CULLMAN COUNTY – Hanceville, Holly Pond and West Point found the formula that was needed on Friday night in must-win situations from regional play in week four of the 2016 area football regular season schedule.
Now that the Bulldogs, Broncos and Warriors are 1-1 in the respective region, it gives each of them hope they can continue to build on the momentum and eventually get a playoff berth from finishing in the top four when regional play ends on Oct. 21.
Hanceville and Holly Pond had thrilling victories. The Bulldogs edged Vinemont in a slugfest 28-22 while the Broncos pulled out a 34-28 victory at Susan Moore, snapping a seven-game losing skid to their opponent from Blount County.
West Point was inspired by the appearance of the 1986 team that was recognized prior to kickoff. The current edition of the Warriors avoided an 0-4 start and routed Springville 42-10.
Addison remains undefeated, but the win didn't come easily for the No. 8 Bulldogs. They had to overcome a strong showing by Sumiton Christian, claiming a come-from-behind 24-21 decision that moves them to 2-0 in 1A, Region 7 and 4-0 for the year.
Cullman and Good Hope suffered defeats on the home turf Friday night. The Bearcats could not slow down No. 6 Oxford in a 6A, Region 7 contest, getting roughed up 52-28. They are 0-2 for the first time in regional play under current coach Mark Britton.
Good Hope has experienced another slow start in regional competition as a 4A program. The Raiders fell 35-24 to Hamilton and have gone three consecutive seasons of not winning a regional game in their first two assignments.
Meek joins the Bearcats and Raiders as winless in the region. The Tigers were down 21-0 at the half to No. 10 Decatur Heritage. They made a comeback, but came up short by the final of 28-22.
Cold Springs and Fairview had a chance to scout the next opponent with Friday being a bye week for both teams. The Eagles will get back to playing next week at home with Falkville in 2A, Region 7 while the Aggies deal with Mortimer Jordan in a 5A, Region 6 game, most likely to be played at West Point Stadium.
Hanceville and Holly Pond are bunched up in the 3A, Region 6 standings with Locust Fork at 1-1. Locust Fork suffered a 28-26 loss Friday to J.B. Pennington who is 2-0 in the region. Fultondale has a 1-0 record and was out of regional play on Friday.
Vinemont is 0-2 after the tough loss to Hanceville and Susan Moore is 0-1.
Hanceville can reduce another squad from being undefeated this coming week when J.B. Pennington rolls into Ray Talley Stadium.
The Bulldogs know they will be in for a physical battle. Their performance against Vinemont gives them optimism, but they know they will have to go through a good week of workouts and study up on their neighbors from Blountsville.
Holly Pond may wish they could keep playing, but the Broncos have the week off and will use it to try and get healthier with challenging regional games awaiting Mike Bates' team in October.
The Broncos will get back on the field Sept. 23 for homecoming against Asbury, a new team from Marshall County.
At the present time, the Broncos have won four consecutive games away from Thomas-Michelfelder Field. Their win at Susan Moore was the first time Holly Pond enjoyed coming from Larry Patterson Field with smiles on their faces and victory in their hearts since 1995.
West Point's 1986 team started that season with new coach Randall Jones 0-4. Then the Warriors began to develop and the winning continued for the rest of the regular season. They nailed down the 4A, Area 15 championship with late season victories against East Lawrence and Lawrence County. That carried the momentum into the postseason in a first-round win over Central-Florence, followed by a second round narrow defeat to Deshler.
Thirty years later, the Warriors did not follow the pattern. They stopped the bleeding with a dominant performance over Springville and now want to maintain it when the Warriors visit Corner next week, take a week off, host Fairview on Sept. 30 and journey to Mortimer Jordan for their first regional game in October.
Addison withstood a good test by undefeated Sumiton Christian on the road, grinding out a hard fought 24-21 victory, and are now the only team in The Cullman Tribune/CullmanSense coverage area with a perfect record one month into the season.
Cullman went toe-to-toe with unbeaten Oxford after the first quarter, tied at 14-14. The Yellow Jackets got the lead in the second quarter and started to extend it, when the game reached the final period.
The Bearcats got outscored 14-0 in the final quarter and went down in defeat by 24 points. Normally, Cullman finds a way to take down highly ranked teams that come to Woodard Stadium, such as Oxford and earlier in the season, North Jackson. But the Yellow Jackets were solid on the offensive end and the Bearcats could not match them point-for-point.
Good Hope as well, played good in the first half, trailing Hamilton 14-10 after getting behind 14-0. But the Raiders allowed the Aggies a TD in the third quarter and Hamilton never let up with the momentum staying on their side. The Raiders have lost five straight games at James Shabel Stadium dating back to last season.
Outstanding performers from week four:
B.J. Smalls of Hanceville – Ran for 208 yards and scored three touchdowns in 28-22 victory over Vinemont. Scored the game winner on a 32-yard run with 4:26 to play that broke a 22-22 tie.
Kaine Yates and R.J. Evans of Hanceville – Sacked Garrett Boland on the final play of the game at the Hanceville 22 to preserve victory. Yates and Evans were part of a defense that forced a fumble, had Vinemont turn it over on downs and the game-ending play to get the Bulldogs to 1-1 in 3A, Region 6.
Garrett Boland of Vinemont – Threw for 181 yards and a touchdown in the game with Hanceville. Ran for 73 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Caleb Jones of Holly Pond – Scored two touchdowns, including a 55-yard run with 6:08 to play that gave the Broncos a 34-28 win at Susan Moore. Caught a 32-yard TD pass from Michael Lambert in the second quarter.
Michael Lambert of Holly Pond – Threw for two touchdowns in the Susan Moore game. One was to Dylan Morton that covered 70 yards in the third quarter, sending the Broncos back in front.
Mason May of Holly Pond – Returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Broncos' victory at Susan Moore.
Cameron Moore of West Point – Scored four touchdowns and rushed for 220 yards, anchoring the Warriors' 42-10 rout of Springville for their first victory of the season.
Dalton Freeman of West Point – Intercepted three passes in the game to move the Warriors to 1-1 in 5A, Region 6.
Alex Hernandez of West Point – Rushed for 121 yards and scored twice against Springville.
Kolton Easterwood of West Point – Accounted for 113 yards of offense, 82 by passing. Easterwood completed 7 of 9 attempts and ran for 31 yards to create some balance in the backfield from his QB position.
Noah Rice of Addison – Amassed 119 yards of offense from the QB slot with 72 on the ground and a touchdown to keep the Bulldogs undefeated in 24-21 win at Sumiton Christian.
Very few home games for week five:
Most of the teams go outside the county in the fifth week of the regular season. Holly Pond takes the week off to celebrate a 3-1 start. The Broncos will return on Sept. 23 for homecoming against Asbury, a new team from Marshall County.
Hanceville entertains J.B. Pennington while Vinemont goes to Fultondale for games in 3A, Region 6.
Cold Springs is at home against Falkville in 2A, Region 7. The Eagles enter the game in a three-way tie for first with Tanner and Cleveland.
Fairview has 3-1 Mortimer Jordan, with the game most likely to be at West Point Stadium in 5A, Region 6.
Everyone else gets on the bus. West Point journeys to Corner for 5A, Region 6. The Warriors and Yellow Jackets are 1-1, a game behind Mortimer Jordan and Hayden's 2-0 mark in the region.
Cullman invades Fort Payne. The Bearcats have a two-game losing streak in 6A, Region 7 with the Wildcats winless in three tries, 0-1 in the region.
Good Hope goes to Walker County for a 4A, Region 6 game with Cordova. The Blue Devils lost to Haleyville that puts them 1-1 in the regional standings with the Raiders 0-2 and 0-3 overall.
In Class 1A, Region 7, undefeated Addison hosts undefeated Lynn. Both are 2-0 in regional play. Meek goes outside the region and gets a game at home with Gaylesville.
All games will be Friday at 7 p.m.
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