Ethan Crawford

Hillcrest beat Bessemer City 47-16 to stay undefeated on senior night.

The Hillcrest Patriots (4-0, 2-0) made school history by defeating the Hueytown Golden Gophers (1-3, 1-1) for the first time since 2013 and seizing control of 6A Region 4. Both teams were led by superstar quarterbacks, Ethan Crawford and Earl Woods, but it was Crawford and the Patriots who emerged victorious in a 54-44 shootout.

The Armwood Hawks (0-1) took a 9-hour bus ride to Tuscaloosa, Al., to take on the Hillcrest Patriots (2-0) in a high profile week two matchup. The Patriots sent the Hawks home to Florida with a 35-25 loss behind the effort of star quarterback Ethan Crawford's five rushing touchdowns.

On a night where Hillcrest payed tribute to a classmate who passed, Cameron Prince, its offense came out looking like a different group in the second half to secure a win in honor of their friend and bid to the AHSAA Semi-Finals.

The Hillcrest Patriots (11-2) will be moving on the the AHSAA Class 6A semifinals after defeating the Saraland Spartans (10-3) at home 24-16. The Patriots scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to get back to the 6A semifinals for the first time since 2017.

The Hillcrest Patriots put on a dominating performance, defeating area and cross-town rival, Paul W. Bryant.

Hillcrest secured its RSVP but left Tuscaloosa County with a sour house-warming gift in Wildcat Stadium's opening night.

On the first Friday night of the 2021 season the Homewood Patriots (1-0) and Hillcrest Patriots (0-1) gave fans plenty to take in at Roy Johnson Jr. Stadium. Homewood senior JC Daniel kicked a 27-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation to secure the 37-34 win on the road.

The Class 6A Hillcrest Patriots had a successful 2020 season, the Patriots went 9-3 and finished second in Region 4 last year. The Patriots are led by rising junior quarterback Ethan Crawford. Crawford has started for Hillcrest for the past two seasons and will look to lead the Patriots deeper into the playoffs in 2021. The standout quarterback shared on his social media he received a scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee.

With their 31-21 victory over the McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets (7-3, 5-2) Friday night, the Hillcrest Patriots (9-2, 5-1) have secured a second-round matchup at No. 1 Opelika in the second round.