Patriots move to 3-2 with win over Hayden
By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Brewer High School's Patriots scored a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and held on to pull off an action-packed 14-7 homecoming win over the Hayden Wildcats at James R. Tucker Stadium Friday night.
The Patriots improved their record to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in regional games while the visitors dropped to 0-5.
Brewer scored on its first possession but had to settle for a 6-0 lead when the extra point try failed. Hayden took advantage of the miscue by scoring a touchdown and extra point late in the second period and carrying a 7-6 lead into the dressing room at halftime.
The Patriots regained the lead by converting their first possession in the second half into a scoring drive.
While neither team scored again, Brewer controlled the tempo and had two long drives. One of them ended on downs at Hayden's 11-yard line and the other resulted in a missed field goal with 1:56 left in the game.
"Our execution on offense, especially in the first half, left a lot to be desired," said Brewer coach Billy Coleman. "I thought we lost our concentration after that early touchdown and I was disappointed in the turnovers and silly mistakes we made after that. But I'm proud of the way we went out to start the second half and took charge."
"We need to learn from this," he told his players in the field house. "We're going to have to work hard for everything we get. You know what is ahead of us. We need to have a good week of practice and be prepared to raise our game to a higher level when we go to Hartselle next Friday night."
"Coach Coleman always does a good job of preparing his team to play," said Hayden head coach Shane Howard. We had a lot of penalties and made a lot of mistakes. You can't do that and have a chance to win here."
The Patriots wasted no time getting on the scoreboard after holding Hayden to three-and-out on the game's first possession.
They marched 68 yards in five plays and scored on a 52-yard run by senior tailback Chris Dickerson. Jon Brasher's kick for the extra point was no good and the score remained at 6-0 with 7:35 left in the opening period.
On their next possession Brewer drove 58 yards in eight plays but had to settle for a field goal attempt. Brasher's kick from 34 yards was straight but short of the uprights.
Hayden's only points came with 4.1 seconds left in the second quarter on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Skylar Powell to Michael Robinson.
Brewer got the ball to start the second half and marched 73 yards in six plays to regain the lead. Miles Cloer broke free on a dive play up the middle and scored from 24 yards out with 9:23 left in the third period. A pass from quarterback Tony Dickerson to Chris Dickerson was good for a two-point conversion and made the score 14-7.
Chris Dickerson had the best game of his career as a tailback. He also plays at a linebacker position on defense. He gained 193 yards rushing on 17 carries and scored a touchdown. He also caught a pass for a two-point conversion.
Dickerson said after the game, "I want to give credit to the offensive line and the receivers…I couldn't have done it without them. I also thought we stepped it up defensively and I'm glad we were able to get the win, especially for the seniors."
Following Dickerson in rushing were Cloer with 72 yards on 11 caries, Tony Dickerson with 55 yards on nine carries and Philip Newby with 45 yards on 10 carries.
Gavin Brown paced the Wildcats in rushing with 52 yards on 11 carries. T.J. Rock completed 14-of-32 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
Brewer travels to Hartselle's J.P. Cain Stadium this Friday; kickoff is at 7 p.m.
