The Warriors made a late rally on Warrior Hill on Friday night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
Happy Valley rumbled back in the fourth quarter, but was unable to complete the rally as the Warriors fell 28-21 to Sullivan North in the region opener. The Warriors drop to 0-2 on the season.
After the teams traded punts to open the game, Sullivan North took over deep in Warrior territory after a fumble.
The Raiders capitalized on the field position as Darius Peterson scored on a nine-yard run to push Sullivan North to a 6-0 lead after a quarter of play.
The Raiders struck again early in the second quarter after another Warrior fumble as Christian Arnold scored on an 11-yard run to push the lead to 13-0. On their next drive, Sullivan North extended the lead to 20-0, but Happy Valley answered in the closing seconds of the first half as Mookie Madison scored on a five-yard run. The Justin Morefield extra point was good as HV entered half down 20-7.
The Raiders started the second half strong as Darius Peterson broke free for a 24-yard run to push the lead to 28-7 early in the third.
Happy Valley saw Josh Hammonds catch a 14-yard pass from Sage Haun to cut the lead to two scores late in the quarter. The duo hooked up for a 34-yard touchdown pass with just under 10 minutes to play in the game as Happy Valley closed within seven points. Unfortunately, North held the ball over nine minutes to limit Happy Valley’s chances late.
Madison finished the game with 11 carries for 87 yards, while Dylan Street had 65 yards on seven carries. Haun finished the game 7-of-16 passing for 122 yards and two scores. Hammonds finished the game with 102 yards on five catches.
The Warriors head to Unicoi County next Friday night.
