HANCEVILLE — Standing at midfield across from the star of Friday’s season finale between Good Hope and Hanceville, Austin Morris gave his best take on Raider teammate Matthew Dixon.

“He’s only a freshman,” the senior said, “but he’s going to be a beast.”

Wait a second. Going to be a beast?

With 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Good Hope’s 41-21 rout of the county-rival Bulldogs, it’s probably time to start thinking he already is.

Dixon had 173 yards on the ground in the second half alone, including 75 on his go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter.

Simply leaving it at that would do the play injustice. On the show-stopper, the hard-nosed tailback escaped sure tackle after sure tackle before somehow breaking free, finding open space and leaving every last defender in the dust on his way to the end zone.

“I just kept churning my legs and kept pushing through,” said Dixon, who heaped on the praise for his line. “Some points I did actually think I was going to go down, but I kept running. I just didn’t want to go down.”

Dixon’s other TDs came on carries of 1 and 6 yards, the latter to cap off the Raiders’ run of touchdown on their last six possessions.

Matt Cofer joined in the fun and flashed his speed with scores of 23 and 24 yards around right end. He finished with 86 yards on just six rushes.

Preston Bagwell accounted for Good Hope’s other touchdown with a slippery 11-yard run in the second quarter.

Bagwell’s class standing as he made his latest start at quarterback? Freshman.

It’s been a common theme this season.

“We’ve got anywhere from six to eight ninth-graders on the field at any time,” Raiders coach Alan Scott said. “I think those guys grew up a lot tonight.”

The Red and White’s second score was set up by a 27-yard connection between Bagwell and Morris and another immediately after between Riley Eisner and Cofer. That was all she wrote for Good Hope’s passing game, which played second fiddle to a 344-yard rushing performance put on by eight different ball carriers with at least one attempt.

“Obviously, Matthew (Dixon) was on tonight. And Matt Cofer,” Scott said. “Really, anybody’s number that I called tonight did exactly what I asked them to do, and that’s run as hard as they can and protect the football. I’m proud of the whole team. It’s just a good team win.”

The sideline leader was also proud of his squad’s number of turnovers.

Zero.

“That’s kind of been a thorn in our side this year,” he said. “It’s good to see what we can do when we hang on to the football and run it and do what we’re supposed to.”

Morris helped the Raiders walk away with a 2-0 advantage in the takeaway department, stepping in front of one interception in the first quarter and snaring another off a tip early in the third. His sole motivation all evening was fellow senior and best friend Lee Whisenant, who suffered a significant knee injury after a 7-yard carry on only the game’s second snap.

In typical Whisenant fashion, the varsity veteran gutted out a few more minutes before the pain was just too much to bear.

“I was playing my heart out for him,” Morris said.

Dakota Burney, Peyton Hill (two tackles for loss), Will Hendrix and Cofer (7-yard tackle for loss) stood out on a defense that made its biggest stop with Hanceville threatening at the Good Hope 4 in the closing seconds of the first half.

Damian Rodriguez made all five extra-point attempts for the Raiders.

Hanceville, which led 14-13 at halftime and 21-20 late in the third, was paced by another solid outing from B.J. Smalls. The junior broke a few ankles on a 38-yard touchdown on third-and-long in the second quarter and wrapped up the night with 169 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Branen Hurst added 99 yards on 16 rushes before exiting early, and Kaine Yates contributed TD runs of 5 and 1 yards.

Romael Simmons and Matthew Campbell combined on a 17-yard sack that paved the way for the Dawgs’ first touchdown.

There weren’t many other defensive highlights the rest of the way out for the home team, which allowed at least 34 points to nine of its 10 opponents and 40 to six.

“We decided in the second quarter we weren’t going to play hard, I reckon,” Hanceville coach Danny Miller said. “Our defense just hasn’t been there in awhile, if it ever has this year. Coaches have done a good job I think and had people in the the right places, but players have got to make plays and that’s not happening. You can’t win when you’re not playing defense.”

Both teams capped off the 2015 campaign 3-7, a good bit short of Scott’s initial goals for his first season atop his alma mater. Friday’s win, however, was a step in the right direction for a young Raider roster that’ll look to regroup and start fresh next fall.

“Anytime you can do this against a county opponent and a well-coached team, I think it’s definitely a positive thing for our offseason,” Scott said. “We’re going to have to work and get better and get stronger and faster. I believe these guys are hungry now, so that’s a good sign.”