WEST POINT, Ala. – Good Hope broke open a tied county matchup with 34 unanswered points Friday night, pulling away from West Point for a 52-26 victory.
The Raiders scored three touchdowns during the final four minutes of the first half and added two more early in the third quarter. Good Hope improved to 4-1 with its fourth consecutive victory, while West Point fell to 0-6.
West Point went three-and-out on its opening possession, but Skyler Echols recovered a muffed punt at the Good Hope 27-yard line to give the Warriors another opportunity.
Quarterback Max Patterson moved the Warriors downfield with short completions to Bryant Moon and Teagan Heaton before finding JJ Minck for a 6-yard touchdown. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, giving West Point a 6-0 lead.
Good Hope began its opening possession at its 46-yard line. Karson Hollis broke a 19-yard run, and the Raiders later faced fourth-and-1 from the West Point 27. Parker Johnson ran around the left side for 22 yards, and a pair of penalties moved the ball to the 1.
Johnson scored two plays later on a 1-yard run. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the game tied at 6.
Good Hope forced West Point to punt on its next possession, and the Raiders overcame a 6-yard loss to begin the ensuing drive. Johnson completed consecutive passes of 9 and 8 yards to Ayden Young to keep the possession alive.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Web Buchanan connected with Kayden Collins for a 34-yard touchdown. The extra-point attempt missed, but Good Hope had its first lead at 12-6.
Canaan Burgess recorded a third-down sack to force another West Point punt, but Justice Crawford recovered a Good Hope fumble on the return. The teams continued exchanging possession until the Warriors assembled another scoring drive late in the half.
Patterson completed passes to Minck and Heaton to move West Point into scoring position before finding Moon for a 12-yard touchdown. The extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, tying the game at 12 with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Good Hope took control from there.
Facing third-and-4 from the West Point 33, Hollis broke through the right side for 25 yards. Johnson scored his second touchdown two plays later on a 5-yard run, then connected with Young for the 2-point conversion to give Good Hope a 20-12 lead.
Young’s long punt return placed the Raiders at the West Point 19 on their next possession. Johnson scored again two plays later, extending the advantage to 27-12.
The Good Hope defense forced another three-and-out, and the Raiders used a trick play to score once more before halftime. From the Good Hope 39, Buchanan completed a short pass to Young, who lateraled the ball to Johnson. Johnson carried it the rest of the way for a 61-yard touchdown, sending Good Hope into the locker room with a 33-12 lead.
The Raiders needed only two plays to score after receiving the second-half kickoff. Buchanan ran for 37 yards to the West Point 18, and Johnson scored on the following snap to make it 40-12.
The teams traded interceptions, with Nolan Franklin making the play for West Point and Burgess picking off a pass for Good Hope. Kamden Collins later recovered a West Point fumble at the 7, and the Raiders scored on the next play to increase their lead to 46-12.
Carter McAfee answered for the Warriors by returning the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, trimming Good Hope’s lead to 46-19.
Kayden Collins broke a 35-yard run on Good Hope’s next possession, and Eli Drake finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 52-19.
Titan Thornton closed the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run for West Point, producing the 52-26 final.
Hollis led Good Hope with 104 rushing yards. Johnson added 64 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and scored on the 61-yard trick play. Buchanan completed three passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns and added a 37-yard run.
Ross Clark, Burgess and Mason Wright each recorded a sack for the Raiders. Burgess added an interception, and Kamden Collins recovered a fumble.
Patterson completed 9 of 18 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns for West Point. Minck and Moon each caught a touchdown pass, Thornton scored on the ground and McAfee returned a kickoff for a score.
Franklin recorded an interception for the Warriors, while Echols and Crawford each recovered a fumble.
Good Hope will host Sardis in a nonregion game Friday, Oct. 2. The Raiders remain 3-0 in Class 4A, Region 8.
West Point will resume Class 4A, Region 7 play at Brooks. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
