Jets close out regular season with loss to 6A’s No. 7 Homewood, playoffs start Friday at home
James Clemens faces defending 7A state champion Central-Phenix City (7-2) in the first round of the playoffs Friday at Madison City Stadium
HOMEWOOD – The final tuneup for the Alabama high school state football playoffs wasn’t what James Clemens was looking for.
The Class 7A Jets, held in check offensively by 6A, No. 7 Homewood, dropped a 24-10 inter-class battle in the Birmingham area Friday night at Waldrop Field in a game Patriots head coach Ben Berguson described as a “physical, playoff-type’’ clash.
James Clemens fell to 6-4 with defending 7A state champion Central-Phenix City (7-2) up next in the first round of the playoffs Friday at Madison City Stadium. Homewood (8-2) is at home against Athens (8-2).
“We didn’t play very well tonight,’’ James Clemens head coach Chad McGhee told al.com. “We can’t play like this going into the playoffs. They pretty much shut down our offense.”
The game was tied at 3-all at the end of the first quarter. The Patriots held a 17-3 halftime lead, which remained going into the fourth quarter.
The Jets’ running game, which came in averaging just over 213 rushing yards per game led by MJ Gideon’s 90.0, were held to just 93 yards as a team on 25 carries.
For James Clemens, Ga’Kobey Gill threw for 116 yards, including a 51-yard TD pass to Alex Lively. Anthony Ortiz kicked a 44-yard field goal.
Homewood was playing without starting quarterback Will Myers. The Patriots got a 2-yard TD run from Evan Ausmer, who rushed 12 times for 70 yards, a 1-yard TD run by Eric Davidson and a 28-yard TD pass from Kaleb Carson to Tomon Felton. Also, for the Patriots, Kylen Newell caught eight passes for 112 yards.
The Jets, the No. 2 seed in Region 4, now take on the third-seeded but fourth-ranked Red Devils out of a loaded Region 2 that also features No.1-ranked Auburn, No. 7 Opelika and Enterprise, which was sitting just outside the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association Top 10.
Central is coming off a bye week.
“We have to do better and start fast rather than slow to beat a team like Central-Phenix City next week at home,” McGhee said.
