GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The 2026 football season is underway, and the Good Hope Raiders kicked off their season at home against the Plainview Bears, a team that defeated Good Hope in the third round of the playoffs last season. It went back-and-forth for most of the night, but in the end, a touchdown early in the fourth quarter by Plainview turned out to be the difference maker in the game, as they ended up holding off the Raiders at the end, 31-24.
Kayden Collins recovered the opening kickoff for Good Hope at the 43, and on the first play of the game, Web Buchanan found Parker Johnson for 27 yards and a first down at the 16. Karson Hollis and Johnson churned out some tough yards on the ground, and a penalty on fourth down kept their drive alive. The Bear defense, though, stiffened, and Chase Prewett’s 24-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead. Plainview didn’t waste any time on their opening drive, as a 17-yard pass and a 31-yard run quickly put them at the 24. The Bears ended the drive by scoring on a 24-yard run to give them a 7-3 lead with 5:37 remaining in the opening period.
Hollis’ huge kickoff return put Good Hope at the 28-yard line. Buchanan and Johnson helped them get to the 17, but a costly penalty on fourth down saw Prewett attempt a field goal, which fell short. The Raider defense forced a punt on their next drive. On a 2nd-and-eight from the 25, Johnson connected with Hollis on a 15-yard screen pass, then Hollis broke free for a 59-yard run down the right sideline. Johnson punched it in from a yard out on the next play, as that gave Good Hope the lead right back at 10-7.Â
Back-to-back punts gave the ball right back to Plainview, and a pair of big runs put them at the 33-yard line. Three plays later, they broke free for a 28-yard run to take a 14-10 lead. Both defenses stood tall to end the first half, and the Bears would take a 14-10 lead into the break.
Good Hope got the ball first to start out the second half, and they kept the ball on the ground with Hollis and Johnson. Johnson’s 18-yard run put the Raiders at the 42, but a delay-of-game penalty put them behind the sticks, and they were forced to punt. Plainview’s running game gave Good Hope’s defense fits at times on their first drive of the third quarter, and a big run on third down kept their drive alive. The Raider defense, though, tightened up after that, and the Bears ended up settling for a 24-yard field goal to make it 17-10.
Good Hope’s offense got stuffed on the first three plays of their next drive, but they put a trick out of their bag on their punt attempt, as Johnson instead threw to a wide-open Ayden Young on the left side for a 70-yard score to tie the game up at 17 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. A sack by Buchanan on first down put Plainview’s offense behind the chains, but as quickly as they got behind the chains, that’s how quickly they found the end zone, as a 15-yard pass put them at the 47. The next play saw them find a hole on the right side and ended up scoring on a 53-yard run to give the Bears a 24-17 lead early in the fourth.
The fun was just getting started, though, as on the ensuing kickoff, Johnson took it 80 yards to the house to tie it up at 24. That tie lasted just 16 seconds, as a 55-yard touchdown run gave them a 31-24 lead. Behind Hollis and Johnson, the Raider offense quickly moved the ball down the field. Johnson’s 10-yard run gave them a first down at the 28, but on fourth down, he threw an interception. Good Hope’s defense quickly forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to their offense. A huge run by Ryker Hancock on third down gave them a first down at the 48, but two plays later, Johnson got picked off at the eight-yard line. Plainview collected a pair of first downs to help seal their 31-24 win over Good Hope.
Johnson completed a trio of passes for 89 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders; he added 59 yards on the ground and another score, plus the 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Hollis finished with 119 yards on 17 carries. Jonathan Pitts and Buchanan each collected a sack in the game, and Collins recovered the ball on the opening kickoff.
Good Hope will start region play next Friday night, as they will go to Brewer.
