A good way to kick off the season… Six middle schools gather at Unaka for football jamboree

Published 6:00 am Thursday, August 15, 2019

By Ivan Sanders

 
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
 
Everybody is getting hungry for a new football season and a good turnout enjoyed a middle school jamboree on Tuesday evening at Unaka High School’s Goddard Field where Hampton, Cloudland, Chuckey Doak, Unaka, Happy Valley, and Johnson County paired off for a 10-minute quarter of football.
 
Before the action got started, each team sent out a competitor to take part in individual competitions.
 
In the longest throw, Connor Simcox from Johnson County came out on top. Next up was the fastest lineman and once again the Jr. Longhorns came out on top as Chase Muncy bested the field.
 
Hampton’s Domnique Burleson took the fastest back award while Marco Rojas from Chuckey Doak won the longest punt and longest kick competition.
 
In the first quarter of play, the Jr. Longhorns of Johnson Co. took on Chuckey Doak. Both teams displayed strong defenses but the game ended in a 6-6 tie as neither could punch in a score late in the period.
 
Fans may have got a glimpse of two potential playoff teams as Hampton and Happy Valley took the field for the second quarter of play.
 
Stingy was the name of the game as both teams put on a defensive display keeping one another out of the end zone as the horn sounded with a goose egg showing on both sides of the board.
 
The Jr. ‘Dogs looked like they might score in the final seconds of the game before the ball slipped through the fingers of a wide open receiver like a greased pig.
 
Cloudland took the field against the home Unaka Middle Jr. Rangers for the final period in what was the Jr. Highlanders first showing since the 2017 season after not fielding a team in 2018.
 
The Jr. Landers looked impressive as they put two scores on the board and converted two conversions to ring up a 16-0 final in their 10-minute period.
 
Unaka kept battling but the Cloudland defense just wouldn’t budge.
 
From all appearances, the area middle schools are geared for a competitive season and fans should get their money’s worth as they support their respective school.

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