It was an interesting Week 2 for our county teams – the first that saw all five teams in action. Before we turn our attention to Week 3, we take a look at what we liked from Friday night.
Elizabethton’s Fight
The Cyclones found themselves in an early hole at Science Hill, but that didn’t mean Elizabethton gave up. Behind the running of Logan Norman, Jeremiah Turner and freshman Corey Russell, the Cyclones battled back and nearly forced overtime against a strong Hilltoppers squad.
The Cyclones showed they aren’t going to back down, and have the talent to make noise this season. Elizabethton will open the new Citizen’s Bank Stadium on Friday night, and should have the confidence heading into the game.
Cloudland’s Tenacity
After seeing Northview take the opening game, Cloudland was determined to not run out of gas again. The ‘Landers, whose lack of depth is a certain weakness, kept fighting and battling to take the win against Happy Valley.
Austin Whitehead and Colby Birchfield along with the offensive line combined for over 200 rushing yards, while coming up big on defense when it was needed. The ‘Landers will have to continue to have that tenacity to carry the momentum over the coming weeks.
Hampton’s Offensive Groove
To say the Hampton offense is rolling is an understatement. The Bulldogs rolled past Avery County in the season opener with the ground attack, and came out throwing against Johnson County to set the tone. With as many weapons that the Bulldogs offense has, they have plenty of options.
So far this season, all of those options are working successfully for the Bulldogs. With the talented trio of Adam McClain, Jerry Lunsford and Coby Jones, Hampton is showing it will be a tough task to slow down the offense.
The Direction Happy Valley is headed
Friday night was Jason Jarrett’s debut as head coach, and it didn’t turn out exactly as he would have liked. However, the Warriors played a solid game that showed Happy Valley is headed in the right direction. The Warriors moved the ball against the ‘Landers defense. However, they were unable to punch it in on three occasions that proved to be the difference in the game.
While it is a new week for the Warriors as Sullivan North will visit Warrior Hill, it will be interesting to see if they can continue to keep getting better week in and week out.
Unaka’s Hunt continues to impress
The Rangers had a tough game on Friday night with a trip to Cosby. Unaka continued to battle, and was sparked by Micah Hunt. For the second straight week, Hunt had an outstanding game.
Hunt has been a stable force for the Rangers. As the offense continues to grow, Unaka will find more weapons to help Hunt and Rangers come out victorious.
