JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 11, 2015) – Former Unaka standout Austin Anderson had a game-high nine tackles and added a sack on the day as the Gold team topped the Blue squad 28-10 in front of 4,128 fans on Saturday in the Mountain States Health Alliance Blue-Gold Game in Kermit Tipton Stadium.
ETSU saw freshman quarterback Jared Drake run for a team-high 104 yards and added 140 more through the air, with two touchdowns, to pace the offensive performance.
The Gold team struck first when quarterback Austin Herink connected with wide receiver Demetrius Anthony on an impressive 64-yard touchdown strike just minutes into the contest. The Gold team then made it 14-0 on its next possession after a long scramble by quarterback Drake helped set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Cory Colder.
Colder then made it 21-0 in favor of the Gold team with another 3-yard scoring run early in the second quarter, before the Blue team finally answered with a 37-yard scoring pass from Drake to wide receiver Dalton Ponchillia to make it 21-7 at halftime.
In the second half, placekicker Ryan Nuss made it 21-10 thanks to a 40-yard field goal, but the Gold ultimately closed out the scoring with a 3-yard scoring pass from Drake to former Greeneville standout and current ETSU tight end Tyrus Rollins in the fourth quarter.
Along with Drake’s numbers, Herink also played well at the quarterback position, hitting on 12-of-22 passes for a team-high 175 yards. On the ground, Colder finished with 57 yards on nine rushes, while wide out Drake Powell led the way with 101 yards on eight receptions.
One of the day’s best highlights was the announcement of a $1 million financial gift to the ETSU football stadium project by Scott Niswonger. Known for his generous support of several community initiatives, Niswonger made a “leadership challenge” to the region by showing his support for ETSU football.
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