Time to turn the ship upright… Cloudland looking to get back on course Friday at Jellico

Published 10:13 am Tuesday, October 11, 2022

STAR CORRESPONDENT

Although the Cloudland Highlanders have control of Region 1 1-A with a 2-0 record, there is a sense of urgency on Roan Mountain that the Highlanders need to get back on track as the season starts its sharp descent toward the end of the regular season and playoffs coming up right around the corner.

After taking two losses against West Greene (42-0) and Unicoi Co. (49-8), the Highlanders will board the bus for a trip down I-81 and up I-75 to Jellico Friday night in a Region 1-A conference showdown with the Blue Devils.

Cloudland easily handled Jellico last year winning 42-7 but right now, it doesn’t matter the point spread or the score; the Highlanders are as hungry for a win as the visitors are for Highlander Barbecue.

Even though there has been quite a bit of adversity to deal with this season compared to last, head coach Zac Benfield is not going to bellyache about the issues and is focused on one thing and that is getting his team back in the win column.

“It’s a conference game and I think it’s a good opportunity for our kids to be able to put everything aside that has happened to us and move forward in a positive manner and to understand that bad things have happened and we can’t deal with those things but we have to deal with the things we can control as best as we can,” Benfield said. “I think if we do that, we can have a big turnaround this Friday.

“We have dealt with some adversity. We don’t just need to turn it around – we have to turn it around. We are looking to turn the tide this Friday. The kids have done great with it. Gage McKinney, Jaden Clark , and Cordell have done a great job of being leaders on the team and coming in every day and going as hard as they can. It’s a testament to their character how they have been coming in and have been grinding every day.”

Asked what would be the key to a win on the road Friday night at Jellico, Benfield said that his team would have to play for all four quarters of football.

“We have to play physical for four quarters and just not one quarter or one half. Hopefully, once we can do that by playing all four quarters, it will build toward the future with Johnson County and North Greene,” said Benfield.

Kickoff for the contest is 7:30 p.m.