The Patriots returned to Waldrop Stadium for the first time this season on Oct. 1 in a double-header against 5A Ramsay and Pinson Valley. They defeated Ramsay in a 19-6 win and shut out Pinson Valley 28-0 in the second contest.
Like head coach Dr. Latta Johnston said — His team is competitive and always willing to get better.
The Homewood High School flag football team has used that mindset to record a 5-3 record so far this 2024 season. With the advantage of a large veteran core and a talented underclass, they’ve defeated teams such as Mountain Brook, Gardendale, Leeds, Pell City and Minor.
The team started their season with a month straight of away games. Johnston understands the challenge of being on the road in sports and praises the team for what they have done this season.
“They’ve handled being on the road like champs,” Johnston said. “They have not let anything distract them from the game at hand. It is good to learn to play in adverse conditions.”
Johnston recognizes the team’s desire to improve each and every game, a key component of becoming more comfortable on the field and improving in the fundamentals of the sport.
“Our goal has been to improve each game,” Johnston said. “So far we have done that this season. I love seeing them compete and take pride in improvement.”
Against Ramsay, sophomore Kloeanne Smith caught a pair of touchdowns from 20 and 30 yards out and Junior Layla Balta caught a deep pass from 8th grade quarterback Bess Whitten and ran the ball 60 yards to the end zone.
In the second game, Smith scored two more touchdowns and Balta added one more. Senior Liesel Kellen hauled in a touchdown for the final score of the night.
Senior cornerback and safety Genevieve Champigny is proud of the team’s home success. She is optimistic that the wins will fuel their momentum even more.
“We’ve only gotten better each game,” Champigny said. “I’m confident that we’ll do really well for the rest of the season and even in the playoffs.”
Homewood is back on the road tonight at Mountain Brook High School in a double-header against the Spartans and the McAdory Yellow Jackets.
