GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders came into Friday night’s game against Dora with an opportunity to clinch the Class 4A, Region 5 title on Friday night and they rose to the occasion. It was a high-scoring first half, but thanks to a strong defensive performance, Good Hope ended up pulling away in the second half to take the game 47-28 and secure the region championship.
Dora got the ball first to start out the game, and they didn’t waste any time finding the end zone, scoring on a 26-yard run to give them an 8-0 lead. Good Hope looked to respond on its opening series. Some tough runs by Mason Drake and Tyler Cone saw them move the ball to the 42, but later in the drive, the Raiders were faced with fourth-down-and five from the 41. Cone found Tucker Screws for 22 yards to keep their series alive. A few plays later, they were faced with another fourth down situation from the 18, but Cone found a wide-open Drake in the end zone to cut it to 8-7 with 3:37 remaining in the first quarter.
The defense quickly forced its first turnover of the game, as Drake recovered a Bulldog fumble at the 30. Two plays later, Cone connected with Carter Rutherford for a 67-yard score to give Good Hope a 14-8 lead. The Bulldogs got back in the end zone on its next series, as they scored on a 26-yard run to tie the game up at 14 with 9:42 remaining in the first half. Cone picked up 23 yards on the first play of the Raiders’ next series, then two plays later, he found Tucker Malin for 16 yards to put them at the five. Cone punched it two plays later from the one to give Good Hope a 21-14 lead.
The defense forced yet another turnover on its next series, as a bad snap allowed Landon Bagwell to pick up the loose ball and take it 72 yards to the house to push the Raider lead to 28-14 with a little over four minutes to go until halftime. The Bulldogs scored on a 24-yard run to cut it to 28-21, and the score would remain the same going into the half.
The Raiders quickly went backwards on offense to start out the second half, but Cone found Rutherford for 23 yards on third down to keep the drive alive. Their offense, though, stalled after that, and they were forced to punt. Good Hope’s defense forced yet another fumble, as Isaiah Owen recovered the ball at the 40. An offsides penalty put the Raiders in a third-and-one situation, then Cone picked up the first down on the next play. Three plays later, Cone found Drake for 26 yards, as that put them at the two. It took all four downs for them to find the end zone, as Cone connected with Screws for a one-yard score to give them a 35-21 lead with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Raider defense forced a turnover on downs on its next series, and they quickly found the end zone once again, as Cone found a wide-open Rutherford over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown to stretch their lead to 42-21. Dora cut it to 42-28 on a one-yard run. Behind some big runs by Drake, and a 20-yard pass from Cone to Rutherford quickly put Good Hope at the six. The Raiders would end up settling for a field goal, as Robert Rodriguez’s 27-yard field goal attempt split the uprights, and that made it 45-28. A safety late in the game increased their lead to 47-28. They ended up burning the remaining time off the clock, as they defeated Dora, 47-28, to clinch the Class 4A, Region 5 championship. More importantly, it’s the first region championship that Good Hope has won under head coach Alan Scott, and he was proud of his team for how they battled against a really tough Dora team.
“That’s the most adversity we’ve faced this year. Our guys handled it well. We never hung our heads, and we kept fighting. That Dora team is an outstanding football team, and obviously, their running back is special. Hats off to our kids and our coaches. Our fans were outstanding, and it’s just a great day to be a Raider,” Scott said.
Scott was pleased to see some big-time clutch performances from some of his key players in the win. He talked about the gameplan they had coming into the matchup and emphasized the three turnovers that his defense forced in the game.
“Tyler Cone has got a lot of guts, and he showed that tonight, standing in the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield, making the runs when he had to, and being the leader that he needs to be for this team. I can’t say enough about him. Carter went up and got some really big catches. I thought Tucker Screws made some really big catches on fourth down a couple of times. That’s what we were talking about in the locker room. Our guys made plays tonight when they had to,” Scott said. “We were trying to tackle their running back in the first half, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that. I thought in the second half, we did a great job of making some adjustments, and getting a hold of him, and not letting him run for those big plays, because that’s what he thrives on. That was the game plan: to shut him down. Every time you can win the turnover battle, that really gives you a good shot at winning the football game, so I’m really proud of our guys for winning that battle.
Scott was emotional when talking about winning his first region title as head coach, and he will definitely have his team ready for a big county battle at home against Fairview next Friday night.
“I’m just thankful. I mean, God’s blessed me so much to be coaching at my home school and to be surrounded by so many people that love this program, so I give all the glory to Him,” Scott said. “That’s just going to be a monumental game. I mean, Fairview’s the cream of the crop in the county. They have been for a while. Coach Redding does a fantastic job, so we’ve got to buckle up on Monday and get ready to work again.”
Cone finished 12/15 for 251 yards and four scores and added 70 more on the ground and another touchdown. Rutherford collected 163 yards on four receptions and a pair of touchdowns. Drake and Screws each collected a receiving touchdown in the game. Drake, Bagwell (fumble recovery for a touchdown), and Owen each finished with a fumble recovery in the win for Good Hope (9-0, 7-0).
Good Hope will host Fairview in a battle of unbeaten teams next Friday night.
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