Junior Highlanders roll over Rangers 56-6
Published 11:11 am Friday, August 23, 2024
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Junior Rangers cheerleading squad looks to rally the Unaka faithful.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel A 44-yard scoop and score off a fumble by Landon Street gets the Highlanders on the scoreboard.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The Junior Highlanders kick off after scoring a touchdown.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel The D-line for the Junior Rangers looks to build a wall.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Rangers wide receiver Jacob Shaffer looks at the official to make sure he is lined up correctly.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Cloudland's John Wilson makes an interception in third-quarter action.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Brayden Stines finds some room on the kickoff.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Some of the Highlanders' skill players take a breather as the second quarter winds down.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
If Cloudland Middle School head coach Conner Birchfield had drawn up a perfect first quarter, it may not have gone as well as the one his squad experienced Thursday night. The Junior Highlanders jumped out to a 40-0 lead and then cruised to a 50-point victory over the Junior Rangers.
With just a few seconds off the clock, a scoop and score by Highlander Landon Street put Cloudland up 6-0. They followed that up with a successful two-point conversion as Parker Shell bounced off tackle. The Highlanders then executed a textbook onside recovery off the foot of Jordan Hodges that would make a college coach smile. After the recovery, Parker Shell found pay dirt again, this time with a 39-yard touchdown run and a John Wilson two-point conversion. Just as fans were settling into their seats, the Highlanders were up 16-0 with just 43 seconds off the clock.
The twists of bad fortune continued for the Junior Rangers, as they couldn’t handle the Cloudland kickoff, and the Highlanders once again took over in Rangers territory. Shell went right back to work, this time finding the right sideline and galloping 33 yards for another Cloudland touchdown, putting the score at 24-0 after the Wilson two-point conversion. Midway through the first quarter, the Highlanders drove the ball again, but Ranger Weston Lewhern picked off a pass in the end zone to end the threat. The Highlanders responded with an interception of their own as John Wilson high-pointed a ball and ran it back 45 yards for another Highlanders score to make it 32-0. Coach Birchfield put his second-string offense on the field in the final moments of the first quarter, but they finished the quarter with a score of their own as Carson Arnett rumbled in from the 8-yard line to push the first quarter score to 40-0.
The Rangers showed some grit in the second quarter, as Cody Hamm went on a 16-yard run, and then quarterback Jacob Carrier hit a 15-yard pass to Levi McNeal. Facing fourth down, Carrier followed his block up the right side and picked up 12 yards, but a bad center-quarterback exchange brought an end to the promising Rangers drive, and the teams went into halftime with the score remaining 40-0.
The Highlanders gave their starting offense one more series, and they responded with a Wilson touchdown run of 38 yards and an amazing adjustment by sixth grader Dawson Barnette on the two-point try reception that pushed the score to 48-0. Junior Ranger Brayden Stines determinedly put his team on the board as the quarter was winding down, stepping in front of a Highlanders pass and running the ball back 49 yards for a Rangers score. With a continuous clock in the fourth quarter, time rolled by quickly, but the Rangers looked to score again, driving deep into Highlanders territory before a turnover on downs ended the drive. The Highlanders reserves tacked on a final score as Mason Shell scored from 13 yards out.
Junior Highlanders coach Birchfield talked about his team’s fast start after the game. “The kids have been great about coming out and working hard at practice. We knew Unaka was a pretty good team, so we talked about jumping out early. That hard work in practice just showed tonight,” Birchfield said.
