Indians upset Tellico Plains for big region win
Plus: Sick, injured Highlanders fall at McMinn Central; Lady Highlanders pick up league win
You’re reading Varsity, the weekly sports newsletter of the Independent Herald. Published on the weekend, Varsity includes a look back at the past week in high school sports. Need to update your subscription to include (or exclude) this newsletter? You can do so here. If you aren’t subscribed, please consider doing so — it’s free!
Tired of heel pain? Give Dr. Nate Brennan a call. Seeing a podiatrist doesn’t require a drive to Knoxville. Dr. Brennan offers regular office hours in both Oneida and Jamestown. (800) 930-7435
Upsetting the apple cart
TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. | If Tellico Plains was, indeed, the Region 2-2A team to beat, as many said, then Region there’s a new driver in the cockpit.
Oneida (3-2) opened region play Friday by making the long road trip to the foothills and springing a 24-14 upset of the Bears (3-2) on their home field.
The Indians jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, withstood a Tellico Plains surge in the second quarter, then scored 10 unanswered points to secure the win.
Oneida did it with both offense and defense. Ben Gilbert continued to shine in his new role as RB1, amassing 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Maddox Hutcherson added 58 yards, while Brock Ryon completed 7 of 12 passes for 116 yards — one of them a 53-yard connection with Grady Keeton, who finished with three catches.
Oneida’s defense, meanwhile, was its usual stingy self, limiting Tellico Plains to 217 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers. Brothers William and Waylon Hill were a big part of the defense. Waylon led the team in tackles, with 11, and forced a fumble. Both brothers recovered a fumble, as did Drayton Wade.
Oneida set the tone on its opening possession, with Ryon and Keeton hooking up for the 53-yard pass to Tellico Plains’ 1-yard-line to set up a touchdown run by Ryon with less than two minutes off the clock.
Disaster struck again for Tellico Plains on its first offensive possession, as Waylon Hill forced and recovered a fumble near midfield to set up the Indians’ offense again.
But just as Oneida was moving into position to score, inside Tellico Plains’ 10-yard-line, the Bears’ defense came up with a big play, recovering a fumble to kill the Indians’ possession.
In the end, though, the fumble only delayed the inevitable. After a three-and-out by Tellico Plains, the Indians were on the move again, and Gilbert scored on a 7-yard run early i nthe second quarter to make it 14-0.
Tellico Plains finally found its sea legs after that. The Bears answered with a 64-yard drive for a touchdown, which came on a third down pass from Isaac Hollinghead to Trevor Kibler from three yards out.
With penalties becoming an increasing problem for Oneida — the Indians finished with 10 of them for 109 yards — the Bears got the ball back and found the end zone again, this time on an 8-yard run by Hollinghead, tying the game with 3:09 left on the first half clock.
But the Indians had time for one more successful possession, using a few runs by Gilbert and then a few passes by Ryon to put the ball into position for a 31-yard field goal by Amauren Kidd as the first half ended.
The Indians added an insurance touchdown in the second half after William Hill recovered a fumble at the Bears’ 24-yard-line. Three plays later, Gilbert scored from three yards out, and it was a 24-14 lead with 2:15 to play in the third quarter.
Tellico got into Oneida territory on the ensuing possession, but Jesse Zachary forced a fumble at the 22-yard-line, Wade recovered, and the Indians were on their way to victory.
Tellico Plains’ last-gasp effort saw a Hollinghead pass fall incomplete on fourth down at the Indians’ 23-yard-line with just seconds remaining.
Game Capsule
First National Bank Player of the Game: Ben Gilbert had 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Brylan Strunk helped anchor an Oneida offensive line that paved the way for 190 rushing yards by the Indians — an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: With 10:30 to play in the game and Tellico Plains threatening at Oneida’s 22-yard-line, Jesse Zachary forced a fumble and Waylon Hill recovered, sealing the victory for the Indians.
The Game Was Over When: Tellico Plains could’ve cut the deficit to 24-21 with still 10 minutes to play, but the Zachary-Hill turnover at the 22-yard-line ended the scoring threat, and the proverbial fat lady started to warm her vocal cords at that point.
Stats That Stood Out: Oneida had 10 penalties for 109 yards, but was able to overcome that for the road win.
What the Analysts Said: “We went into halftime up 17-14 and didn’t give up a point in the second half. Oneida’s defense adjusted ... second half adjustments are probably the key in this one. Offensively, we put up 24 points and that was enough. And we started off fast on offense ... I thought that was the most impressive thing. You get it handed to you last week, how do you respond? And they responded well.” — John L. Strunk.
What the Coach Said: “It was a big challenge for us, and we had our best preparation all season. We played hard tonight. I told them, if we want to win the region we have to have this one. We played hard. We survived. We didn’t play smart all the time, but we did what we needed to do to win the game. I was proud of the kids and their great effort tonight.” — Jimmy May.
Terry and Mary Ann Roark and the folks at Roark’s Pharmacy have been caring for you and your family for over 35 years. Ready to transfer your prescriptions? Visit roarkspharmacy.com.
A night to forget
ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. | Dings and bruises, stomach sickness, and self-inflicted mistakes all added up to create a perfect storm here Friday, as McMinn Central pulled away late for a 41-14 win over Scott High to pick up a much-needed region win.
The game started exactly the way the Highlanders would’ve hoped: the defense forced a three-and-out, and Scott found itself with the ball at midfield and a chance to take an early lead.
But William Mayfield stepped in front of a third-and-short pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, the first of four turnovers created by the Chargers’ defense, and the Highlanders found themselves facing adversity early.
Scott High responded well to the initial challenge, with Gage Privett finding a wide-open Jaigen Morgan behind the defense on a third-and-five play for a 27-yard touchdown strike to tie the game. Then the Highlander defense got a stop, giving the offense an opportunity to take the lead, and the early miscue seemed to be forgotten.
But after a fourth down conversion from Privett to Wyatt Lloyd moved the ball inside McMinn Central’s 30-yard-line, the Chargers’ defense created another turnover, and it was downhill from there.
Despite self-inflicted mistakes — the Highlanders had critical penalties on a fourth down play and a would-be fourth down play to keep the Chargers’ go-ahead drive alive — it was still very much a game until late in the third quarter.
In fact, the Highlanders scored on a 14-yard run by Michael Bond with 6:16 to play in the third, cutting McMinn Central’s lead to 20-14 and leaving the Highlanders just one stop and one successful offensive play away from taking the lead.
But McMinn answered by converting a third-and-long and then scoring a 29-yard touchdown on fourth down to make it a 27-14 lead, and the Highlanders weren’t able to threaten again.
Once the Chargers had the game in hand, they seemed intent on making the score as lopsided as possible. They came out throwing on first down with a 33-14 lead and less than seven minutes left on the clock, then went for two for the first time in the game after scoring on a fourth down play to make it 39-14 with less than four minutes left.
Scott High coach Billy Hall didn’t make many excuses after the game, but did point to a number of nagging issues. Quarterback Privett had been sick the week before the game, and was also battling a shoulder injury, Hall said. There was also a mysterious stomach ailment circulating through the team on game night. Multiple players were seen leaving the field vomiting, and Hall said at one point there were seven different players on the sideline throwing up.
The loss, Scott High’s first of the season, could prove critical in the playoff race; however, the Highlanders still control their own destiny in the hunt for a postseason bid.
Game Capsule
First National Bank Player of the Game: Braden Burchfield led the team in tackles from his linebacker position, getting to the football early and often in his best game as a Highlander.
Trophy Masters Lineman of the Game: Tight end Gus King was one of those battling a stomach ailment, leaving the game multiple times with sickness only to return later. He also battled an ankle injury during the game, but refused to stay on the sideline.
Scott Morgan Farmers Co-Op Play of the Game: After McMinn Central’s pick-six to start the game, Gage Privett and Jaigen Morgan teamed up for a 27-yard touchdown strike on third down to tie the game midway through the first quarter.
The Game Was Over When: With Scott down 27-14, McMinn Central intercepted a pass in the end zone with 10:33 remaining. From there, the Chargers quickly drove the length of the field and scored to ice the game.
Statistics That Stood Out: McMinn Central was only 6 of 15 on third down, but was 3 of 3 on fourth down — twice scoring touchdowns on those fourth down plays ... the Highlanders were penalized 13 times for 105 yards.
Scoring Summary: William Mayfield 47-yard INT return (Aaron Brock kick) ... Gage Privett 27-yard pass to Jaigen Morgan (Justyn Lynch kick) ... Bryce Mullins 21-yard pass to Jake Goodin (Brock kick) ... Jesse Holden 4-yard run (kick failed) ... Michael Bond 14-yard run (Lynch kick) ... Mullins 29-yard pass to Landon Landon (Brock kick) ... Hunter Rayburn 4-yard run (kickfailed) ... Mullins 6-yard pass to Samuel Miller (Mullins pass to Goodin).
What the Coach Said: “When we were on the sideline, I was like, ‘My gosh, what happened?’ I’ll take all the blame for it, 100%. I didnt have them ready. But I think we played hard, we just seemed confused a lot. They got some breaks on us. I felt like we moved the ball on them, we just couldn’t capitalize and just couldn’t finish drives. Defensively, we’d get them to fourth down and we’d play great until one play, and we’d jump offsides or give them a cheap one.” — Billy Hall.
Danny’s Drugs has been putting patients first since 1966. Kevin, Tess and the friendly staff at Danny’s Drugs stand ready to assist you! Call (423) 569-8652.
Scott soccer picks up district win
CLINTON | Scott High picked up a 2-1 win here Tuesday, and in the process earned the right to host a first round tournament game against the Dragons.
Gracie James and Aleeyah Jeffers, both juniors, each scored their first goal of the season to provide the offense the Lady Highlanders needed to complete a season sweep of the Dragons. The two teams will meet for a third time in the district tournament next month.
The Lady Highlanders had an opportunity to avoid the first round game and earn a bye when they played at Union County on Thursday. However, the Patriots picked up a 3-1 win in that one, after defeating Scott on a golden goal earlier in the season.
Scott High has one district game remaining, at Gibbs.
Oneida last week fell to Eagleton, 1-0, and to Cumberland County, 2-0.
This week’s games will find Oneida hosting Greenback on Tuesday and Oliver Springs on Thursday, while Scott High will host Cumberland Gap on Monday and travel to Gibbs on Thursday.
This week’s VARSITY e-edition!
This weekend’s edition of VARSITY, the sports magazine of the Independent Herald is available!
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be The Daybreaker tomorrow morning. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)