Road to the BlueCross Bowl… Cyclones smash South Rebels in Class 4-A second-round action, 49-7

Published 1:01 am Saturday, November 16, 2019

By Ivan Sanders

BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
As a boy, you learn that you might get away with taking a stick and poking at a hornet’s nest the first time but if you think that you can get by with it a second time you will be sadly mistaken as more than likely you are going to feel the potent sting of the angry varmint.
The same is true in football as the South Rebels found out the hard way Friday night as the Elizabethton Cyclones came out and laid a whipping on the visitors from Kingsport by a score of 49-7 with their initial meeting in mind in the regular season where the Cyclones barely escaped 14-13.
This time there was no doubt as the Cyclones took the opening kickoff and marched expediently down the field to score the first points on a Bryson Rollins to Braden Holly hookup from 10 yards out with 10:43 showing on the first-quarter clock.
Jaxton Holly blasted the point-after through the uprights for a 7-0 Cyclone advantage.
The Cyclones wasted little time in taking the football back from South after a punt pinned EHS at the Cyclone five-yard line.
It was no problem for Rollins, however, as the Mr. Tennessee finalist for Class 4A calmly stepped back and laid a perfect pass into the waiting arms of Parker Hughes who was returning after a three-game absence covering 95 yards and staking Elizabethton to a 14-0 lead after Holly’s PAT.
The Cyclones weren’t finished there as Elizabethton found pay dirt once more in the quarter when the Rollins-Hughes connection once again hooked up for a 40-yard passing touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter after Holly’s boot.
South knew how Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz felt as there was just no getting away from the storm that had invaded Citizen’s Bank Stadium as Elizabethton kept pouring it on in the second quarter.
The Cyclones turned to the running game and senior Cade Maupin took his turn at putting the pigskin into the endzone scoring on a 13-yard run with 10:43 to go before the half. Holly’s once again was true and the Cyclones were blowing strong with a 28-0 advantage.
For good measure, Elizabethton adding their fifth score of the first half with five minutes left in the half as Zach C. Hartley hauled in a Rollins seven-yard scoring toss for the quarterbacks fourth passing score of the first half.
Holly put the Cyclones up 35-0 at the intermission.
South just couldn’t muster anything together offensively the entire night as the Rebels saw Elizabethton tack on yet another score on the ground as this time it was fleet-footed freshman Nate Stephens racing into the end zone on a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
Holly’s boot made it 42-0 with 6:02 remaining in the third period.
With a running clock, the Cyclones added their final score with 11:55 remaining to play as Hughes finished up a big night with his third touchdown reception of the game from the six-yard line. Holly’s PAT made it 49-0 at that point.
The Rebels did manage to crack the goose egg on their side of the scoreboard after Cyclone head coach Shawn Witten unloaded his bench late in the game.
Nathan Harkleroad bounced into the endzone on a three-yard run and Colby Light’s kick gave the game it’s final score of 49-7.
The Cyclones racked up 498 yards of total offense with 163 yards on the ground and 335 yards through the air. South managed to put a decent amount of yards together recording 258 yards total offense but struggled to reach the end zone.
Elizabethton registered 18 first downs to the Rebels 15. The Rebels were penalized eight times for 74 yards while EHS was flagged seven times for 58 yards.
Rollins was 12-of-16 passing for 335 yards and five touchdowns. Hughes was on the receiving end of six of those tosses covering 202 yards with three scores.
Hartley finished with three receptions for 58 yards with Maupin pulling in two grabs covering 65 yards. Braden Holly had the one catch for the 10-yard touchdown.
After putting up over 250 yards last week against East Hamilton, the Cyclone defense held speedster Julian Reed to only 119 yards on 16 carries. The Rebels caught only four passes for 31 yards.
“We challenged the guys all week and they accepted the challenge,” said Witten of his team’s performance. “We knew it was going to be a tough battle.
“It wasn’t about revenge or payback. It was about us doing what we needed to do. We wanted to make a statement, especially from an offensive standpoint. This was the team we wanted to see.”
Hughes was thankful for the care given that helped get him back in playing position and ready to contribute the way he did Friday night.
“I give all the credit to Erin Kiser (Physical Therapy Services),” stated Hughes after the contest. “I have been going down there two times a day this week and last week and she has really taken good care of me. I give her credit for getting me back fast.
“That is just a huge confidence booster as much as I have been down these three weeks. I couldn’t ask for a better game. The team around me helping me through this – I couldn’t ask for better teammates.”
The Cyclones and Greeneville Greene Devils will meet once again next Friday in the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl quarterfinal contest at 7 pm at Citizens Bank Stadium.

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