HOMEWOOD – Homewood High School avenged last year’s overtime loss to John Carroll in Week 1 with a convincing 29-point victory over the Cavaliers to open the 2024 season.
The Patriots relied on the running game of their leaders, quarterback Will Myers and running back Evan Ausmer, who combined for four touchdowns against a John Carroll-led team that is rebuilding after a long run in the 2023 playoffs.
“This is a better start than last year. I thought there were some great individual performances tonight, but as a team everything was a little sloppy,” said Homewood head coach Ben Berguson. “I think if we can get all 11 together, we have a chance to be pretty good.”
Homewood received the opening kickoff after John Carroll was deferred to the second half and marched 80 yards in eight plays in just under three minutes. Ausmer set up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game with a 37-yard run. Myers scored a touchdown two plays later on a 1-yard run to give Homewood a 7-0 lead.
With 2:05 left in the opening period, the Patriots defense came into play when defensive back Maleik Smiley intercepted a pass from Cavaliers quarterback Garrett Barnes and returned it 34 yards to give Homewood a 14-0 lead.
John Carroll started the second quarter strong, capping a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Aubry Walker in the Wildcat formation. The extra point was blocked, making the score 14-6 with 9:13 left in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers didn’t get any closer, as Homewood scored touchdowns on its next two drives. The Patriots extended the lead to 21-6 after Ausmer capped a six-play, 62-yard drive. Myers took the Patriots’ next play virtually unchallenged into the end zone and scored a 40-yard touchdown, giving Homewood a commanding 28-6 lead at halftime.
The Cavaliers offense put together arguably its best drive of the game, opening the second half with a 16-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes. Barnes completed 5 of 7 passes and the Cavaliers converted two fourth down attempts before the offense stalled on a fourth down attempt at the Patriots’ 7-yard line.
Homewood scored another point early in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard run by Ausmer, increasing the Patriots’ lead to 35-6.
Berguson said the win was exactly what the Patriots needed from a group that has learned a lot after an 0-3 start in 2023, but says there is still plenty of improvement to be made ahead of a matchup with Briarwood Christian. He was particularly pleased with the Patriots’ running game behind Myers, Ausmer and the offensive line.
“I thought our offensive line did a great job tonight. They basically took over the game and we haven’t had a running back like Evan Ausmer here in years,” Berguson said.
Despite the loss, John Carroll head coach Will Mara said he was pleased with the Cavaliers’ performance and believes they have a lot to build on as the season progresses. Mara said the 2024 team is less experienced than the 2023 team led by quarterback Carson McFadden, but believes they would have done well against an opponent as strong as Homewood.
“We had a lot of kids that had never been on the field before, so we knew the speed of the game would be an eye-opener for them,” Mara said. “Garrett Barnes had the biggest shoes to fill at Alabama. He didn’t try to do too much and just played his game. I think we have a lot to build on when we put that behind us and go to St. Michael’s next week.”
Ausmer led all runners with 104 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns, followed by Myers with 73 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns. Myers completed 5 of 9 passing attempts for 95 yards and Homewood’s top receiver was Kylen Newell with three passes caught for 66 yards.
For John Carroll, Barnes completed 17 of 29 passes for 158 yards and one interception. Walker had 84 yards on seven catches and carried the ball six times for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Homewood hosts Briarwood at Waldrop Stadium while John Carroll travels to Fairhope to face St. Michael Catholic High School, both games scheduled for Friday.
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