WEST POINT, Ala. – The West Point Warriors kicked off their season on their home field against Haleyville Friday night and they held a lead in the final few minutes of the game, but the Lions found the end zone with just over three minutes on the clock to claim a 27-24 win over the Warriors.
West Point got the ball first to start out the game, and on the first play, Hunter Hensley found Brayden Monfort for a 35-yard gain, quickly putting them at the 32-yard line. Later that drive, Ollie Howell picked up a first down on the ground, then on third down, Hensley connected with Monfort for a nine-yard gain and another first down. But a couple of penalties and a sack forced them to try a field goal, and it fell just short. The Warrior defense gave up a couple of first downs, but they quickly settled down after that, as they forced the Lions to punt.
On West Point’s next possession, they looked to get the first down on a fake punt attempt, but they lost four yards, giving the ball back to Haleyville. A penalty on the Lions saw them looking at a fourth down from the 25, but a pass interference penalty on the Warriors gave Haleyville new life, and they got the first down on the next play. After another West Point penalty, the Lions scored on a two-yard run to give them a 7-0 lead with 10:34 remaining in the first half. On the first play of the Warriors’ next series, Hensley found Bryant Moon for eight yards and on third down, Hensley kept it himself and picked up 27 yards and a first down. Two plays later, though, Haleyville recovered a Warrior fumble. West Point quickly forced a three-and-out on its next series.
Hensley found Monfort for 12 yards and a first down on second down, then two plays later, Hensley found a big hole on the left side and cut towards the middle to score from 13 yards out to tie the game up at seven with 5:41 left to go in the first half. A punt and a turnover-on-downs gave the ball back to the Lions, and their ground game wore down the Warrior defense, as they found themselves at the 28. They scored two plays later on a 28-yard touchdown pass to give them a 13-7 lead at the break.
Rush Lamar recovered a Haleyville fumble to start out the second half. After getting stopped on three straight plays, West Point settled for a 25-yard field goal by Julio Fuebtes, and that made it 13-10 with 10:16 remaining in the third quarter. On their opening possession of the third quarter, the Lions went on a 15-play, 63-yard drive that went over nine minutes, and it ended up with them finding the end zone on a short touchdown run to push their lead to 20-10 with 1:08 left to go in the period. It didn’t take long for the Warriors to respond on their next series.
Hensley found Monfort for 26 yards and a first down on the first play, then later on that drive, a personal foul on Haleyville put West Point at the 28. The next play saw Hensley finding Moon in the end zone for the score to cut it to 20-17 with 11:43 remaining in the game. Another punt gave the ball back to West Point, and Howell picked up a huge first down on fourth down. On the next play, Hensley kept it himself and took off the right sideline for a 41-yard score to give the Warriors a 24-20 lead with 8:20 left to go in the game.
A pair of Haleyville penalties and a loss of two yards on second down saw them looking at a third-and-18 from the 23, but a 39-yard pass kept their drive alive. A huge penalty on the Warriors on fourth down proved costly, as the Lions scored three plays later on an 18-yard run to take a 27-24 lead with 3:03 remaining in the contest. The Lions ended up recovering the kickoff and converted a huge fourth down to keep their drive alive. The Lions kneeled the ball down twice to secure a 27-24 win over West Point.
Hensley went 10/17 for 143 yards and a touchdown. He collected 78 more yards on the ground and a pair of scores. Moon caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown, while Monfort finished with five receptions for 87 yards. Lamar recovered a fumble for West Point.
The Warriors will stay at home next week to take on Good Hope.
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
