PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Scott’s style rubs off on Raiders in jamboree shutout of Vinemont

Published 1:02 pm Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Alan Scott era opened at Good Hope Friday night in typical Scott fashion.

There was a lot of rushing, a little passing, and plenty of points and defense to go around.

The end result was 323 rushing yards by 10 different ball carriers and a 28-0 varsity win over visiting Vinemont. The Raiders’ junior varsity unit put the finishing touches on a 42-0 victory for the full-length jamboree, which didn’t count toward either team’s record.

It still meant a great deal to Scott, whose first game as head coach at his alma mater had him staring across the field at a Vinemont sideline he’d led the last four seasons. The Eagles’ new leader, Matt Norris, was Scott’s defensive coordinator for the last three of them.

By the time Scott got home and talked with his wife, he was just happy the whole ordeal was over.

“It was harder than I thought it was going to be on a personal level, seeing those guys out there and knowing who they are and what they stand for and still caring for them,” he said. “But at the same time understanding that I’ve got a responsibility to have Good Hope play at a level I want them to play and be physical.

“To be honest, I’m glad to move on to another game.”

Kainan Smith topped Good Hope’s ground attack with 83 yards and a touchdown. Bruiser Jonathan Burnette led a group of five other guys with at least 40 yards.

“He’s not going to be the guy that breaks it, but he’s physical between the tackles,” Scott said of Burnette. “I was pleased with his effort.”

Lee Whisenant had one rushing touchdown, and Preston Bagwell tacked on two during JV play.

When the Raiders did pass, they were effective. Riley Eisner was 2 of 3 for two touchdowns, both to Smith.

“That’s the numbers I like to see,” Scott said. “High percentage and big plays.”

Matt Cofer had an interception in his return to Good Hope after a year away at Cullman. Whisenant, Dakota Burney and Blake Barrett were other players who stood out to Scott on a defense that hardly allowed any first downs.

“I thought that our effort was very good,” the coach said. “We’ve got to clean up a lot of things technique-wise, but when you hustle, good things happen.”

Vinemont came out inspired and kept the game scoreless through the first quarter before Good Hope pulled away with 21 points in the second.

Norris said players and coaches alike were already in the field house Saturday morning watching film and finding ways to execute better in game situations. He didn’t see any problems that weren’t “fixable and changeable and adjustable.”

“We did some good things,” Norris said. “We just obviously didn’t do enough of them to stay in the game. Coach Scott’s got a good, physical, aggressive team. It was good to shake hands with him after the game and talk for a minute.”

The Raiders will gauge just how far they’ve come under Scott when the 2015 campaign officially gets going next Friday at Cordova. The Blue Devils, ranked third in Class 4A, squeaked by Good Hope 48-41 last year and were 29-21 winners over Dora in their debut on Thursday.

Vinemont will host Addison. The Dawgs were shut out 35-0 by 2A No. 10 Pickens County in its regular season opener on Friday.

% Cullman Christian 80, Meadowview Christian 6: The Lions appeared to be in for a game when the Trojans closed the gap to 8-6 on their very first possession.

That was apparently all she wrote for Meadowview, however, as Cullman Christian proceeded to run circles around the first-year six-man program en route to 72 unanswered points and a convincing victory in its season and home opener.

Things didn’t go exactly as planned for Meadowview coach Lebo Jones, who’d told The Selma Times-Journal in a preview, “I think we can overpower them and wear them down on offense and try to control the clock as much as we can.”

He quickly learned Friday that speed kills and Cullman Christian had plenty of it, more than enough to counter the Trojans’ noticeable size advantage.

Will Siegenthaler went 5 of 8 for 196 passing yards and had a touchdown on all five completions.

Luke Barlow made a massive impact on both sides of the ball, rushing six times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, recovering a fumble and leading the team with 13 total tackles.

Brett Perry added three total touchdowns (one rushing) and a nifty pick on defense.

Jarett Anders caught three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, forced a fumble and tallied a sack.

Sam Vermillion was spotless on all 10 extra-point attempts.

“I was a little nervous when they got off the bus, but we came out and showed up,” fourth-year Cullman Christian coach Chase Cantrell said. “They were huge, but they just couldn’t stop us.”

The Lions, playing in the Alabama Christian Education Association, will host Faith Christian Academy next Friday.

% Ashville 20, Holly Pond 8: The Broncos dropped a couple of jamboree matchups Friday at West End, falling 33-13 to the host and losing by two scores to Ashville.

Holly Pond will now turn its attention to next Friday’s home and season opener against Brindlee Mountain. The Broncos are looking to snap the state’s longest active losing streak at 20 games in Mike Bates’ third year at the helm.

Stats for Holly Pond weren’t immediately available.