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Star Correspondent

Something has got to give on Friday night at JC Campbell Stadium when winless Hampton (0-4, 0-1 conference) takes on fellow winless Cumberland Gap in a 1-2A conference match. Why these two teams are without a win seems to be an easy answer — they don’t score.

The Panthers (0-4, 0-1 conference) have scored a total of 36 points in four games — an average of nine points per game — while the Bulldogs have scored just 34 points in four games. That comes out to an average of 8.5 points per game.

Both teams have been shut out in one game, but Hampton has an ace in the hole in senior running back Dom Burleson, who has rushed for over 100 yards in two games. Burleson had 151 yards rushing in the Bulldogs’ opener at Pigeon Forge.

He rushed for 86 yards in a shutout loss to Pisgah (N.C.) but rebounded for 104 against Happy Valley.

“The morale here is still good,” Bulldogs head coach Michael Lunsford said. “The team is working hard to try and get better. We have to eliminate the mistakes we are making right now. Some of it is mental mistakes and some are physical. Sometimes all it takes is one play to turn a game around.”

That play last week was a blocked punt by Gabe McDougald of Happy Valley, who recovered the ball and scored the touchdown that gave the Warriors a lead they never relinquished. The ‘Dogs’ remaining schedule sees them home the next two weeks with games against 1A Cloudland and a conference game against Eagleton Academy.

Hampton then finishes with three road games against West Greene, Unaka, and South Greene, with the games against the Greeneville schools being conference games.

“We have to stay focused,” Lunsford said. “We can’t worry about what any other teams do. We have to take care of our own business. The only thing that matters is what we do.”