Week 6 Football Wrap-up

By Terry Futrell – September 24, 2018

Week 6 of the 2018 season provided some exciting action for area football fans.

Coalfield Loses Tough One to 2A Marion County

Coalfield continued to test its mettle against non-conference teams in higher TSSAA classifications. This week, Coalfield traveled to Jasper to take on the 2A Marion County Warriors. While the Warriors were 1-3 coming into the Coalfield matchup, they were 1-1 at home, losing only to 3-2 Sequatchie County. While the Yellow Jackets put forth a valiant effort, 11 penalties for 101 yards and two turnovers helped Marion County pull out the victory 26-16.

Neither Coalfield nor Marion County could move the ball on their first possession. On their second drive, the Yellow Jackets quickly moved downfield and scored with Jonathon Woodward gaining 47 yards on three carries. Marion County countered with a TD and Coalfield followed with a field goal, leading 10-6. Marion County scored again with only 24 seconds left in the half and took a 12-10 lead into intermission. Marion County scored once in the third quarter, and Coalfield responded with a TD on their first drive in the fourth quarter, but lost quarterback Lance Byrd to an injury in the drive. Marion County responded on their next drive, and with the 2-point conversion ran the score to 26-16, which is how the game ended.

Marion County was led by senior quarterback Isaiah Sampson, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 94 yards and rushed 23 times for 194 yards, including one carry for 44 yards. Marion County’s Aiden Jolly, Josh Phillips, and Manny Burkes combined for 28 tackles.

For Coalfield, Jonathon Woodward was the offensive workhorse with 10 carries for 126 yards. Defensively, Woodward led with 11 tackles, Anthony Foster had 10 tackles, Daniel Scharr had 9 tackles, and Seth Lowe had 8 tackles.

The Yellow Jackets remain 8th in the AP poll after the loss, but are joined by Region 2 competitor Midway, who is tied with Coalfield for 8th place. That will most certainly change when Midway travels to face the Yellow Jackets on Rochelle Field this Friday.

Scoring Summary:

Sunbright Tigers Fall To 2A Wartburg

Things started out rosy for the Sunbright Tigers against the visiting Wartburg Bulldogs, but the Tigers were quickly overwhelmed by the Bulldogs stubborn defense and big-play offense. When the dust settled, Wartburg celebrated with a 58-14 victory over the winless Tigers.

On their opening drive, Sunbright ran through the Wartburg defense at will. John Wayne Freels, Jonathan Hammock, and Ethan Hammock rushed for 59 yards in eight plays, scoring with less than three minutes elapsed in the game. The Bulldogs quickly responded as Saylor Jones returned the kickoff 50 yards, then he and Josh Moore combined rushes for a Bulldog score in barely over a minute. The Bulldogs made the PAT and led 7-6.

After several short drives in the first half, Sunbright scored again with a 30-yard pass for a touchdown from Freels to Ethan Hammock, cutting Wartburg’s lead to 36-14 after the 2-point conversion was successful.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were pulling more big plays out of their hat, including a 71-yard touchdown run by Josh Moore and a 24-yard pass from Moore to Colby Justes for a touchdown. The Bulldogs led at the half by 44-14.

The Bulldog defense then shut down the Tiger offense, and Wartburg scored twice more, cruising to the 58-14 victory.

Wartburg quarterback Josh Moore led the Bulldog attack, rushing 12 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 10 of 16 passes for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns.

For Sunbright, John Wayne Freels rushed eight times for 65 yards and completed four of 10 passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Sunbright plays at Oakdale next Friday, while Wartburg hosts Cumberland Gap. The improving Wartburg Bulldogs have already equalled their win total for the 2017 season with five games remaining on their schedule.

Scoring Summary:

Other Area Games of Interest

The Oliver Springs Bobcats defeated Claiborne County 62-28 in a game that was stopped early by the referees when personal fouls got out of hand. The Bobcats remain a strong competitor for second place in the Region 2 playoff picture.

Midway defeated Tellico Plains 39-8 and vaulted into the AP top-ten, tied with Coalfield for 8th place in the State. Midway still has challenging games with Coalfield, Harriman, Greenback, and Oliver Springs on their schedule.

Harriman was defeated by arch-rival Class 2A Rockwood 13-7 and faces a tough Oliver Springs team at home next Friday.