The Cyclones finished the regular season with a bang.
Elizabethton rolled to a 40-0 lead in the first half and never looked back as they cruised to a 47-14 victory over Northview Academy on Friday night inside Citizens Bank Stadium.
The win was the ninth straight for the Cyclones, and also wrapped up a perfect run through Region 1-3A play.
“I am so proud of the way that these guys have played all year,” Elizabethton Head Coach Shawn Witten said. “It is one of the best groups i’ve been around in nine years. They have done everything we’ve asked them to do, they’ve came through and faced a lot of adversity this year. I just couldn’t be more proud especially the last five weeks with how focused we have been.”
Elizabethton struck early as Jalen Smith caught a 15-yard Hunter Tyree pass for a touchdown. After the Cougars were forced to punt, Tyree ran under center to push the Cyclone lead to 14-0 with just over 10 minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Elizabethton defense continued to keep Northview bottled up, and Corey Russell added a one-yard touchdown to send Elizabethton into the second quarter with a 21-0 lead.
The Cougars turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession, and the Cyclones offense took full advantage. Connor Johnson caught a Tyree pass for a 30-yard touchdown.
Another turnover on downs set up an Alex Norwood 17-yard touchdown as Elizabethton moved the lead to 34-0. Drew Bowers jumped in front of a Northwood pass and raced 52 yards for the score to give Elizabethton a 40-0 lead at the half.
In the second half, Northview added a touchdown on their first two drives of the third quarter. However, Logan Norman scored on a six-yard run to end any thoughts of a Cougar rally.
Tyree finished the night 20-of-25 passing for 302 yards and three touchdowns, while Bowers caught eight passes for 144 yards. Smith finished with 78 yards on eight catches.
Turner tallied 73 yards rushing on eight carries.
Elizabethton will now turn their attention to the playoffs as they will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“We have a chance,” Witten said. “We put ourselves in the best position possible and that is all you can ask for. We have a few guys banged up that hopefully playing in a short week will give them a chance to recover little bit. We have a good defense, mixing it up on offense and have had a number of guys who can step up and play. Anytime this group has been challenged, they have been able to come through.”
To view more photos from the game, click here.
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