HHS scores 16 in fourth to beat Athens

Hunter Hammack watches his 25-yard field goal go through the uprights to give Hartselle a 10-8 lead in the fourth quarter. Senior Preston Adams is Hammack's holder. | Brent Maze

ATHENS – If anyone felt like Hartselle would have an easy time repeating as state champions – let alone region champions, head football coach Bob Godsey has a message for him.

“This is Region 8 football,” Godsey said. “It’s tough every night. If you thought it was going to be easy, you don’t know Region 8.”

The No. 1 Tigers (3-0, 2-0) earned a hard-fought 23-8 win on the road at Athens Friday night, extending its winning streak to 18 games.

One of the key plays of the night came early in the fourth quarter with Hartselle trailing 8-7. The Tiger offense drove from its own 13-yard line all the way to the Athens 8, where the team faced a fourth down play.

Godsey called on his new kicker, Hunter Hammack, to give the Tigers the lead. This was the first time he ever faced a situation like this, but the senior delivered – just as his predecessor, Gavin Marsh, did so many times a year ago.

“I just focused and concentrated on what I had to do,” Hammack said. “(Once it left my foot) I knew it was going in. I was confident.”

That kick gave the Tigers a 10-8 lead and momentum.

Jaylan Jackson and the Tiger defense shut the door on the next Athens drive. He intercepted the Athens quarterback Harper Ward and returned it 53 yards for the touchdown, putting Hartselle up 17-8 with 9:25 to play.

Jackson said the quarterback hadn’t thrown his way all night, but his teammates had a feeling the ball was going to come his way.

“They hadn’t been throwing my way all night, but Tyler (Phillips) told me to be ready because they were going to throw a deep ball,” Jackson said. “We were just sitting back. I turned around and the ball was there.

Teammates and cheerleaders mob Jaylan Jackson after he his pick-six to give Hartselle a 17-8 lead. | Brent Maze

“I had a feeling (I might return it for a touchdown). As soon as, they yelled out ‘pick,’ they all started blocking for me.”

That defense is the thing that Godsey felt comfortable with the whole night. In all but a couple of plays, the Tigers were swarming around the football. Athens only completed nine of 27 passes with interceptions by Jackson and Phillips.

After giving up 164 yards in the first half, the defense tightened down only allowing 31 yards in the second half.

On offense, however, Hartselle racked up a large number of yards, but the Tigers failed to take advantage of its red zone opportunities through the first three quarters. Two drives ended on downs while another ended on a fumble.

“We had it down there a number of times, but we just couldn’t stop making those drive-killing plays,” Godsey said. “You just can’t make those kind of mistakes in a game like this.”

The Tigers did convert one time in the first half. Deacon Aldridge connected with Zane Hamlett on a five-yard touchdown pass. Hammack’s extra point made it 7-0 in the first quarter.

Athens took advantage of a Hartselle fumble and drove to the Tigers’ 3-yard line, but the Eagles could go no further as the Hartselle defense turned them away.

The bad field position, however, would come back to haunt Hartselle. The Tigers were tackled in the end zone for a safety, making it 7-2 with seven minutes left in the first half.

Tanner Oakes runs upfield after making at catch. He finished with two catches for 43 yards. | Brent Maze

Athens kept the field position in its favor, and it led to Ward connecting with Johnnie Anderson for a 45-yard touchdown pass on third-and-20 play. The Eagles were unable to convert on the two-point play, but they still led 8-7 at halftime and all of the third quarter.

Phillips set the tone for the second half by intercepting Ward on Athens’ first possession.

The Tigers were unable to take advantage as Hartselle was stopped a yard short of a first down.

The defense bailed out the Tigers after a fumbled punt return set up Athens in Hartselle territory again. That put Hartselle back on its own 13-yard line with four minutes left in the fourth.

From there, they marched to the other end of the field to set up Hammack’s go-ahead field goal. The key play was Aldridge’s 36-yard pass to Tanner Oakes. Aldridge also hooked up with Blake Slayton on several successful swing passes for first downs.

Then after Jackson’s interception return, the Tigers put the game out of reach. Slayton recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, putting the final score at 23-8.

“It was a great football game between two good football teams,” Godsey said. “This is what you expect in Region 8. It was a tough test for our football team.”

And it only gets tougher the next three weeks, as they host No. 7 Cullman Sept. 21, host Decatur Sept. 28 and then travel to No. 2 Muscle Shoals.

“This is only just the beginning of this tough four-game stretch,” Godsey said.