NORTHPORT, Ala. – After edging Central Florence at home in the opening round of the state playoffs last week, the Raiders hit the road Friday night to play No. 4 Northside in round two. Turnovers and explosive plays were the keys for Good Hope in this one as quarterback Tanner Malin and running back Ethan Anderson combined to run for five touchdowns in an impressive, 35-21 win over Northside. With the win, the Raiders have secured a spot in the quarterfinals for the just the fourth time in school history.
The Raiders won the toss and deferred to the second half, so the Rams’ offense was the first to take the field. Northside was able to convert a pair of fourth downs on its opening drive before eventually punching one in from 2 yards out to take a 7-0 lead over Good Hope with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter. After a squib kick, the Raiders took over possession near midfield looking to answer the early score but an interception by the Rams cut the drive short after just three plays. A few plays later, Northside lined up to go for it on fourth down once again, but the pass was broken up by Paydon Bagwell and Good Hope got the ball back at its own 35-yard line.
On the first play of the next Raiders’ drive, Ethan Anderson took a handoff 65 yards to the house as the first quarter came to an end and after Robert Rodriguez’s extra point, the score was knotted at 7 going into the second. The Rams began to drive back down the field, but a fumble recovered by Briley Mattox gave the ball back to Good Hope around the 50-yard line. A big run from quarterback Tanner Malin got the Raiders down inside the Northside 25-yard line and on fourth down a few plays later, Malin took off from the 17-yard line and dove for the pylon to score and put Good Hope on top 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
The Rams put together a solid drive following the Malin touchdown and got the ball into Raiders’ territory with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. Northside moved down inside the 15-yard line with less than a minute on the clock, but Good Hope’s defense held on fourth down once again and the Raiders maintained a 14-7 advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
Good Hope received the ball to start the third quarter and Malin found Jager Burns downfield for a big gain to move the Raiders across midfield. Malin continued to lead the offense deeper into Rams territory and Anderson capped off the scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. Rodriguez’s extra point was good and with just over eight minutes to play in the third, Good Hope led Northside 21-7. Anderson flashed his defensive skills on the Rams’ next possession when he pulled down an interception, but the Raiders fumbled to give the ball right back to Northside two plays later and the Rams took over inside Good Hope’s 10-yard line. Two snaps later, Northside scored from 3 yards out to cut the lead to 14-7 midway through the third quarter.
A big run up the middle by Anderson gave the Raiders a first down to start their next possession and Malin sprinted in for a 41-yard touchdown run on the next play to answer the Northside touchdown and make it a 28-14 game. The Rams were able to string some first downs together on their ensuing drive and finished a scoring drive in the end zone to cut the Good Hope lead to 28-21 with less than two minutes remaining in the third. A pair of big runs from Anderson and Malin moved the Raiders across midfield to start their next possession and a pair of Northside penalties helped Good Hope drive even further into Rams’ territory. Malin ran down inside the 15-yard line to give the Raiders another first down and Anderson took the next carry into the end zone from 14 yards out untouched and extended Good Hope’s lead to 35-21 early in the fourth quarter.
Northside drove back down inside the Raiders’ 30-yard line on the ensuing possession, but Good Hope’s defense stuffed the Rams on fourth and short to get the ball back with around eight minutes on the clock. The Raiders moved the ball out near midfield but were forced to punt the ball away and Northside’s offense came back onto the field with just under six minutes remaining in regulation. However, a Rams fumble was recovered by Good Hope just a few plays into the drive and the Raiders got the ball back with a chance to run out the clock. Good Hope was forced to punt the ball back to Northside but managed to take a couple minutes off the clock with the possession.
The Rams came back out onto the field, hoping to cut into the Raiders’ lead and they were able to get into scoring range but Burns intercepted a pass in the end zone with less than a minute to play and iced a massive, 35-21 win for Good Hope. Malin took a knee to wrap things up and the Raiders are advancing to the third round of the state playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Good Hope will return home next week to square off against Madison Academy in the 4A State Quarterfinals.
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