Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Colten Shields (32) closes in on Glencoe quarterback Aiden Johnson as Jo Jo Bethel (18) looks on during the Eagles’ 35-0 victory in high school football on Friday, Sept. 27. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney)
In the 81st meeting of the two schools, Hokes Bluff posted a 35-0 shutout over Glencoe on Friday, Sept. 27 at Wilson-Darnell Field.
The Class 4A No. 8 Eagles (5-0, 3-0), which are 5-0 for the first time since 2018, won its ninth straight in the series.
“Glencoe’s kids played extremely hard, which we knew they would because they always do when they play us,” said Hokes Bluff head coach Mile Robertson. “We knew that [Glencoe] would always go for it on fourth downs, and we were able to stop them in those situations for the most part. Once we got ahead, Glencoe still went three yards and a cloud of dust, which wound up helping us out. We scored on five of our seven possessions, so that’s a pretty good percentage.”
For Hokes Bluff, junior quarterback Bryce Whitaker rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
“Bryce put on a show, which he does just about every week,” said Robertson. “We’re not throwing the ball much right now, which we might have to do over the next two weeks, and Bryce is more than capable of doing that.”
Brenton Hale carried nine times for 73 yards and one score, while Blain Barron gained 68 yards and a TD on nine attempts. Alex Carter added 39 yards on five runs. Anderson Morgan had two receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Connor Ford led the way defensively with 11 tackles, followed by Drew McCarver with seven, Morgan with six and Bray Davis with five.
Two of Whitaker’s touchdowns came in the first half to give the Eagles the lead for good. The first came with 1:17 left in the first quarter on a 21-yard run, while the second occurred 25 seconds before intermission with a 14-yard scamper.
Barron’s 25-yard TD run early in the third period made it 21-0. Whitaker broke loose for a 66-yard scoring run at the 4:05 mark of the quarter, while Hale took it in from five yards out late in the game to wrap up the scoring.
Leon Chenn went 4-for-4 in extra points.
For the Yellow Jackets, Bronner McMurray rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries, while Aiden Johnson carried seven times for 55 yards.
“I know we’ve got some good players, but I never dreamed that we’d be 5-0 right now,” said Robertson. “I’m really proud of our players and our coaches for what we’ve accomplished so far. We have to play with a high level of intensity every week, so the biggest thing right now is keeping our focus and staying mentally sharp, because we’ve got a rough road ahead of us.”
