Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

It was sloppy at times and it wasn’t pretty, but in the end the Hartselle Tigers got the job done. Hartselle was coming home after a thrilling victory over Cullman, and with region play starting next week, all eyes were going to be watching for a second week letdown against the Lawrence County Red Devils.

At first, it seemed that might be the case. After forcing a three and out, Hartselle fumbled on their first offensive snap of the game. The Tigers eventually got it going on their next drive when Taylor Easterling took it 63 yards for the score. After getting a short field to start, Hartselle added on to their lead. Quarterback Luke Godsey kept the drive going with a 16 yard run, and then he connected with Mac Meyer for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 13-0.

Hartselle continued to keep their foot on the gas in the second quarter after getting the ball back thanks to a Houston Wright interception at the Tiger’s three-yard line. Godsey connected with Riley Wood for a 42-yard play into Lawrence County territory. Last week’s hero Keondre Swoopes then made his presence known with a 22-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion was good and Hartselle took the lead 21-0. Meanwhile, the defense continued to wreak havoc on the Lawrence County offense. A couple sacks by Colin Springer and Seth Mayfield pushed the Devils further and further back.

The Tigers look poised to add another score when Easterling carried the ball twice for 57 yards down to the Red Devil’s one yard line, but a fumble out the back of the Lawrence County endzone ended the Tiger’s threat. Swoopes made a big play for the Tigers defense with an interception, but Hartselle was unable to do anything with it as they ran out of time.

In the second half, Hartselle wasted no time in getting back down the field. A huge pass play from Godsey to Swoopes put Hartselle at the Lawrence County 1 yard line, but a holding penalty brought it back. Still, the Tigers got back into Red Devil territory thanks to a 42-yard pass from Godsey to David Hayes. Swoopes then added his second touchdown run of the night with a five yard score to put the Tigers up 28-0. Hartselle got its final offensive score of the night on its next drive. Godsey connected with Adam Hampton for a 35-yard pass to get down to the Lawrence County six-yard line. Godsey then called his own number for a five-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 34-0. From there, the backups went in. Hartselle put a cap on the game when Drew Cartee picked up a fumble and returned it 80 yards for a score. The Tigers defeated Lawrence County 40-0.

It wasn’t pretty at times, but head coach Bob Godsey felt his team did many good things. “We’re learning, we’ve got a young football team. We finished the second half sloppy but I thought we answered in the third quarter, did the things we were supposed to do and took care of business,” Godsey said. “We we’re able to get our young guys out there, which is key because we are going to need them before the year’s out with the grind we have. Now the fun begins.” The “fun” Godsey refers to is region play, which Hartselle steps into next week when they travel to Athens. Hartselle plays in one of the toughest regions in the state and it is a grind each year to just earn a playoff spot, Hartselle is just one of two teams to do it each year. The players know they will have to raise their level once it begins. “It was sloppy tonight but I thought we made some good adjustments at halftime,” said senior defensive back Riley Wood. “We didn’t play our best tonight but we’re going to come out next week and play much better.”

Hartselle finished the night with 427 yards of total offense. Luke Godsey passed for 154 yards with a touchdown while adding a score on the ground. Taylor Easterling rushed for 175 yards and a score while Keondre Swoopes rushed for 67 yards and two scores, while also securing an interception. The Tiger’s defense held the Red Devils to just 97 total yards on the night.