General win gives HBHS momentum for finale

HBHS tops Ohatchee 14-7

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Monday, October 26, 2009

The Horseshoe Bend football team was eliminated from the playoffs by virtue of Lanett’s 16-7 win at Randolph County on Friday night.

But, that didn’t stop the Generals from providing fans with a dramatic finish in their own game Friday at Ohatchee.

After a defensive struggle throughout much of the first 3-and-a-half quarters left HBHS and the Indians tied 7-7 late in the fourth quarter, the Generals found themselves on their own 5-yard line with a chance to drive and win the game on the road.

HBHS did just that, marching 91 yards to the Ohatchee 4 with seconds remaining. From there, quarterback Josh Price hooked up with Cody King on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds to play in the game, giving HBHS its first lead of the night and soon after, its fifth win of the season.

“We knew we had a slight chance of making the playoffs coming in, but our guys wanted to win for more than that,” head coach Jason Franklin said. “That win clinched our first non-losing season since 2001, and that’s big for us. Defensively, it was one of our best jobs of the year. I think we held them to about 120 total yards. Offense was a struggle, but the D kept us in it, and we did what it took to get the win.”

HBHS has been playing football since 1992, and this season is the seventh time the Generals have won at least five games and first in 8 years.

Things didn’t start out promising for HBHS, as, after forcing an Ohatchee punt, the Indian punter pinned the Generals inside their own 5-yard line. Shortly after that, Price threw in interception that was returned for a touchdown. It was 7-0 less than 3 minutes into the game.

Mid-way through the second quarter, Price connected with Kendall Thomas for a 45-yard scoring strike that left the game tied, as it would stay until the late TD pass.

Price was 16 of 21 on the night for 199 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. HBHS had 298 yards of total offense. Thomas and Clay Phillips were Price’s top targets, as both caught 5 passes. Phillips had 95 total receiving yards, including 49 on 1 reception. Both also had an interception on defense.

Brandon Thomas carried 17 times for 67 yards, bringing his season total more than 800 for the season. The junior had 2 receptions for 33 yards, as well.

Defensively, Gage Whiteard was the leading tackler with 9 (7 solo). Caleb Oliver and Phillips recorded 6 tackles apiece. Sawyer Milam hit both extra points in the game and punted three times for a 37-yard average.

HBHS (5-4, 3-4) will try to tie its second-most wins in school history on Thursday night. That’s when the Dadeville Tigers (8-1) make the trip to New Site for the 2009 version of the Battle Down the River.

“I think this is becoming a great rivalry,” said Franklin on the HBHS-Dadeville match-up. “Our kids are already excited. All I’ve heard (Monday) is people asking about Dadeville. They’re loaded again this year. We’re going to have to have a great week of practice and really prepare well. It should be fun.”

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