GOOD HOPE, Ala. – Good Hope answered an early Hayden touchdown with 42 unanswered points Friday night, rolling past the Wildcats 42-7 on senior night to improve to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in Class 4A, Region 8.
Karson Hollis rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while Parker Johnson ran for two scores and threw for two more as the Raiders took control before halftime.
A 16-yard third-down completion kept Hayden’s opening drive alive. Later in the possession, a holding penalty pushed the Wildcats back to their own 33-yard line, but a 67-yard touchdown on the next play gave Hayden a 7-0 lead with 9:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Good Hope overcame back-to-back penalties on its opening possession. Web Buchanan picked up 12 yards on the ground and later connected with Hollis for a 36-yard gain to Hayden’s 28. Hollis gained 22 yards on his next two touches, and Johnson finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to help tie the game at 7.
Ross Clark’s sack helped stall Hayden’s next possession and force a punt. Hollis and Johnson moved the Raiders into scoring position before Johnson connected with Ayden Young for a 24-yard touchdown, giving Good Hope a 14-7 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Raiders stopped Hayden on downs on its next possession, but the Wildcats recovered a Good Hope fumble on the following play. Kayden Collins helped keep Hayden from capitalizing, recording a third-down sack before another punt.
Good Hope moved the ball with help from a face-mask penalty and an offside penalty against Hayden, but another fumble ended the possession. Again, the Raiders’ defense held. Chance Brock recorded a third-down sack, and Collins blocked the ensuing punt and recovered the ball at Hayden’s 13.
Two plays later, Hollis scored on a 5-yard run to extend Good Hope’s lead to 21-7.
Another fourth-down stop set up a 39-yard touchdown run by Johnson on the Raiders’ next offensive play, making it 28-7. Young then intercepted a pass and returned it to Hayden’s 28. Three plays later, Johnson connected with Collins on a 31-yard touchdown screen pass to give Good Hope a 35-7 halftime lead.
Hollis added the final touchdown early in the third quarter, racing 54 yards down the left sideline to push the lead to 42-7. Good Hope’s reserves played the rest of the game, and the Raiders kept Hayden scoreless after its opening possession.
Hollis finished with 116 rushing yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Johnson added 64 rushing yards and two scores while completing two passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Collins’ touchdown reception covered 31 yards, and Young’s went for 24.
Clark finished with two sacks, while Brock and Collins each added one. Collins also blocked and recovered a punt, and Young recorded an interception.
Good Hope travels to Scottsboro next Friday, Oct. 30, for its final region game and regular-season finale.
