GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders hosted the West Point Warriors in a county matchup on Friday night. After a close first half, Good Hope broke the game wide open in the second half, scoring three touchdowns en route to a 42-7 win over West Point.
The Warriors got the ball first to start out the game, and Ollie Howell got a first down on the first play of the game. The Raider defense stiffened after that, as Howell got stopped a yard short on fourth down. Good Hope leaned on the running game on its opening series, as Mason Drake, Carter Rutherford, and Parker Johnson helped take them to the five-yard line. A penalty pushed them back to the 10, but Karson Hollis scored on an end-around run on the next play to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 5:34 remaining in the opening period. A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to Good Hope, and it took them just three plays to find the end zone, as Johnson connected with Ayden Young on a 42-yard screen pass to make it 14-0.
Ayden Ennis used his legs and arm to help the Warriors move the ball down the field on its next possession, as he picked up a first down on the ground and connected with Cooper Howard on a huge fourth down-play to help keep their drive alive. Howell picked up another first down on the run, but a few plays later, they were forced to punt. Drake broke free for a 51-yard run on the first play for Good Hope, but West Point’s defense tightened up after that, as they sacked Johnson on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. The Warriors found the end zone on just the second play of its series, as Ennis found Howard over the middle for a 72-yard touchdown to cut it to 14-7 with 5:29 left to go in the first half.
After getting a first down on its next drive, Good Hope was forced to punt, but Caleb Boles picked off an Ennis pass on the first play. Another Raider punt gave the ball back to the Warriors, and some big runs by Howell and Titan Thornton, plus a 37-yard pass from Ennis to Teagan Heaton, quickly put them at the three. Good Hope tightened up and kept the Warriors out of the end zone to end the first half and took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at the break.
Drake picked up some huge yards on the ground for Good Hope to start out the second half. A pair of offsides penalties on West Point, plus a 12-yard pass from Johnson to Rutherford, helped them get to the 28-yard line. Drake found a huge hole on the left side and ended up finding the end zone on a 28-yard run to widen their lead to 21-7. Howell collected a first down on the Warriors’ opening possession, but Hunter Miller sacked Ennis two plays later, and West Point was forced to punt. Both teams traded punts on their next possessions, and Drake found the end zone on the Raiders’ first play of its next drive, as his 67-yard scamper made it 28-7. Johnson found Rutherford for a 30-yard score to make it 35-7, and Blake Cordes picked off an Ennis pass and returned it 59 yards for the final score of the game, wrapping up a 42-7 win for Good Hope.
Drake finished with 197 yards on 16 carries and a pair of touchdowns for the Raiders (1-0). Johnson went 6/9 for 105 yards and a pair of scores. Young (42 yards on a pair of receptions) and Rutherford (four catches for 59 yards) collected a touchdown for Good Hope. Boles, Cordes, and Sean Jones each had an interception in the game. For West Point (1-1), Ennis finished 7/16 for 141 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Howard added 92 yards on five receptions and a touchdown, while Howell finished with 85 yards on 19 carries.
Good Hope will travel to Fultondale next week while West Point prepares to host a county and region battle with Fairview next Friday night.
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