By Alex Chaney
On Oct. 15, Hokes Bluff Eagles traveled to Hanceville for a region matchup in which the Eagles won 49-8. The Hanceville Bulldogs entered the contest with a 0-7 record, and the night only added another loss for the struggling program.
Hokes Bluff scored with 10:30 on the clock in the first quarter after Bubba Leatherwood intercepted a Hanceville pass and ran it back for a touchdown. The point after touchdown was good, giving the Eagles a strong 7-0 lead early in the game.
Hanceville was unable to move the ball after that, and Hokes Bluff needed just two offensive plays for running back Brennan Ward to make Hokes Bluff second touchdown. In just two and a half minutes after their first touchdown, Hokes Bluff had pushed the score up to 14-0.
With 3:45 left in the first quarter, Hokes Bluff managed to put a third touchdown on the board when quarterback Dean Morgan ran around Hanceville’s left end and took the ball the distance. This brought the score up to 21-0, with Hokes Bluff leading the game.
With Hanceville again being unable to move the ball, Hokes Bluff took possession of it again before the end of the first quarter. Running back, Jace Hanks broke through the middle and outran the Hanceville defense, and with 1:05 left in the first quarter, the Eagles had run the score up to Hokes Bluff 28 and Hanceville 0.
Midway through the second quarter, Hokes Bluff began putting substitutes in the game, but the scoring did not stop. With 8:35 left in the half, freshman Brody Morgan pushed through on a short run to extend the lead to 35-0.
Before two minutes had expired, Hokes Bluff added a sixth touchdown to the board when freshman Jaxon Ponder ran in for another score, bringing it to 42-0.
At this point, Hokes Bluff Coach Mike Robertson seemed content to sit on the 42-point lead, play substitutes and run the clock. But with just six seconds left in the half and Hanceville operating from deep in their end of the field, freshman Tate Simmons intercepted a Hanceville pass and ran it back for Hokes Bluff’s final score of the night, bringing the scoreboard up to 49-0.
For the second half of the game, the teams agreed to 8-minute quarters and a running clock. The Eagles continued to play substitutes and run the ball up the middle. Ultimately, there was no additional scoring in the third quarter.
With about 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Hanceville finally managed to get on the board. Time expired just as Hanceville completed a 2-point attempt, leaving the final score at Hokes Bluff 49 to Hanceville’s 8.
Next week, Hokes Bluff with host region foe and county rival Glencoe. Due to region and class realignment, this will be Glencoe’s second straight trip to Hokes Bluff. This will be a contest with playoff implications and teams more evenly matched than in recent years. Hokes Bluff is riding a 10-game winning streak but trails Glencoe with an overall contest record of 39-42-1.
Hanceville’s path only gets more difficult as they host the region’s #1 team, Oneonta.
