PREP ROUNDUP: Good Hope remains perfect, blanks Cordova 21-0; Fairview holds off Lawrence County; Cullman falls at Muscle Shoals

Published 11:00 pm Friday, September 20, 2024

Tyler Cone ran for two touchdowns, Mason Drake pitched in another and Good Hope’s defense continued to shine in a 21-0 road victory over Cordova on Friday night.

Cone and Drake both found the end zone in the second quarter to help the Raiders (4-0, 3-0 in Class 4A, Region 5) notch a 14-0 lead at intermission. Cone’s second touchdown came early in the third quarter and was more than enough for the road team to pull out the win.

“I’m proud of our guys for being 3-0 in the region so far,” Good Hope coach Alan Scott said. “It’s a good start for us in trying to return to the playoffs, so credit to our guys for putting themselves in a great position. I thought it was fairly sloppy tonight, though. I didn’t feel like we executed at times the way we could have — and you can always cut down on your penalties.

“But to come away with a shutout defensively … I’m tickled about that.”

The Raiders have allowed just 16 points through four contests this season and now rank No. 1 in their classification — surrendering just 4 points per game.

“We’ve got guys right now who are hustling to the football,” Scott said. “We’ve got a linebacker in (Landon) Bagwell who is making a ton of tackles and (Mason) Drake is right there with him. Other guys are trying to prevent the big play and make other teams drive the field.

“So far, that’s worked out for us.”

Hank Hudson recorded an interception on that side of the ball.

Good Hope hosts Addison next week.

Class 5A, Region 7

Fairview 28, Lawrence County 25

The Aggies held off a late charge from the Red Devils on Friday night for a huge road victory. 

Fairview (4-0, 3-0) led 22-7 before a Hail Mary from the home team cut it to 22-14 at halftime. 

Carson Jones and Jake Harper each had touchdown runs in the opening half, while Kolt Redding threw a touchdown pass to Zayden Cruce. 

Harper’s second touchdown run of the game put the Aggies ahead 28-17, but Lawrence County (3-2, 1-2) responded shortly afterward to cut its deficit to three. 

Fortunately for Fairview, however, it held on to stay perfect heading into the bye week. 

“I’m super proud of how hard we played and continued to fight tonight,” Fairview coach George Redding said. “We had to overcome a lot of stuff — penalties and a couple of crucial turnovers — and we struggled to maintain momentum because of that. But I thought we ran the ball really well and I thought our defense played well. We had a bad snap on a punt that set them up at the 1 and that Hail Mary … so we had some breakdowns. But we kept our heads down and fought.” 

Redding completed 10 of 18 passes for 150 yards. He also added 136 yards on 12 carries. Harper (121 yards) and Jones (45 yards) also pitched in on the ground, while Cruce claimed six catches for 104 yards. 

“We need to get a bit more focused on us during this bye week,” Redding said. “That’s been our blueprint, but sometimes we lose track of that.”

Class 1A, Region 7

Hackleburg 30, Addison 14

The Bulldogs fell to the fourth-ranked Panthers at home on Friday night. 

Hackleburg (4-0, 3-0) held a 24-0 lead over Addison (3-2, 2-1) at halftime. 

Kaden Dyson put the Bulldogs on the board in the third quarter with a touchdown run.  

Seth Hammack, meanwhile, found the end zone on the final play of the game. 

Addison travels to Good Hope next week.

Non-Region Game

Winston County 27, Cold Springs 6

The Yellow Jackets outscored the Eagles 20-0 after halftime to pull away on Friday night. 

Cold Springs (3-2) trailed only 7-6 after two quarters following a short touchdown run by Tycen Kilgo and a solid defensive effort. 

Winston County, however, controlled the final 24 minutes to improve to 5-0 on the season. 

Cold Springs hosts Lynn next week.

Class 6A, Region 7

Muscle Shoals 55, Cullman 27

The Bearcats were unable to slow down the No. 6 Trojans in Friday night’s road loss. 

Cullman (2-3, 1-2) tied the game at 7 following a Preston Gay touchdown pass to Cooper Ogstad in the first quarter. Cooper Loftin notched a touchdown run late in the second quarter, but Muscle Shoals (4-1, 3-0) still led 35-14 at halftime. 

The home team stretched its lead to 55-20 before a 12-yard scoring run by Gay with less than a minute remaining. Gay also had a touchdown dash in the third quarter. 

Cullman travels to Brewer next week.

Class 3A, Region 5

Oakman 54, Hanceville 7

Drake Bentley’s 85-yard scoop-and-score in the third quarter provided the lone highlight for the Bulldogs on Friday night. 

The Wildcats (3-1, 2-0) led 34-0 at halftime en route to the road victory. 

Hanceville (1-4, 1-2) is off next week.

Class 3A, Region 8

Geraldine 55, Holly Pond 6

The Broncos had no answers for the No. 9 Bulldogs on Friday night. 

Sawyer Olinger produced a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. 

Geraldine improved to 3-1 overall (2-1 in region play) following the home victory. 

Holly Pond (2-3, 1-2) is off next week.