Cherokees rush past Canes for region win
McMinn County’s ground attack was on point from the opening drive Friday night.
The Cherokees ran for 391 yards and six touchdowns in a 46-20 win at East Hamilton to open Region 4-5A play, and Jacob Sharp led the attack, gaining 141 yards on 10 carries, including two first-quarter touchdowns to set the tone early.
“We always try to come out as fast as we can and as physical as we can,” Sharp said, adding that scoring early “gave us a boost of confidence that helped carry us.”
McMinn County (2-2) used a variety of players in the running game to build its early lead. But on the fourth play from scrimmage, it was Sharp who broke free around the left side of the line and raced 67 yards for the opening score. After forcing a pair of East Hamilton punts, the Cherokees scored again in the opening period, with Sharp diving in from 2 yards to give the visitors a 13-0 lead with 1:59 remaining in the quarter.
A McMinn County fumble allowed East Hamilton (2-2) to get back into the game on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Trey Crawford to Ben Spangler that cut the deficit to 13-7 in the second quarter.
However, the visitors’ dominant ground game took over on the next series, a 10-play drive — including nine running plays — culminated with a 5-yard touchdown run by Taylon White.
Late in the half, East Hamilton’s offense put together an eight-play possession that went deep into McMinn County territory. But Vanzale Hinton fumbled after a short reception, and Hayden Smith picked up the loose ball and returned it 72 yards for a score and a 27-7 halftime lead for McMinn County.
In the second half, East Hamilton stuck to its passing game in an attempt to spread out the McMinn County defense. While Crawford had some success throwing the ball, he also threw 17 incompletions and was pressured multiple times.
“We kind of knew going in that the best chance for us was to try and spread them out,” Hurricanes coach Aaron Nance said. “They’ve got physical guys on their lines, and we just didn’t execute at times.”
In the second half, McMinn County scored on a 28-yard run by Jakaryn Dyer, a 50-yard run by Luke Sliger and a 2-yard dive by quarterback Brady Mullins. East Hamilton did put together an 11-play touchdown drive late in the game, with Crawford connecting with Hinton on a 5-yard pass for the points, and the Hurricanes scored again on a long play as time expired.
McMinn County coach Bo Cagle said his team needs to work on developing the passing game of Mullins as the season progresses, but he was happy with his team’s performance.
“We came out to run the ball and be physical tonight,” Cagle said. “That’s who we are. We try to be the most physical team on the field, and it worked out for us tonight. We did some good things tonight, but we still have some things to work on. But it’s a region win for us tonight.”
“We came out to run the ball and be physical tonight. That’s who we are. We try to be the most physical team on the field, and it worked out for us tonight. We did some good things tonight, but we still have some things to work on. But it’s a region win for us tonight.”
—MCMINN COUNTY COACH BO CAGLE