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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com     
The Elizabethton Cyclones proved last week that they are nowhere near giving up for a third run at the state championship as Coach Shawn Witten’s Cyclones came out and defensively were in the wheelhouse of the Anderson County Mavericks offense all contest long creating a long night of frustration for their visitors from Clinton.

And while the defense was playing strong, the offense managed to jump out in front of the Mavericks early and create a lot of issues for their defense behind the solid running of quarterback Bryson Rollins who totaled 165 yards rushing and two scores while Cade Russell was doling out some punishment as he ran for 104 yards and a touchdown as well.

Now, the Cyclones turn their attention back to conference action when they travel to Bluff City on Friday night with a showdown against Sullivan East, a team that gave ranked 3-A Unicoi County a run for their money last week.

The Patriots have been on the receiving end of several straight Cyclone whippings and would love nothing better than pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory against the Cyclones.

For that reason, Elizabethton coaches have been preaching to stay focused and continue to play at a high level as the season is quickly passing by.

“One of the words that we have used this week is momentum,” said Witten about the upcoming game against East. “I think that we have a really big chance of picking up some momentum and finishing strong this season.

“We have picked up three straight wins against Boone, Grainger County, and Anderson County. We have a chance to keep building confidence and keep riding that momentum.”

The Cyclones can ill afford to look past East as Witten sees the game as another opportunity on the path that leads back to where the Cyclones feel they deserve to be and that is in the championship yet again.

“I think it is another step we have to take to build this football team,” added Witten.  “We talk about having true confidence and true belief in what we do each week.

“I thought Friday, that was some big boy football. There was good size and strength and that was about as powerful and physical a football game as it gets. It shows that we have as good a chance as anybody if we play the way we did Friday.”

The kickoff for Friday’s game will be at 7:30 pm at Sullivan East High School.