Hillcrest Easily Downs Sparkman in Home Opener

Hillcrest convincingly defeats 6A Sparkman 50-24 in their first home game of the season, improving their record to 2-0.

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The Patriots' defense scored the first points in Friday's victory by getting a sack in the Senators' end zone during the opening possession of the game. This resulted in a safety, giving the Patriots an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter.

Hillcrest quickly scored three points with a 43-yard field goal, extending their lead to five points with nine minutes remaining in the first quarter.

After a remarkable stop on fourth down and one, which led to Sparkman turning the ball over on downs, the Patriots finally scored a touchdown with an intense three-yard rush by junior quarterback Jordan Shambley. This made the score 12-0 with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter.

Sparkman finally scored in the second quarter after reaching the Patriots' ten-yard line. However, Hillcrest's defense proved too strong for the Senators, forcing them to settle for a 20-yard field goal. This reduced the Patriots' lead to nine points.

Hillcrest responded immediately with a 35-yard touchdown rush by sophomore running back Jacobi Harris to add on to the Patriots' lead, making it a 17-point advantage with 8:21 left in the first half.

The Patriots dominated the Senators leading up to halftime. Senior wide receiver Kahden Smith caught two touchdown passes from Shambley: one covering 50 yards and the other spanning 37 yards. Before halftime, Sparkman was able to score with a 35-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Keaton Williams to senior wide receiver Zayden Bodner. Following a 30-yard rush by Shambley that brought the Patriots to the Senators' two-yard line, senior running back Dejaun Johnson finished the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown, making the score 43-10 as they headed into halftime.

In the second half, Smith and Shambley connected again for their third touchdown in Friday night's win, this one covering 30 yards and giving the Patriots a commanding 40-point lead.

Following that touchdown, Hillcrest substituted in the backups, which allowed Sparkman to cut into the lead and score some touchdowns, making the score look a little closer, with the final score being 50-24.

Hillcrest will travel to Hoover next Friday to take on the Buccaneers in a region game. The Patriots will look to avenge their 35-6 loss to Hoover from last season next Friday.

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