Junior Warriors rush past Rangers 30-2
Published 12:55 pm Friday, August 16, 2024
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka and Happy Valley middle schools kicked off a county rivalry Thursday night, with the Warriors prevailing 30-2.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Jacob Carrier looks for open space after fielding the kickoff.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warrior Caden Catrell shakes off a would-be tackler en route to an 8-yard gain.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Ranger Colby Hamm looks to evade a tackler during second-quarter action.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Unaka coaching staff rallies the team during the halftime break.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Kayden Pirtle looks to make the reception as Shanning Hendricks provides coverage.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Warrior sixth grader Jacob Casey makes a tackle in the open field after a kickoff.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel So close! Rangers wide receiver Jacob Shaffer extends for a ball just out of his reach.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
Happy Valley Middle School head football coach Kevin Kendall showcased a talented group of running backs Thursday night, leading to a convincing 30-2 win over a young Unaka Junior Rangers squad that showed moments of promise in an offense focused on passing. Unfortunately, they could not sustain their drives.
The game started perfectly for the Junior Warriors, who capitalized on a Rangers fumble on the opening kickoff, starting their first drive in Rangers territory at the 34-yard line. It took them no time to take advantage, as Jeremiah Capps ran off-tackle for a 31-yard touchdown. Shanning Hendricks powered up the center for the 2-point conversion, and after just 34 seconds of play, the Warriors were up 8-0.
The Rangers began their next drive with a couple of completions, but the drive stalled, and the Warriors took over at the Unaka 38-yard line. A mishandled toss to the tailback ended the Warriors’ drive, and Unaka regained possession at their own 35-yard line. After a 3-yard loss, Capps recovered a bad Rangers snap, setting up the Warriors to build on their lead. This time, the combination of Caden Catrell and Coby Roark provided the spark; Roark followed a solid downfield block from AJ Beaupree to run into the end zone, putting the Warriors up 16-0.
After another bad snap stalled a Unaka drive, Caden Catrell hit the sideline and sprinted to the end zone for a 24-yard TD, extending the Warriors’ lead to 22-0.
Defensively, the Warriors forced another turnover on downs and took over at the Rangers’ 31-yard line. Jeremiah Capps wasted little time finishing off the drive with a 27-yard TD run and added the 2-point conversion to make it 30-0. The Rangers attempted to respond with just 53 seconds left in the half, as QB Jacob Carrier completed passes to Brayden Stines and Jacob Shaffer, pushing the ball to the Warriors’ 28-yard line. However, the clock expired, ending the first half and the Rangers’ drive.
The Warriors focused on running down the clock in the second half and giving their backups significant playing time, achieving both objectives. The Rangers drove deep into Warriors territory at the 3:35 mark of the third quarter, but an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion ended their promising drive as the quarter closed. The Rangers finally got on the board when a Warriors penalty in the end zone resulted in a safety, giving the game its final score of 30-2.
After the game, coach Kevin Kendall praised his team’s efforts: “I felt good about our running game tonight. We struggled last year as a team, going 2-7, and the guys had a bad taste in their mouths. We had a good offseason and committed to playing good football. We are one team. When we score, we score for Happy Valley, and our guys understand that.” Kendall also spoke about the play of Jeremiah Capps, who seemed to be everywhere on the field: “Jeremiah Capps sees things others don’t see. He has a solid combination of strength, vision, and speed. We thought he was going to be a lineman, but after we saw him run the ball, we knew we had to put a different jersey on him, so he went from 54 to 19.”
For the Rangers, Garren Gray, Jacob Carrier, Brayden Hardin, and Jacob Shaffer all put in solid efforts. Second-year coach Zach Naylor saw several positives they can build on: “We left a lot of opportunities on the field—missed tackles, dropped passes, little things that can turn into big things, but we will fix them,” Naylor said.
