It was a great opening night for one of our Carter County teams, but the other two didn’t get the desired results. We take a look at what we liked and learned from Week 1.
The Hampton Defense
The Bulldogs defense held a skilled Avery offense to just 12 total offensive yards in the first quarter (-22 on the ground). That allowed Hampton to jump out to a 27-0 lead, and they never looked back in the win over Avery County.
Jason Russell had a team high 5.5 tackles, while Coby Jones added four tackles.
That Bulldog rushing attack
Hampton’s offense was clicking on all cylinders on Friday night in Newland. Behind Adam McClain and Jerry Lunsford, the Bulldogs rolled to 559 total offensive yards – 468 of which came on the ground. For the game, Hampton averaged 14.2 yards per carry – a number that was certainly helped by Hunter Davenport’s 94-yard touchdown run.
Cloudland’s Determination
The ‘Landers were certainly the underdog on Friday night against Northview Academy. Cloudland, however, didn’t let that stop them from going toe-to-toe with the bigger school. After the game, Northview Head Coach Todd Loveday noted that Cloudland has the toughest kids he has ever played against.
Austin Whitehead and the ‘Landers fell behind in the second quarter, but pulled back within three points just after the half. Cloudland fought the typical first game issues – cramps and penalties – but that didn’t stop the ‘Landers from fighting.
Micah Hunt’s performance
Micah Hunt tallied 82 yards on 15 carries on Friday night. While it doesn’t seem like a large number, Hunt gave the Unaka offense a spark that hopefully can continue over to the Cosby game this week. Hunt will be a crucial player for Unaka this year as his success will allow the young quarterbacks to get more comfortable on the field.
