VINEMONT – Under very humid conditions to play a jamboree game, long time rivals Vinemont and Good Hope had the scoreboard operator at Mark Smothers Stadium staying busy in one of the wildest encounters these two have ever experienced.
Vinemont pulled it out 40-35 thanks to a running attack that excelled Thursday night from the beginning until the end. The Eagles racked up 450 yards on the ground, putting 222 on the statistical sheet following the first quarter in which they led the Raiders 18-7.
The Eagles were in the Good Hope end zone on three consecutive series in the first period, covering 75, 79 and 45 yards. They had the momentum for much of the period, holding an 18-0 lead before the Raiders got on the board with a touchdown inside the final minute of the period.
Orey Woods raced 53 yards for the Eagles' first score, three plays into the game. Then John Michael Dye put the ball in the end zone on runs of 13 and eight yards. Woods and Dye combined for 181 yards in the period as Dye gained 93 and Woods wound up with 88.
Trailing by three touchdowns, Good Hope overcame the slow start and was back in the contest on the strength of throwing the ball.
Sophomore Riley Eisner finished with 241 yards passing in the first half, throwing for touchdowns of 45 yards to Kainan Smith, 16 to Reese Harbison and five to Austin Reed.
The pass to Reed enabled the Raiders to grab the lead at 19-18 with 3:15 to go until halftime. Good Hope's three straight scores came after the Raider defense forced the Eagles to a fumble and a punt in the second quarter.
But with time to move the ball back downfield before the half ended, the Eagles did just that. A 75-yard drive in seven plays ended for Alan Scott's Eagles when Garrett Boland flipped an 18-yard pass to Bo Wright for the TD with 35 seconds left on the clock. A two-point run from Dye put the Eagles ahead 26-19 at the break.
The lone touchdown in the third quarter came from Vinemont with it being set up by the defense. Matthew Harrington returned his second interception of the game to the Good Hope 20.
Vinemont just needed nine seconds to extend the lead with Dye going into the end zone from right end for 20 yards. The conversion failed and the varsity finished its night of jamboree play with the Eagles ahead 32-19 and one quarter to go.
Good Hope put two touchdowns on the board in the fourth from the junior varsity while the Eagles scored once as Colby Nicholas got into the end zone on a seven-yard run. The reserve would finish with 58 yards on seven carries in the fourth quarter.
Vinemont ran for 450 yards on this humid night. The Eagles got 26 yards from Dye as they moved the chains with 19 first downs and had only five penalties for 45 yards.
For the Raiders, Eisner was 25 of 41 for 313 yards with three touchdowns, but had two passes picked off. Harbison hauled in eight passes from Eisner for 85 yards and score with Smith catching seven throws for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Now the season officially begins next week for the pair. The Raiders welcome Cordova to James Shabel Stadium while the Eagles meet Addison at A.G. Hicks Stadium.
