Bledsoe overcomes slow start to earn region title
Bledsoe County overcame a sluggish start Friday night, scoring its first touchdown late in the second quarter before adding two more in the third on the way to a 28-10 win over Polk County that secured the Region 3-2A championship. It’s the first region title for the fifth-ranked Warriors (8-0, 3-0) in a decade.
Dylan Robeck led the offense with 19 carries for 188 yards and three touchdowns — a 9- yard run late in the second quarter, a 4-yarder early in the third, followed by a 71-yard sprint late in the third.
Quarterback Harmon Keith completed nine of 13 passes for 101 yards for the Warriors, and Gunner Sweatt added 101 total yards and Hunter Clark had the final touchdown.
“You don’t ever want to apologize for how you win, but it was not our best outing,” Bledsoe coach Dewayne Tabor said. “We won the region, so our kids should feel good about that. We had a lot of young guys who played tonight for some injured kids, so I feel good about building some depth, and now we have an opportunity to get back to work and be ready for the playoffs.”
› Howard 14, Hixson 7: After the Wildcats (1-7, 1- 3) scored early to take the lead, Howard countered with two touchdowns and held on for the Region 2- 4A win which kept its playoff hopes alive.
De’Orion Elder had both scores for the Hustlin’ Tigers (5-3, 3-1) as well as a 2-point conversion as they won their third straight.
“The thing I’ve been most impressed with is how our young kids continue to fight,” Howard coach John Starr said. “We got behind early and had nine sophomores on offense who played really disciplined and answered.” › Meigs County 33,
Oneida 17: After the Indians scored on the game’s opening drive, the second-ranked Tigers gained control by halftime with three unanswered touchdowns and went on to earn their fourth straight Region 2-2A title. Will Meadows ran 24 times for 201 yards and three scores, and quarterback Logan Carroll added 98 rushing yards, two touchdowns and threw for another score.
› Signal Mountain 35, McMinn Central 7: The Eagles outgained the Chargers 270-53 in a dominant first half, jumping out to a 21- 0 lead. Braden Casner led Signal Mountain with 176 rushing yards on 33 carries, scoring three times, and Andrew Eichner added 141 yards on just 12 carries with a score as the Eagles finished with 430 total yards. McMinn was limited to just 172 total yards, led by Jace Derrick’s 84 yards on 17 carries.
› Father Ryan 31, McCallie 7: The Blue Tornado scored first, but it was all Father Ryan after that as the hosts took advantage of three turnovers and built a 21-7 lead by halftime. Father Ryan outgained second-ranked McCallie 321-190 in total yards for the Division II-AAA East Region win. B. J. Harris ran for 130 yards and a score for the Blue Tornado, and Aaron Crowder led the defense with nine tackles. › Bradley Central 38, William Blount 28:
A 17- point second quarter helped the Bears take charge early. After William Blount had closed within three points in the fourth quarter, Bradley answered with a late scoring run by quarterback Aiden McClary for the Region 2-6A win.
Javon Burke ran 31 times for 281 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears ( 6- 2, 3- 1), and McClary threw for 151 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score. Kannon Hall caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
› Sale Creek 46, Lookout Valley 7: The Panthers earned their fourth straight victory, jumping out to a 22-0 lead by halftime and continuing to pull away for the Region 3-1A win. Senior linemen Maddoux Beason and Race May helped pave the way for Sale Creek ( 4- 4, 2-1) to rush for more than 280 yards, led by fellow seniors Braden Penny and Will Roberts. Sophomore linebacker Nick Hall led the defense in tackles.
› South Pittsburg 76, Whitwell 0: Making his first start at quarterback for the Pirates, junior Richard Hunter ran for a touchdown and threw a 24-yard score to his twin brother Reginald. Senior Hunter Frame finished with 175 rushing yards and scored on all three of his carries, including a 63-yarder on the game’s first play as the Pirates outgained the Tigers 433-98 in total yards. Freshman Racash Kelly scored twice, Chris Jackson added 80 rushing yards and a score, while Keyshawn Hill and Kamden Wellington returned interceptions 52 and 58 yards for scores for Class 1A’s top- ranked Pirates (7-1, 2-0).
› Marion County 41, Tellico Plains 7: Taye Hutchins accounted for all four second-quarter scores that helped the Warriors build a commanding 28-0 halftime lead in the Region 3-2A win. Hutchins threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Alex Nunez, then added scoring runs of 24 and 64 yards and returned an interception 42 yards for a score. Hutchins finished with eight carries for 141 yards, and Rylee Rogers and Alex Condra each added 63 yards and a touchdown as the Warriors (5-1, 3-1) outgained Tellico Plains (4-4, 1-2) 322-133 in total yards.
› Grace Baptist Academy 41, Lakeway Christian Academy 14: Quarterback Cooper Knecht completed all nine of his passes for 166 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores as Grace won for the first time in eight games. Mason Long, Tyler Parrott and Caleb Adams also rushed for scores for the winners.
› Anderson County 53, Central 0: The Purple Pounders fell to 1-7 heading into next week’s region finale against Hixson.
› East Ridge 21, Sequoyah 20: The Pioneers improved to 5- 3 heading into next week’s game at Howard thanks to two touchdowns and a 2- point conversion run by Desmond Drake and a touchdown run by Cameron Sanders.
›Mary ville 56, Ooltewah 12: Losing on the road, the Owls fell to 3-5 on the season. Raymos McGee and Takota Jones each scored touchdowns for Ooltewah, which hosts Heritage next Friday.
› Other area scores: CAK 34, Boyd Buchanan 10; Knoxville Webb 42, Silverdale Baptist 24; Copper Basin 12, North Georgia Falcons 7; York Institute 43, Sequatchie County 14, Upperman 48, Grundy County 0.