Tuscaloosa County football holds on to beat Oak Mountain 24-23: What we learned about TCHS

BIRMINGHAM —Tuscaloosa County football got its second straight win over Oak Mountain, 24-23, on Friday night.

The Wildcats held control the majority of the game, with Oak Mountain gaining some momentum in the final two minutes with back-to-back scores. It was to no avail, though, as TCHS held on to get its second win in 7A-Region 3.

Now, the Wildcats (4-1, 2-1) get the next week off as they enter their open date.

"Any time you win a region game on the road, it's big," TCHS coach Adam Winegarden said. "It was ugly at the end, I'm really disappointed in the penalties we had in the game. It was really undisciplined, so we've got to get that corrected and addressed as a coaching staff. But I'm proud of our team and proud of how we played and getting the win."

Here are three takeaways in the Wildcats' win over the Eagles:

TCHS displays strong running game

When most people think of the running game at TCHS, they automatically think of four-star Miami commit Kevin Riley. However, the Wildcats backfield showed their depth in the win.

CJ Hutchins started for TCHS, with Kamorri Jackson also getting some reps. The two combined for 151 yards rushing in the first half, with Hutchins adding in a rushing touchdown. Riley saw action in the second half, where he ran for 46 yards. He did not play in the first half in efforts to preserve him for the remainder of the season.

TCHS came out ready to play

After a tough loss to Hewitt-Trussville last week, TCHS came out strong on Friday night.

The Wildcats scored on their first drive behind a 7-yard touchdown run by Hutchins and scored on three of their four drives in the first half. They added their second touchdown with 17 seconds left in the second quarter, when Braden Smith connected with Jordan Chambers-Smith for an 80-yard touchdown pass.

Smith added the Wildcats' third touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard run.

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Sitting in a good spot heading into idle week

For the second straight season, the Wildcats are 4-1 heading into their open date.

TCHS will face some of its toughest opponents during the latter half of the season, including Thompson, as it looks to earn a spot in the Class 7A playoffs. Four of the Wildcats' five remaining games will be at home, with Thompson being the only regular-season away game left.

"We know that the second half (of the season) is huge if we want to make the playoffs," Winegarden said. "This bye week is going to be really big. We really have got to improve and have to do a lot of work this next week."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Takeaways from Tuscaloosa County football's win over Oak Mountain