Cloudland wanted to stay on the winning side of the rivalry with Hampton a little bit longer on Friday night.
The ‘Landers picked up a 24-0 victory over Hampton in non conference action on Senior Night at Orr Field. The win is the second straight win over the Bulldogs for Cloudland after snapping a 13-game losing streak last season.
With the win, Cloudland improved to 6-1 on the season, while Hampton moves to 3-4 overall.
In the first quarter, offense was hard to come by.
The Hampton defense forced Cloudland off the field with a quick three-and-out to open the game, but the CHS defense forced a punt on the ensuing drive. The teams swapped possessions for the rest of the quarter as the game was scoreless after the first 12 minutes.
Cloudland was able to get the offense moving early in the second as Josh Blair ended a methodical drive that started late in the first quarter with a seven-yard touchdown run just over a minute into the second quarter. Senior Jordan Coffey added the two-point conversion.
Hampton looked to get something going on the legs of Alex Hardin and Lane Potter, but was forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Coffey took advantage of good field position as he broke free for a 30-yard scamper off the left side of the line to push the Cloudland lead to 14-0. Connor Birchfield pushed the conversion in to make the advantage 16-0 midway through the quarter.
The next Hampton drive was stalled by a Birchfield interception. Cloudland worked quickly to capitalize on the turnover as Malachi Benfield found Hunter Blair for a 33-yard touchdown. Birchfield added his second two-point conversion of the night to send Cloudland into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Hampton opened the half with a power rushing attack that moved the ball into Cloudland territory while taking nearly six minutes off the clock. The Bulldogs, however, were unable to convert the drive to points as Coffey stepped in front of a pass for Cloudland’s second interception of the night. The ‘Landers embarked on a lengthy drive of their own, but was forced to punt while nearly running out the quarter.
Neither team was able to get anything going in the final 12 minutes as CHS held on for the rivalry win.
Coffey paced Cloudland with 102 yards on 18 carries, while Birchfield had eight carries for 45 yards. J. Blair had 35 yards rushing.
For Hampton, Potter had 14 carries for 42 yards.
Both teams return to action next Friday for crucial region games. Cloudland is set to travel to Jellico as a win will clinch the Region 1-A title for the ‘Landers. Hampton is set to host South Greene in a pivotal game for the race for the Region 1-2A title.
For more photos (including Senior Night festivities), click here.
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