Picking right back up where they left off… Cyclone JV hand East a 41-14 defeat 

Published 3:54 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2020

By Ivan Sanders

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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com 
It was a different name with a few different faces but the same outcome as the Elizabethton Cyclone junior varsity team took to the Citizens Bank Stadium turf and handed the visiting Sullivan East Patriot junior varsity team a resounding 41-14 defeat. It was the first time that East has played a junior varsity game against the Cyclones in quiet some time.
The first quarter was a feeling-out process for both units as the Cyclones managed to dent the scoreboard first when quarterback Dalton Mitchell raced across the goal line from four yards out to stake Elizabethton to a 6-0 lead. 
Sean Smithdeal split the uprights on the point-after attempt to make it 7-0 with 5:38 left in the quarter.
Elizabethton struck again at almost the same time showing on the clock in the second quarter when Mitchell once again carried the mail into the end zone, this time from the 24-yard line to make it 14-0 after Smithdeal’s PAT.
The Cyclones added their third score of the game on a huge run from sophomore Hayden Nave who romped 51 yards to paydirt with 4:10 remaining before the half.
Smithdeal’s kick made it 21-0.
Kaleb Holzier helped make the next score a possibility when he scooped up a loose Patriot fumble to set the Cyclones up in good field position at the Patriot 22-yard line. Freshman Eli Blevins made the crunching hit that forced the football free.
The Cyclones cashed in with six seconds left to play in the half when freshman quarterback Gib Maupin found sophomore Josh Sweeney for a 20-yard scoring pass making it 28-0 at the half on Smithdeal’s PAT.
Elizabethton came straight out of the gates in the third quarter and tacked another score on the board thanks to Maupin’s arm as he found a wide open Cam Baker open along the Cyclone sideline and Baker outran the East secondary on a 51-yard scoring reception.
A bad snap kept the Cyclones from adding on more on the PAT and the scoreboard read 34-0 with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The Patriots finally broke the goose egg on their side of the board when quarterback Drake Fisher found his big receiver Manny Milhorn on a 22-yard scoring toss.
East added the two-point conversion when Fisher connected with Dawson Jones to make it a 34-8 score at the end of the third quarter.
Elizabethton quickly responded when Holzier scored on a 10-yard scamper making the score 41-8 on the PAT from Smithdeal.
The Patriots would add one more score when Fisher connected once again with Milhorn on a 14-yard scoring pass as Milhorn pushed and bullied his way to the end zone.
Mason Ball burst through the East line to thwart the two-point conversion to give the game it’s final score of 41-14.
“It was a nice bounce-back win,” said Cyclone head coach Brian Jenkins. “We took one on the chin last week but we got a lot of kids in and a lot of improvement from last week so that’s good.
“We have two young quarterbacks and it’s hard to get everyone reps but it was good to see Gib (Maupin) get in there and stay in the pocket and make some good throws under pressure.
“We played two good defensive games and we have a lot of young kids playing positions that normally they haven’t played.”
The win moves the Cyclone JV to 1-1 on the season as they prepare to host Dobyns-Bennett for their annual Labor Day showdown at 11 am on Monday at Citizens Bank Stadium.

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