By: Brett Greenberg
Tuscaloosa News - The Hillcrest Patriots, a week removed from skipping a game due to COVID-19, advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs with a 31-21 home win over McGill-Toolen on Friday night.
"Winning games in November in Alabama, the formula never changes," said Hillcrest coach Sam Adams. "You got to be able to run the ball and stop the run and that's what we did."
The Patriots, powered by senior running backs Tyler Smith and Marcus Wilkins, totaled 276 yards on the ground while quarterback Ethan Crawford added 79 yards and a touchdown. Smith had two touchdowns while Wilkins crossed the goal line one time.
The Patriots were down 7-0 one minute into the second quarter, the only deficit they would see. After a 2-yard score by Smith to tie the game, momentum began to shift. The Patriots' defense forced a three-and-out and never looked back as they worked their lead to 31-7 by the fourth quarter.
With seven minutes left, McGill Toolen ran a punt back for a score and recovered an onside kick, which led to another score to bring it within 10.
"We came off a goal-line stand against a good running team and then obviously just couldn't make a tackle on the punt," Adams said. "Despite that, we were able to win and have another opportunity next week."
Adams acknowledged mistakes and fundamental breakdowns throughout the game.
"As a coach, these kinds of things give us something to complain about on Sunday when we meet with the players," he said. "Hopefully we can learn from them and not make the same mistakes next week." The Patriots will travel to Opelika for the second round next Friday.
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