Hungry like a wolf… Jr. Cyclones lay smackdown on Sevier in middle school play, 42-12

Published 10:21 am Friday, September 4, 2020

By Ivan Sanders

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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
KINGSPORT – The T.A. Dugger Jr. Cyclone football team was getting sick of just hitting one another and like a pack of wolves were ready to pounce on the first thing that had a color beside orange and black.
Unfortunately for the Sevier Warriors, the red uniforms they wore were enough to bring out a tenacious attack that ended with a 30-point win, 42-12, to open Big Six Conference action on Thursday at Dobyns-Bennett High School as the Cyclones wrecked havoc on both the offensive and defensive side of the football.
TAD wasted little time in getting on the board in the first quarter as with only 48 seconds off the game clock, bruising seventh grade running back Jaiden Wallin found paydirt from 16 yards out.
Caleb Campbell blasted the point-after attempt and the Jr. Cyclones quickly led 7-0.
Sevier appeared like they were going to make it a crazy scoring affair as on the ensuing kickoff, one of the few glitches made by the Jr. Cyclones all night on kick off coverage allowed speedy Caden Maxwell to race all the way to the end zone on a 79-yard kickoff return for a score.
The two-point conversion was no good and the score stood at 7-6 TAD’s favor.
After a mishand on the Sevier kick off, the Jr. Cyclones had their backs to the wall at their own seven-yard line.
However, the Jr. Cyclones turned from their bruising game to there speed attack and on the first play from scrimmage, gazelle-like running back Jeriah Griffin took the handoff and 93 yards later stood in the Warrior endzone just 20 seconds after Sevier’s score.
Campbell again was true and TAD led 14-6.
That score would stand until the first quarter came to an end.
TAD tacked on another score in the second quarter with 6:30 remaining before the half thanks to a beautifully-placed spiral pass from quarterback Rhett Slagle into the waiting arms of Jeremiah Norris who did the rest covering 51 yards and after Campbell’s PAT the scoreboard read 21-6.
Coming out of the halftime intermission with the same 21-6 lead, the Jr. Cyclones went back to work as Griffin recorded his second scoring run of the contest, this time from 21 yards out to push the advantage to 28-6 after Campbell stayed perfect on the PAT.
Sevier responded with their second and final score of the contest with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter as Peyton Franklin worked his way across the goal line from 32 yards away. The two-point conversion failed and the Jr. Cyclones led 28-12.
The Jr. Cyclones added two more scores in the fourth quarter after a 40-minute delay due to lightning as Wallin cashed in for his second score on a 38-yard run with 6:55 left to play. Campbell toed the extra point and TAD was up 35-12.
Landry Buckles took care of the final score for TAD when he lugged the mail for four yards into the end zone with 1:45 remaining to give the final 42-12 score after Campbell recorded his sixth extra point of the contest.
“We made a lot of mistakes but played hard,” said Jr. Cyclone head coach Brock Pittman. “This was our first live action against another color so I am really proud of the way they played.
“For the most part we tackled fairly well and we didn’t make too many mental errors. Overall we played pretty solid considering.”
The Jr. Cyclones have another huge game on the road on Thursday when they travel to Kermit Tipton Stadium to tangle with the Liberty Bell Patriots.
Game time is 6 pm.

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