Cyclone second-half surge topples Patriots
Published 12:38 pm Friday, April 18, 2025
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Sullivan East goalkeeper Will Phillips (0) makes a leaping save on the Cyclones’ Thomas Lambert’s (4) corner kick as time expires in the first half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Cyclones’ Thomas Lambert (4) quickly sidesteps a charging Sullivan East defender, Aiden Clontz (13), to charge the goal late in the first half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Cyclones’ Jackson Miller (12) redirects a pass toward Sullivan East’s goal midway through the first half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Reece Vernon (10) looks to pass the ball on a Cyclone fast break early in the second half against the Patriots of Sullivan East.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Cyclones’ Jackson Miller (12) drives a shot on goal from about 20 yards out early in the second half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Cyclones’ Porter Dillow (7) fires a centering pass into the goal box under East’s leaping Maxx Horne (22) early in the second half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent A header by the Cyclones’ Conner Blevins (9), off a pass from Porter Dillow (7), splits East’s Connor Burnett (24) and Jose Valencia (8) and finds the back of the net to give Elizabethton a 2-0 lead at the 33-minute mark of the second half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent The Cyclones’ Drake Teague (17) rifles a shot from 15 yards away that is knocked away at the last second by East goalkeeper Will Phillips (0) midway through the second half.
Larry N. Souders/Star Correspondent Porter Dillow (7) delivers on a penalty kick to give the Cyclones a 3-0 lead halfway through the second half.
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Star Correspondent
On Senior Night at Citizens Bank Stadium, the Elizabethton Cyclones’ lone senior stepped up in a big way to help the team to a conference win. Senior Porter Dillow scored a goal and had an assist on another as EHS (5-5-2 overall, 2-2-1 conference) took a 5-1 win over Sullivan East.
Connor Blevins got the Cyclones on the scoreboard with a goal in the 19th minute with an assist from Drake Teague for a 1-nil lead. That lead stood through the remainder of the first half as Sullivan East showed toughness and played solid defense.
“The first half we were not competitive, we were more relaxed,” Dillow said. “The second half we wanted to rack up the score and we played a lot better. We had crisper passes and we know that to get a home game in the district we have to win out. We have our last three games on the road and if we get to the last game against Crockett, we have to win to get second place.”
The Cyclones’ second-half surge came with Blevins scoring his second goal of the game with an assist from Dillow. From there, the Cyclones dominated possession and in the 55th minute, Dillow scored on a penalty kick for a 3-nil EHS advantage.
“The second half we drove to the goal and started playing simple playoff soccer,” Cyclones head coach Doug Schulz said. “The PK was big and I was happy that we responded in the second half.”
The Cyclone barrage continued in the 56th minute when Reece Vernon scored on a takeaway in the Patriots’ penalty area. Teague fired a shot at East goalkeeper Will Phillips that the Patriots’ back line failed to clear, and Vernon capitalized on the miscue for a 4-0 Cyclones lead.
Sullivan East then began to show signs of stress when Kingston Stewart was hit with a yellow card — the second such of the game for the Patriots — and head coach Michael Husbands was also flagged for arguing with the referee.
In the 63rd minute, Teague broke through with a left-footed blast that made it a five-goal Cyclone lead. Substitutes were then brought in for the final seven minutes, and that’s when Blake Paduch was able to break through the Cyclones’ back line and score in the 73rd minute to break the shutout.
“I was happy with how we responded in the second half,” Schulz said. “It’s our first home win of the season, which is really weird to say. We made our passes in the second half and made them correctly.”
EHS 5, Sullivan East 1
Sullivan East 0 1 — 1
EHS 1 4 — 5
Scoring Summary
First Half
E – Blevins (assist Teague), 19:00
Second Half
E – Blevins (assist Dillow), 49:00
E – Dillow (penalty kick), 55:00
E – Vernon (unassisted), 56:00
E – Teague (unassisted), 65:00
SE – Paduch (unassisted), 73:00
