BY DANNY BLEVINS

STAR CORRESPONDENT

KINGSPORT – Alabama Coach Bear Bryant once said, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships”. After watching the Cloudland Highlander’s game against Sullivan North, it was evident that Cloudland’s Coach Scott Potter has heard that quote.

One thing was sure, Potter came into the game with a defensive game plan that would stop the Sullivan North Golden Raiders. For the most part, it worked and eventually gave the Highlanders a 20-14 victory in an extra session.

The first quarter was entirely a defensive struggle. Cloudland came out willing to give as much pain as they received, and eventually stopped Sullivan North on a fourth down.

The Golden Raiders returned the favor early in the first quarter and later in the quarter picked off a Hunter Shell pass.

Sullivan North’s next drive was stalled, and then they turned the ball over on another fourth-down try. The quarter ended with both football teams blooded but not beaten and neither team able to score.

When the second quarter started, Cloudland was forced to punt and they got the break they needed.

As the ball sailed to a Sullivan North punt returner, the returner missed the ball and it hit him on the leg causing a fumble. Cloudland’s Tristan Lacy landed on the ball, and Cloudland’s offense had the ball back with a short field.

Cloudland’s ground and pound offense got the job done, and within three minutes Hunter Shell ran in from the two-yard line giving the ‘Landers the first score of the game. After Sullivan North stopped the two-point conversion, Cloudland owned a 6-0 lead.

After another stop by Cloudland against Sullivan North, Shell showed the crowd what his arm could do.

He stepped into his passing pocket and sent the ball down the field 70 yards hitting an open Lacy for the touchdown. Cloudland’s Shell hit Wyatt Julian in the endzone for the two-point conversion, and at the seven-minute mark in the second quarter, the ‘Landers had a 14-0 lead over the Golden Raiders.

Good teams know how to shake off adversity and Sullivan North is a good team.

Taking the ball with less than three minutes left in the half they ran and passed it to their 17-yard line. There, after several attempts to get into the endzone failed, they ran a reverse and the Raiders finally found the end zone with 23 seconds left in the half.

Cloudland stopped the two-point conversion and the teams went into the locker rooms with the score 14-6 in Cloudland’s favor. It was still anyone’s game.

When the third quarter began, it was obvious that Sullivan North had made adjustments in the locker room at halftime.

On the first drive of the second half, they took the ball down the field and found pay dirt. The 80-yard drive was topped off by an Austin Hartsock end-around that left every Cloudland player in his dust. A two-point conversion made the score 14-14 with most of the second half left to play.

The rest of the third quarter was another defensive struggle. When one team had a decent drive develop, the other team would shut them down and force a punt.

Finally, the quarter ended with the score tied at 14 and both teams needing a break in the game.

The fourth quarter opened with a beauty of a drive by the Highlanders. Running and passing, the ‘Landers moved the ball to North’s 40-yard line when penalties and a quarterback sack moved the ‘Landers back to their own 35.

Facing a third down and 25, the Landers were stopped and forced to punt.

After stopping the Raiders on their next possession, Cloudland took the ball on the 40-yard line and began their drive with under four minutes left in the game.

Facing a fourth and long, Cloudland punted and Sullivan North took over on their own 34-yard line.

With under two minutes left in the game, it was time for the Cloudland defense to make a stand.

Rushing the North quarterback, Cloudland got a sack, and the ball was placed on the nine-yard line. North was now facing a second down and 21 yards for a first down.

The Raiders were then forced to punt and Lacy made them pay. Picking the ball up off the ground, Lacy ran it to the 29-yard line. Cloudland quarterback Shell stepped up and hit Gage Mckinney inside the twenty-yard line with a beauty of a pass.

Shell then kept the ball himself and ran it to the eight-yard line with 40 seconds left in the game. Finally, with 14 seconds left in the game, Cloudland faced a fourth down and eight.

Shell hit a Cloudland receiver at the three-yard line giving them a first and goal with nine seconds left.

A pass interference call on North gave Cloudland one play with no time left on the clock. Cloudland’s Shell kept the ball himself and was stopped at the goal line sending the game to overtime.

Sullivan North won the coin toss in the overtime period and their offense took the field at the ten. Four plays later they had been shut down and Cloudland’s defense had done its job.

On the first play of Cloudland’s overtime possession, Lacy powered his way to the four-yard line.

Lacy was stopped on the next down but a Sullivan North penalty moved the ball to the two-yard line. On third and goal from the two, Seth Birchfield bounced his way into the end zone giving Cloudland the victory and sealing the score at 20-14.

A hard-fought game that could have went either way was won by a group of mountain boys who had been counted out by almost everyone a few short weeks ago.

Cloudland will now enter the playoffs with a three-game win streak and they have won four out of the last five games.

The Highlanders will play Harriman High School next Friday night at Orr Field in Roan Mountain in the first round of the Class A playoffs. The game time will be 7 pm.