Middle School Football: Semifinals set for NGAC playoffs
The 2018 NGAC football playoffs are set after the regular season wrapped up this past week.
Heavy rains on Sept. 27 forced those games to be moved to last Monday, while this past Thursday’s contests were played as scheduled.
Heritage will host Rossville in one semifinal game this Thursday, while Lafayette will travel north to take on Gordon Lee in the other. The winners will meet on Oct. 18 for the championship.
The Generals beat Rossville, 20-14, back on Aug. 30, getting the winning score in the closing seconds. It will be the first meeting of the season between the Ramblers and Trojans.
Heritage 40, Lakeview 0
The Generals picked up the win on Monday behind two TD runs (62 and 32 yards) by Kaden Swope. The quarterback also hit Tyler Cheatwood on a 41-yard scoring strike.
Bryce Travillion had a 32-yard gain to set up a 41-yard touchdown run by Paxton Mccrary. J.D. Black would add a defensive special teams score for Heritage before he capped the scoring with a 53-yard TD run later in the game.
Heritage 39, Trion 0
An unbeaten regular season was polished off with a home shutout of the Bulldogs on Thursday.
Swope began the scoring with a 37-yard pass to Cheatwood and Mccrary added to the lead on a 56-yard endaround. Following a fumble recovery by Black at the Trion 37-yard line, the Generals drove in with Mccrary scoring on a 4-yard run.
The final two touchdowns came on a 24-yard Swope pass to Cheatwood, while Travillion scored on an 8-yard scamper to finish it off.
Gordon Lee 26, Rossville 18
The Trojans also finished an unbeaten run through the regular season with an overtime win at Rossville last Monday to clinch the NGAC West Division title.
The offensive line of Reece Eldridge, Noah Dockery, Nolan Dotson, Eli Shell, Braxton Turnipseed, Ethan Johnson and Logan Webb opened up holes for Nate Dunfee and Bo Rhudy. Dunfee had 13 carries for 55 yards and one TD run, while Rhudy rushed 12 times for 68 yards, two scores and a 2-point conversion in overtime. Kade Cowan had 32 yards in the air, including a 25-yard TD pass to Dunfee.
Gabe Lowe led the defensive effort with seven tackles. Rhudy and Conner Whitman had five tackles each, while Cowan, Robert Henson and Holt Roberts had four stops apiece.
Chattanooga Valley 20, Dade 18
The Eagles survived an overtime game against the visiting Wolverines last Monday.
After a scoreless first half, quarterback Dakota Stone found Judd Anderson on a 30-yard pass to set up a 60-yard TD toss from Stone to Calvin Gray. However, the Wolverines returned the ensuing kickoff for a score and later got a touchdown with 40 seconds left in regulation to go in front, 12-6.
But that would be plenty of time for the Eagles as Izaac Bryant connected with Austyn Acuff for a 60-yard scoring strike. However, a missed conversion would send the game to overtime.
Stone would score on the first play of overtime and added the conversion run. Dade would find the endzone on its third play in overtime, but the Eagles rose up as Parker Johnson, Hayden Landreth and Ian Byrd combined to stuff the Wolverines on the conversion and clinch the win.
Ringgold 34, Trion 0
In an East Division contest last Monday, Peyton Williams had three touchdowns and a conversion in the Tigers’ win. Ty Gilbert added a pair of scores and a conversion in the victory.
Lafayette 38, Ringgold 14
Dawson Pendergrass rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries, added 26 yards receiving and scored three total touchdowns as the Ramblers powered past the Tigers in the regular season finale this past Thursday to earn an NGAC playoff berth.
Pendergrass scored on runs of 6 and 14 yards and added a 26-yard TD catch from quarterback Zach Barrett as Lafayette opened up a 30-0 lead in the third quarter. Austin Tucker also got on the board on a 4-yard third-quarter run. Mason Russell would later score on a 14-yard run in the fourth.
The Tigers’ points came on a 58-yard TD catch by O’reilly Matthews and a 45-yard halfback pass from Christian Smith to Gilbert.
Lafayette’s offensive line of Ricky Jackson, Logan Stephens, Michael Hamilton, Collier Gable and Chase Hughes paved the way for 373 yards of offense for the Ramblers, 337 coming on the ground. Tucker (78 yards), Russell (63 yards), Barrett (52 yards) and Nick Adams (42) added to the Ramblers’ total on the ground.
Defensively, Russell had a teamhigh eight tackles, followed by Pendergrass with seven and Barrett with five. Sam Hall added a fumble recovery in the win.
Rossville 26, Chattanooga Valley 6
The Bulldogs won the season finale on Thursday with the final playoff berth from the West Division on the line. No further details were provided as of press time.
Saddle Ridge JV 14, Gordon Lee 8
The Mustangs junior varsity squad ended its season on a high note last Thursday afternoon.
A long second- quarter run by quarterback Dalton Griffin set up his own 1-yard sneak for six, while Landon Kennedy added the conversion run. The Trojans would tie things up in the third quarter and the game would eventually go to overtime, tied 8-8.
A 10-yard run by Kennedy put the Mustangs up six in overtime and the Saddle Ridge defense would keep the Trojans out of the endzone on the ensuing possession to clinch the victory.