, while Buchanan and Boles each collected an interception in the win.
Good Hope will be off next week, and after their bye week, they will go to Crossville in another region matchup.
