Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Peyton Moore (5) attempts to break up a pass by Westbrook’s Jackson Cox during the Eagles’ 43-17 victory last Friday (Nov. 3) in Rainbow City. (Alex Chaney)
By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
The Hokes Bluff Eagles used a big-play offense to subdue a stubborn bunch of Westbrook Christian Warriors last Friday (Nov. 3) by a score of 43-17 in Rainbow City.
Darrian Meads had a big night for the Class 4A No. 10 Eagles (8-2, 5-2), as the sophomore halfback rushed the ball 17 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns and added an 88-yard kickoff return for a score.
“Give [Westbrook head] coach [Brian] Mintz credit; they played the hardest of any team we’ve
faced,” said Hokes Bluff head coach Mike Robertson. “Westbrook played us a great game, and we had to wear them down.”
Hokes Bluff quarterback Landon Johnson was 3 for 5 in passing for 86 yards ran for 45 yards on five carries. Defensively for the Eagles, Ashton Gulledge had 18 tackles, followed by Jackson Evans with 11, Carson Eubanks with nine and Levi Taliaferro and Jackson Fielding with seven each.
After the Warriors (5-5, 4-3) forced Hokes Bluff to turn the ball over on downs on the game’s first possession, the hosts used Court Coley’s 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead at the 1:36 mark of the opening quarter.
Hokes Bluff quarterback Landon Johnson threw a 47-yard touchdown pass Braydon Hill in the final seconds of the period to cut the Warrior lead to 7-6 as the extra point was wide.
Ashton Gulledge recovered a fumble on the next play from scrimmage, and that turnover led to Johnson’s 6-yard touchdown run. and Meads ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-6 in favor of the Eagles.
Meads’ 42-yard touchdown run extended the Hokes Bluff lead to 21-7. A 40-yard field goal by Will Dickson drew the Warriors within21-101 points at the break.
Meads’ kickoff touchdown return provided the Eagles a 28-10 lead 13 seconds into the third quarter, and the Eagles never looked back. Hokes Bluff led 36-17 after 24 minutes.
For Westbrook, Hunter Grimes rushed 23 times for 104 yards, while Coley rushed for 49 yards on 10 carries.
Jackson Cox completed 14 of 19 passes for 159 yards. Caeden Godfrey had four receptions for 88 yards, while Alex Burnett caught four passes for 37 yards. P.J. Wells had three receptions for 30 yards.
Will Vice finished with seven tackles, followed by Coley and Godfrey with six each and Will Lankford with five.
Both team hit the road this week for the first round of the AHSAA state playoffs. The Class 2A Warriors visit Sulligent on Thursday, Nov. 9, while the Class 4A Eagles travel to Madison Academy in Gurley on Friday, Nov. 10.