In a highly anticipated matchup, the Homewood Patriots will face the Parker Thundering Herd tonight at Waldrop Stadium.
With both teams undefeated in area play and already clinching home-field advantage in the first round of the postseason, this game determines who gets the regular season crown for 6A Region 5.
The Thundering Herd come into Waldrop Stadium as the fourth ranked team in 6A and the seventh ranked team in the state. Beating teams like Mountain Brook and Hoover on the road and having multiple highly ranked college prospects, especially on defense including five star Ohio State cornerback commit Na’eem Offord and three star Washington defensive end commit Caleb Smith, the Herd will prove to be a tough task for the Patriots.
While Homewood is the underdog on paper, senior running back Evan Ausmer doesn’t view this game as any different from other matchups and believes they will have a chance if the team can come ready to play and give 100% on the field.
“We’ve had a great week of practice, and I think we’ve got a really good shot at pulling the upset,” Ausmer said.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Thundering Herd possesses a balanced attack. Running and passing the ball equally.
Senior linebacker Trust Darnell says the defense has prepared three days more than they normally do for this Parker offense. He thinks that will be key.
“Being over-prepared and knowing their formations and plays will help us over counter their athleticism,” Darnell said.
This contest is also a homecoming for former Homewood defensive stud Talton Thomas who transferred to Parker this spring. Having multiple awards given to him for his performance at Homewood, the 6’0 linebacker transferred to the downtown Birmingham school and has been nothing but sensational this season. He has accounted for 69 tackles for the 2024 season and is 12th in 6A in that category. He picked up his first Division 1 offer from West Georgia in May.
Ausmer is excited to compete against his former teammate but says that the team needs to stay focused despite this scenario.
“Considering Talton is a good friend of mine and all of us, it’s going to be fun to play against each other,” he said. “But he’s on the other team so we can’t be friends when going against each other.”
Both teams will close out area play next week on the road next Thursday. Parker heads to Woodlawn while the Patriots hit the road to Adamsville for a matchup with the Minor Tigers.
