Huskies chained by Jr. Cyclones in middle school play
Published 9:25 am Friday, August 16, 2024
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Jr. Cyclone running back Callen Reed battles for extra yardage against the Huskies’ defense.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders T.A. Dugger quarterback Creed Baker flips the football over the outstretched arms of a Sullivan Heights defender for a completion.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Carson Lyons of the T.A. Dugger Jr. Cyclones follows a blocker on his way to a score.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Legend Pate prepares to deliver a forearm shiver to an oncoming Huskies defender.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Landon Reedy of the Jr. Cyclones makes a diving tackle attempt on the Huskies quarterback. Reedy got just enough of the QB's legs to trip up the signal caller for a loss.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Max Fields reels in a two-point conversion from quarterback Creed Baker.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Nathan McGovern churns for extra yardage against the Huskies’ defense.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Legend Pate finds a gap and churns out a big chunk of yardage for the Jr. Cyclones.
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
KINGSPORT — Whoever wrote the song “Who Let the Dogs Out” should have written another version called “Who Chained the Dogs In” so the T.A. Dugger Jr. Cyclones could use it as their theme song.
For the second week in a row, the Jr. Cyclones dominated their opponent in middle school action at Sullivan Heights Middle School on Thursday, defeating the host Huskies 43-6.
It was the second consecutive week the Jr. Cyclone offense scored 43 points, following a 43-6 win over Crockett last week. The Jr. Cyclones have now scored 86 points in two games while holding their opponents to only 12 points over the span.
This week’s game mirrored last week as Coach Brock Pittman unleashed running back Legend Pate. The eighth grader responded with a three-touchdown performance to lead the Jr. Cyclones.
Pate covered all 52 yards in the game’s first possession, finishing the drive with a one-yard, walk-in score. Creed Baker connected with Nathan McGovern on the two-point conversion to give T.A. Dugger an 8-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Sullivan Heights possession, the Jr. Cyclones forced a fumble, sending the offense back onto the field.
A key play in the Jr. Cyclones’ possession came when Baker connected with Anthony Orton on a 46-yard pass as the first quarter ended.
After Baker carried the ball eight yards to the Huskies’ one-yard line, Pate finished the drive with a one-yard plunge to expand the lead to 16-0. Baker converted the two-point conversion with a toss to Max Fields, making it 16-0 with 7:27 left in the first half.
Pate completed his trifecta in the first half when he raced in from 18 yards out with 3:54 remaining. Baker hit Callen Reed for the two-point conversion, giving T.A. Dugger a 24-0 lead.
T.A. Dugger added one more score in the half when Baker found Fields on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 15.8 seconds left. The conversion failed, and the Jr. Cyclones led 30-0 at halftime.
The Huskies adjusted their offense in the second half, switching to a power-running game up the middle.
As a result, the Huskies managed to score their only touchdown of the game after running 6:46 off the third-quarter clock. The conversion failed, making it 30-6.
The Jr. Cyclones quickly responded as Reed took the kickoff and raced 55 yards to the end zone. Carson Thompson kicked the PAT, making it 37-6 with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
A turnover on the first play from scrimmage after the Huskies regained possession resulted in a recovered fumble by T.A. Dugger’s Ryan Ribeiro on the Huskies’ 40-yard line.
Carson Lyons scored the final touchdown of the contest on a 14-yard run with 6:00 left in the game. Thompson’s PAT attempt after a five-yard offside penalty failed, giving the game its final score of 43-6.
“We made plays when they had to be made defensively,” said Pittman. “We knew they were going to challenge us with their offense. We bent but didn’t break early, and then Legend made a big play on the blitz that forced the turnover, so we were able to go up two scores. After that, we were able to settle in and just play football.”
Pittman was pleased with his offense as well, but felt there was still plenty to work on before T.A. Dugger’s next contest.
“This game will give us something to look at on film and find things that we need to work on. It was a great night as the fans showed up again tonight. It’s a great day to be a Cyclone as we are now 2-0 and will work to go 3-0 next week.”
The Jr. Cyclones travel to Kingsport once again next week to take on Robinson at Dobyns-Bennett High School.
