Hornets offense struggles in loss at Homewood
HOMEWOOD — Homewood High School found a bit more of its offensive identity on Friday night en route to a 24-3 Class 6A, Region 5 win over visiting Chelsea.
Wide receiver Len Irvine was again the story for the Patriots’ offense, hauling in three passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. His first grab came on third-and-9, a huge play that set up Sam Carr’s 6-yard touchdown run one play later. That score put Homewood up 7-0 midway through the second quarter.
Irvine then caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Woods Ray late in the third quarter to give Homewood (3-1, 1-0 in region) a 21-3 advantage.
“It was tough starting out tonight, but we settled in after a bit,” said Homewood head coach Ben Berguson. “Len’s the difference, no doubt.”
After going up 7-0, Homewood scored on its next drive when Brode Susce connected with Harvey Ray for a 14-yard touchdown. A 31-yard field goal by Chelsea’s Alex Trout cut the deficit to 14-3 early in the third quarter. Irvine scored on the next drive and Homewood added a 32-yard field goal off the foot of J.C. Daniel late in the third quarter to make it a 24-3 game.
“They played lights out tonight,” Berguson said of his defense. “They did a great job tonight. We were in a defensive struggle early, and when you’re in a situation like that you need a big-time player to make a big-time play, and that was what Len Irvine did for us tonight. He had some clutch plays.”
Homewood allowed 174 total yards, 123 of which came through the air. Chelsea managed to gain only six first downs. Linebacker Charlie Goode recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
Homewood continued to split time at the quarterback position. Ray finished 4-of-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown. Susce completed 4-of-12 passes for 47 yards and a score. Carr rushed 13 times for 22 yards and a score. Jed Stone, who missed the Patriots’ first two games, ran 13 times for 58 yards.
“He came out with fresh legs and had a big game,” Berguson said of Stone. “We finally settled in and were able to run the football a little bit. It’s a big region win for us.”
For Chelsea (1-3, 0-2), Nic Neaves completed 9-of-21 passes for 105 yards and an interception. Collier Blair ran 11 times for 35 yards before leaving with an injury in the third quarter. Thomas Simpson caught two passes for 46 yards, while Holton Smith tallied 45 yards on three receptions.
Chelsea has a bye next week while Homewood continues region play at Woodlawn.
“Last week (against McAdory) we were up and down the field, we just couldn’t score in the red zone,” Berguson said. “We made it a goal all week to score in the red zone. We did it twice early. Maybe we’ll turn a corner offensively.”
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