A final score of 34-13 might sound like a blowout; however, it was anything but that as the Hephzibah Rebels fell to the Westside Patriots Sept. 12.
The Rebels were ahead in the game until the final quarter as the Patriots surged ahead to remain undefeated.
“We definitely came out flatter than I expected at home. We can’t win ball games coming out the stretch that flat,” said Westside Coach Cedric Mason. “They did some pretty good things and hit us in the mouth a little bit in the first half and I don’t think we were expecting it, but we were able to bounce back in the second half and finish off the game strong.”
Westside began the game with a long kick return but failed to score. Neither team would score the entire first quarter as both offenses were halted.
Patriots’ quarterback Jaylen Stone drove the Patriots in scoring position early in the second quarter but threw an 80-yard pick six to defensive back Dextavion Reese. A converted extra point put the Rebels ahead 7-0.
With 5:15 remaining in the second half, Westside senior Tamari Curry scored his first touchdown of the game on an 18-yard rushing touchdown. A fumbled snap on the extra point kept Hephzibah ahead 7-6.
After a low-scoring first half, the Rebels marched down field with a long run by Reante Byrd, followed by a 2-yard rushing touchdown that extended the Hephzibah lead to 13-6.
Curry was a factor on both sides of the ball all night for the Rebels as he pushed the momentum back in Westside’s favor with an interception late in the third quarter. After the interception, Curry tied the game rushing in his second touchdown.
The game completely swung in the Patriots’ favor in the fourth quarter after Jeffery Hughes stripped the ball for a 50-yard defensive touchdown, giving Westside a 20-13 lead.
On the very next play, Hephzibah fumbled the kickoff in Westside territory to end their chances in Friday’s game.
With three minutes remaining, Curry added his third and final touchdown, helping the Patriots win 34-13.
“Tamari Curry is a very special player. He told me before the game that he was feeling it tonight, and we definitely want to feature him and give him the ball as much as possible,” Mason said. “We got several playmakers on both sides of the ball, and he just had a Curry performance tonight.”
Westside will travel to face another undefeated team in region rival Aquinas on Friday, Sept. 19.
“We got to get a better grasp on the things we need to do offensively, we left about 21 points on the board,” Curry said. “We got to capitalize on those times we get in the redzone.”
Hephzibah will also be on the road as they will play Howard on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Sportswriter Christopher Rickerson is an Augusta University graduate who has covered area sports for publications including Augusta University‘s Bell Ringer, The Augusta Press and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ free weekly newsletter here.
