WEST POINT, Ala. – Hanceville made the trip over to West Point for a huge county matchup with the Warriors and big games from J.T. Davis and Marquies Leeth along with a strong defensive effort, led the way for the Bulldogs in a huge 29-15 road win over their county rivals.
Hanceville got the ball to start the game and quickly moved the ball past midfield behind some big runs by Leeth and a 14-yard pass from Noah Jones to Davis, but a pair of penalties quickly pushed them behind the sticks and were forced to punt. The Bulldog defense, though, forced a Warrior punt on their opening possession. Another Bulldog punt gave the ball back to West Point at the 20. Ollie Howell picked up a first down on the ground. A nine-yard pass from Hunter Hensley to Eli Sims put the Warriors at the 40 and two plays later, Garit Roberson picked up another West Point first down on the ground. On the next play, Hensley rolled to his right and found Parker Marks all alone on the right side for a 59-yard score to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 4:53 left to go in the opening period.
Hanceville used the strong running game of Leeth and Jones to help them get down the field and Jones found Davis for a 13-yard gain as well. A 10-yard run by Leeth put the Bulldogs at the five and on fourth down, Jones punched it in from a yard out to tie the game up at seven with 11:15 remaining in the first half. West Point turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, and the Bulldogs scored on the first play of its next series as Hunter Black found Davis wide-open across the middle for a 54-yard score to give them a 14-7 lead with 9:13 left to go in the first half. Another turnover-on-downs gave the ball back to Hanceville, but the Warrior defense forced one of their own on its next possession.
West Point looked to tie the game up before the half. Behind big runs by Hensley and Roberson and pass completions to Marks (17 yards) and Noah Bryan (13 yards), the Warriors were knocking on the doorstep of tying the game up. Eli Clements sacked Hensley on first down, then on the next play, Ashton Hurst stepped in front of a Hensley pass and returned it 64 yards to the house to give the Bulldogs a 20-7 lead with 13 seconds left before halftime. The Bulldogs recovered a fumble on the kickoff and despite falling short of the end zone, they still took a 20-7 lead to the locker room.
West Point quickly moved the ball down the field to start out the second half as Howell picked up a first down during the drive, and Hensley found Marks for a 19-yard completion. Another big run by Howell put the Warriors at the nine, but a costly holding penalty pushed them behind the sticks and were forced to turn the ball over on downs. Jones and Leeth continued to wear down the Warrior defense on the ground. Jones found Davis for 20 and 23 yards, respectively, to help put the Bulldogs at the two. But the Warrior defense, though, stood tall and stuffed Leeth for no gain to force a huge turnover-on-downs. But on the first play, Hanceville collected a safety to make it 22-7 early in the fourth quarter.
A Bulldog punt gave the ball to West Point and Hensley found Marks for 10 yards on the first play for a Warrior first down. Later on, runs by Hensley and Roberson put West Point at midfield, but on the next play, Hanceville recovered a Warrior fumble at the 48. A 17-yard run by Leeth put the Bulldogs at the 28, and after an offsides penalty on the Warriors, Jones found Davis for 12 more yards and another Hanceville first down. Two plays later, Leeth ran around right end for a two-yard score to push the Bulldog lead to 29-7 with 4:43 remaining in the game.
After quickly getting behind the sticks to start the drive, Hensley found Bryan for nine yards and later on, back-to-back huge runs by Roberson put the Warriors at the 25. Hensley’s 10-yard run put them at the 15, and he finished off the drive by finding Sims for a 15-yard touchdown to cut it to 29-15. The Warriors got the ball back after a Bulldog punt and looked to get a quick score again, but a dropped pass on fourth down ended the game, and Hanceville picked up a huge 29-15 win on the road over West Point.
Leeth finished the game with 108 yards rushing on 16 carries and a score. Jones added 45 more on the ground and a touchdown. Davis added 131 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown. Hurst had the 64-yard interception return for a touchdown, while Whatley recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs (1-1). Bear Busby, Clements, and Giovanni Bautista each recorded a sack for Hanceville. For West Point (1-1), Hensley finished 13/26 for 196 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Marks added 129 yards on six catches, while Sims finished with 40 yards on three receptions and a score. Roberson added 80 yards on the ground for the Warriors.
Hanceville will start region play on the road against Oneonta next week and West Point will remain home to host Vinemont.
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