Brewer celebrated homecoming Friday night by hosting Ardmore for a Class 5A, Region 7 matchup. The Patriots came into the game looking to end a three-game slide – and they did, grabbing a 24-17.

For one Brewer Patriot cheerleader and her family, homecoming would carry a different meaning.

Raegan Weissend was preparing to help cheer her team on when her name was called out over the loudspeaker, the announcer asking her to step forward. Not knowing what was about to happen, she stepped away from her place in the spirit line and was met by her mother, who told her to look to the 50-yard line.

Standing there was her father, Ricky Weissend, who has been serving in Iraq and Syria for the past 11 months. 

She took off running and leapt into his arms, while both teams and their fans gave the father and daughter a standing ovation.

Once the action began, it was the Patriots who took control of the game.

Brewer forced Ardmore into an early punt, which gave the Pats great field position from which to carry out a six-play, 72-yard scoring drive to get on the board first. 

Quarterback Wyatt Styles scored on a two-yard touchdown late in the first quarter to give Brewer a 7-0 lead. The big play on the drive was a Styles’ 54-yard pass to Jonathan Morgan.

Ardmore answered back with a 19-play, 62-yard scoring drive of their own, as Xzander Atkins connected on a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Patriots answered right back with a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive, which was capped off by a Morgan six-yard run. The highlight of the drive was a Styles 28-yard pass to Devin Weathers that set up the Morgan scoring run. Following the extra point, Brewer led 14-3.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Patriots recovered the kick at the Ardmore 33-yard line. Brewer got the ball down to the Tigers’ 10-yard line, but a penalty nullified the big gain and forced the Patriots back to the 33-yard line. 

Two plays later, following another penalty, Brewer sent kicker Thomas Gipner out for a 50-yard field goal attempt. The kick came up short, and Ardmore took possession of the ball.

Morgan capped off another Brewer scoring drive, this time from three yards out, to give the Patriots a 21-3 lead midway through the third quarter. The scoring drive covered 43 yards in six plays.

Brewer’s defense would come up with a big stop late in the third when defensive back Lee Murry pulled down an interception after it bounced off a Tiger receiver’s hands.

The Ardmore defense next got a three-and-out and forced the Patriots to punt the ball. The Tigers’ Chase Duskin broke through the Brewer line and blocked Gipner’s punt and then picked it up and returned it 15 yards for an Ardmore touchdown. This cut the Brewer lead to 21-10.

The Patriots answered back with a 14-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a Gipner 25-yard field goal to push the lead to 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter.

Ardmore would score a late touchdown on a Doss-to-Harbin 62-yard pass to make the final score 24-17.

Morgan led the Brewer offense with 190 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

“I am very proud of our guys’ effort tonight,” said Brewer head coach Geoff Walters.  “It’s always good to get a region win. We’re in a tough stretch of our schedule right now, and every win holds a lot of weight toward getting to the goal of making the state playoffs.”

Walters complimented his team on overcoming numerous injuries that have hit this season. “Character of a man is revealed through adversity, and we’ve had a chance this year to do that this season,” he said.

Brewer (3-3, 2-2) will travel to region foe Guntersville (3-3, 2-2) Friday night for an important match-up with play-off implications.