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Maroon Devil Josh Collins runs with the ball at the home football game on homecoming night, pursued by several opposing Wildcats.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Smoky Mountain High Maroon Devils football team bested the Andrews Wildcats in a 20-0 game on Friday, Sept. 29, that saw both teams deadlocked with strong defenses up for much of the game.
The game saw the teams making attempts to move the ball across the field, but quickly thwarted by the opposing team’s defense.
Then when the Wildcats got the ball the Devils responded in kind, with agile-footed tackles that set things back to zero almost immediately. The first quarter passed with much of the action being stifled with quickness by both teams’ robust defenses.
With around five minutes left in the first quarter, quarterback Reece Winchester passed the ball to Keyanthae Graham, who carried it across the field as he was flanked by the Wildcats on his tail the whole time, but he got it to the end zone and scored a complete touchdown. That gave the Devils six points, and a kick by Brendan Lanning gave them one extra point, bringing the score to 7-0.
The second quarter saw the players battling it out across the field. With 4:29 left in the quarter, Josh Collins carried the ball seven yards and scored. A kick by Lanning served to bring the score to 14-0 in favor of the Devils.
As it was homecoming night, the halftime was devoted to the crowning of the Homecoming Queen, which went to senior Riley Cabe. Junior Isabella Walker was selected as the Maid of Honor.
The stalemate then continued for the third quarter, with the players swarming around each other and trying in vain to get the ball past their opponents’ defenses. Anticipation built on the field as the players tried to execute plays. Any time a player got a hold of the ball, the opposing team’s defense was on them like magnets had pulled them.
Graham attempted to run with the ball a few times but was stopped, at one point in the third quarter with Wildcats pulling on his jersey as they all went down in a tangled tackle.
During the fourth quarter, the game continued as it had for much of the other quarters, with players engaging in harsh scuffles and neither letting the other get the ball more than an inch if they could help it. When a player got to run long with the ball, the stadium erupted in cheers.
With around 3:30 left on the clock, the players butted helmets close to the goal line, a bruising hard-won struggle that resulted in Collins carrying the ball just one yard over the line to score, bringing their score up to 20-0.
With another win under their belt, Swain residents filed out onto the road. Fontana Road was even more packed with parked cars than usual with it being homecoming night.
Coach Sherman Holt said the kids “played hard” and praised the coaching of the Wildcats as well.
“Our kids just locked in,” Holt said. “We told ‘em we had to strain, we played with relentless effort. We got a shut out, that’s always good. Offensively, we did a lot of stuff. We had a lot of different packages, we just played with poise.”
He especially praised Winchester, who he said did “a good job tonight just managing the game.”
“This was probably his best night all year throwing the ball,” Holt said. “And got some drops, got to clean up, he was on the money tonight. He’s a smart football player. He can get us out of a bad call if we got one. Those guys blocked their butts off all year. Our backs have rushed a lot of yards because of the guys up front.”
The Devils got 17 first downs and ran a total of 33 rushes for 174 yards total. They had 161 total passing yards. They had 58 total offense plays and 335 yards total for those.
Collins rushed 16 times and ran 99 yards total, while James Stroman did it 13 times, running 67 yards.
Winchester completed nine passes and attempted 24, while Grantham took four receives running 79 yards total.
The Devils will face the Hayesville Yellow Jackets this week, Friday, Oct. 6, in an away game.