Hillcrest Routs Northridge in Regional Debut

The Hillcrest Patriots (3-0, 1-0) defeated the Northridge Jaguars (0-2, 0-1) 48-3 in the first week of regional play.

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"Didn't make mistakes, not nearly to the amount that we made last week, So, really, really good ballgame for us and a great job to get off to 1-0 in the region," said Hillcrest head coach Jamie Mitchell.

The Jaguars' struggles started from the get-go, missing a 57-yard field goal on the team's first possession of the game. 

Hillcrest got on the board first, going 80 yards in five plays. Running back Santonious Brown capped off the Patriots' opening possession with a 46-yard touchdown. 

Northridge got the ball back and quarterback Rowdy Christensen threw an interception to defensive back Kamari Patton, setting Hillcrest up at the one-yard line. Patriots quarterback Bryson Kimbrough scored the touchdown with a one-yard sneak.

The Jaguars put points on the board on their third possession of the evening, making a 27-yard field goal, however, that was the only score that Northridge recorded.

Hillcrest scored 34 unanswered points, two more touchdowns by Kimbrough, another one-yard sneak and a 14-yard run, a 63-yard run by wide receiver Decorrion Thomas, a 76-yard scoop-and-score from linebacker Evan Williams, and a three-yard run by running back Christian Richey.

The Jaguars only opportunity to score in the second half was squandered by a missed field goal attempt, the second miss of the night.

"We're not excited about what took place tonight but we do know this, we get a chance to get back to work and there's a lot of football left. It's not always easy and fun, if it was, we'd have 100 players, but we're gonna go back to work," said Northridge head coach Ryan Lolley.

Next week, Hillcrest hosts Hueytown (1-2, 1-0) and Northridge travels to Bessemer City (2-1, 1-0). Both kickoffs are set for 7 p.m. CT.

For more content on high school football from Kim Rankin, follow her on X/Twitter at @kmrankin1 and don't forget to visit Tide1009.com for daily content and access to our newsletter.

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