For the first 30 minutes of the junior varsity contest between Elizabethton and Tennessee High, it looked like it might be déjà vu from Friday night’s varsity encounter in Bristol.
This time, however, the boys from Bristol managed to not fold the tents and went on to record a 25-14 victory over Elizabethton at Citizens Bank Stadium Monday evening.
“I am very proud of the way we kept fighting,” EHS head coach Josh Boatman said. “Tennessee High was a big, physical team that just kept running the ball right at us.
“Our defense fought hard but just got tired. I thought Dylan Nordby did a good job on the onside kick, but the ball just didn’t bounce our way.”
The Cyclones took advantage on a big break on their first possession as Chris Taylor’s punt was muffed by Ryan Gibson at the Viking 30-yard line and recovered at the three-yard line by the Cyclones’ Nestor Grubb.
Logan Norman blasted through the interior of the Viking defense for a two-yard run on third and goal to give the Cyclones a 7-0 lead after Nordby’s point-after.
The Vikings methodically moved the ball down the field on their ensuing possession as they started the 12-play drive at their own 29-yard line.
It was a steady diet of quarterback Kieland Riner and running back Jordan Barr as the Vikings were content to eat away yardage at five-, six- and seven-yard clips.
Riner finally bolted into the end zone from five yards out to even the score on Cooper Hutton’s PAT at 7-7.
The first quarter ended with the same 7-7 score.
Neither team could get an early footing as both defenses rose to the occasion on the first two possessions of the second quarter.
The Cyclones were getting big plays from Jared Grindstaff, Grubb and Levi Reynolds, who recorded a six-yard sack on Viking quarterback Tan Overbay.
Tennessee finally broke the tie 50 seconds before halftime as Riner exploded away from the Cyclone defense on a 30-yard scamper to give the Vikings a 13-7 lead as the PAT was blocked by the Cyclones.
The opening portion of the second half once again was a defensive stalemate as Reynolds recorded his second sack — a six-yard loss suffered by Overbay, and Grubb dove into a heap of players to recover his second fumble of the night.
When the horn sounded to end the third quarter, the score hadn’t changed since the half, still reading 13-7 in favor of the Vikings.
Tennessee extended its lead when Barr bullied his way into pay dirt from the one-yard line to give the Vikings a cushioned lead at 19-7 after the two-point conversion failed with 4:13 left to play.
Elizabethton wasn’t done, however, as on the first play from scrimmage from the EHS 35-yard line, Boatman and staff dialed up a little hook and ladder action as quarterback Carter Everett hit Ryan Wetzel on a short out pattern.
Wetzel then dealt the ball to Norman, who was already in full throttle, and Norman did the rest zipping past a host of defenders for a 65-yard touchdown.
Nordby pulled the Cyclones to within 19-14 with 3:50 remaining with his PAT.
On the kickoff after the score, the Cyclones set up for an onside kick, and Nordby chopped the ball into the turf.
The ball took a nice, high bounce but just not tall enough to get over one of the good hands people for the Vikings as Nick Wishon came up with the ball at the Viking 45-yard line.
Tennessee salted the game away when Riner scored his third score of the game on a seven-yard keeper to make up the final margin of 25-14 after the failed two-point conversion.
“The key to these JV games is for the guys to learn the techniques on defense,” Boatman said.