PREP FOOTBALL: Good Hope gets in the win column with a commanding 47-23 win at Brewer

SOMERVILLE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders made a trip northeast to take on the Brewer Patriots on Friday night, looking to bounce back after a close season-opening loss to Plainview last week. 

Not only did head coach Alan Scott’s squad do that, but they did it in dominant fashion, leading by 34 at halftime and eventually winning, 47-23, to even their record at 1-1.

After Brewer won the toss and deferred, the Raiders started the game with one of their few non-scoring drives of the night. While a nice 12-yard gain on a pass from Web Buchanan to Ryker Hancock got Good Hope a fresh set of downs, the Raiders ultimately decided to go for it on fourth-and-long near mid-field, and failed, giving the ball to Brewer’s offense. But, it wouldn’t be long before the first big play of the night came for Good Hope. On 3rd-and-12 after forcing the quarterback out of the pocket, linebacker Kayden Collins picked off a short dump-off attempt to set Good Hope up at the Brewer 45. After a handful of strong runs by back Karson Hollis, quarterback Parker Johnson found Collins on 4th-and-goal for a three-yard touchdown pass that put the Raiders up 7-0. 

The Raiders made it hard on the Pats on the ensuing drive, and despite a few recovered fumbles by the offense, they were the most in-rhythm they were the entire night. A long shot down the sideline caught by Brewer’s Elijah Alexander looked like it had evened up the score, but an offensive pass interference nixed the touchdown as the first quarter clock ran out. On their next attempt, though, quarterback Cole Drinkard hit tight end Julian West down the middle for a game-tying touchdown. 

There would be no momentum for the Patriots, however, as on the Raiders first play from scrimmage on the next drive, Johnson scrambled, bounced outside and shot down the sideline for a 53-yard rushing touchdown to break the tie and put the Raiders up 13-7 after the extra point was missed. Just ten seconds of game clock time later, on the Patriots first offensive play after the score, Hollis recovered a Brewer fumble on an attempted reverse and took it to the house for a 35-yard score that made it a 20-7 Good Hope lead. 

Good Hope’s stout defense forced a punt on the next possession, after a bad snap went over the head of Buchanan for a loss of 10, he took off two plays later to pick up a third-and-long to keep the drive alive. Then, at Brewer’s 12-yard line, Johnson took it in again, stretching the lead to 27-7 with 5:37 to go. Again, however, things turned in the Raiders’ favor shortly after, as the kickoff was fumbled by Brewer and recovered by Good Hope at Brewer’s 28. Just three plays later, the Raiders made it 34-7 on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Cullen Phillips. 

Right heading to the huddles, Johnson put an exclamation point on a dominant half for Good Hope, punching in yet another rushing touchdown from inside the five-yard-line, and the Raiders took a steep 41-7 lead into the break. 

After the break, the game slowed down for both sides. Another Brewer possession came up empty, and after setting up at their own 32-yard line, Buchanan took them into Patriot territory with a 30-plus yard run. To cap off the short drive, Good Hope’s Jonathan Williams took in a run from three yards out, and after another missed PAT, the Raiders led 47-7. 

The Patriots didn’t go down without a few final swings, though. After another shot down the middle from Drinkard to Alexander, Patriot running back Christopher Watkins took a run into the end zone, and Drinkard converted the two-point try to make it 47-15. Then, after Good Hope fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Raiders were tagged with a targeting penalty, Brewer was set up with a 1st-and-10 from Good Hope’s ten yard line. Two plays later, running back Carson Johnson took in a touchdown and Drinkard converted another two-point try to cut into the lead yet again, making it 47-23. 

The Raiders would get across mid-field on the final possession thanks to a big kickoff return from Bryce Armstrong, but essentially ran out the clock before being forced to try a field goal, which was blocked, capping off a 47-23 victory that wasn’t even as close as the final score would indicate.