Coalfield Overwhelms Jellico in Playoffs

By Terry Futrell – November 2, 2018

It was cold, windy, and generally unpleasant weather, but for the Coalfield Yellow Jackets, it was a walk in the park as they totally decimated the Jellico Blue Devils 56-14 in Round 1 of the TSSAA playoffs. Perhaps it would be better to say a dash in the park – a 42-yard dash by Anthony Foster for a touchdown and a 42-yard punt return by Peyton McKinney to set up another touchdown, both in the first two minutes of the game. The Jackets quickly took a 14-0 lead over the Blue Devils, and the game was over at that point.

The score could have been as bad as Coach Keith Henry wanted to make it, which makes one wonder what kind of insanity rules the TSSAA when a team such as Jellico that has won only one game all season even makes it into the playoffs. The scattered fans who braved the inclement weather could only get whiplash from watching the Jackets run up and down the field and express their thankfulness when the mercy rule kicked in and the clock ran without stopping.

Jellico won the toss and deferred. Coalfield began their opening drive at their own 33-yard line. Anthony Foster ran for 25 yards to the Jellico 42. On the second play from scrimmage, Foster again ran the ball, this time 42 yards into the end zone. Wyatt Withrow kicked the extra point and the Jackets were up 7-0 less than 30 seconds into the game. The Blue Devils took the kickoff and went three-and-out, losing 11 yards on a bad snap. Peyton McKinney received the punt at the Jellico 43 and returned it 42 yards to the 1-yard line. Jonathon Woodward ran the ball into the end zone on the next play and a Withrow point after made the score 14-0. At this point, only 1:45 was elapsed in the game.

Jellico took the Coalfield kickoff and drove to the Coalfield 31-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Jellico drive was highlighted by a 16-yard pass completion. Coalfield took over at their own 31-yard line. The Jackets ran the ball six consecutive plays, moving to the Jellico 25-yard line. Foster rushed twice for 20 yards in the drive and Woodward had an 11-yard carry. McKinney then found Keigan White open in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was successful and the Jackets led 21-0.

Jellico then fumbled the Coalfield kickoff and Woodward recovered at the Jellico 35-yard line. McKinney connected with Jeffrey Speer for 27 yards, followed by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Vanwitzenburg. The PAT by Withrow was good and the Jackets led 28-0 with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Jellico again went three-and-out and Coalfield took over at the Jellico 46-yard line. The Jackets followed suit, losing on penalties back to their own 41-yard line. After a 7-yard completion to Seth Lowe, the Jackets punted from their own 48. Jellico took over at their own 14-yard line. After a short gain, Daniel Schaar intercepted a Blue Devil pass and the Jackets took over on the Jellico 16-yard line. After an 11-yard run by Foster, Luke Adkisson carried the ball five yards into the end zone. The PAT by Withrow was good and the Jackets led 35-0 after 15 minutes of play.

Once more Jellico went three-and-out and a bad punt gave Coalfield the ball at the Jellico 33-yard line. By this time, Coalfield reserves were seeing significant playing time. Jacob Bunch ran the ball out of the wildcat formation 33 yards for another Jacket touchdown. The PAT was good and Coalfield led 42-0 midway in the second quarter.

Jellico took the Coalfield kickoff at their own 35-yard line. After a short run, the Blue Devils had two incomplete passes, thanks to excellent defensive work by Dawson Nitzschke and Isaac Vanwitzenburg, who each tipped Jellico passes harmlessly to the ground. After a Jellico punt, the Jackets took over at the Jellico 45-yard line. Freshman Landon Lowe took over at quarterback for the Jackets, who went three-and-out and also had to punt.

Jellico was once again unable to move the ball and experienced another bad punt, giving the Jackets the ball at the Jellico 34-yard line. Lowe took the ball to the house on the very first play, rushing for a 34-yard touchdown. Withrow’s kick was good and the Jackets took a 50-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Jellico took the opening kickoff of the second half and began to drive until the Jackets’ defense smothered an end-around play for a 14-yard loss. Lowe received another bad Jellico punt at the Jellico 26-yard line and returned it for his second touchdown. The PAT was no good and Coalfield led 56-0 midway in the third quarter.

 

Jellico’s next drive was halted when Jacob Bunch intercepted a pass and Coalfield took over at their own 36-yard line. Canaan Bowling ran for 50 yards, only to have the run nullified by a holding call against the Jackets. The Jackets were unable to move the ball and fumbled, with Jellico recovering at the Coalfield 21-yard line. The Blue Devils quickly moved the ball and scored on a 9-yard pass. The conversion attempt failed and Coalfield led 56-6 with just over five minutes remaining. After receiving the kickoff, the Jackets were again unable to move the ball and punted. Jellico took over at the Coalfield 41-yard line. After a short 1-yard pass, the Blue Devils connected and scored on a 40-yard pass with just over a minute remaining. The conversion was good, cutting the Jackets lead to 56-14, which was the final score.

Coalfield’s offense was productive, especially in the first half. Peyton McKinney completed four of seven passes for 67 yards, two touchdowns, and one 2-point conversion. Ten Jackets carried the ball, chalking up 203 yards on 21 carries for five touchdowns. Anthony Foster was the leading Jacket ball carrier, gaining 98 yards on five attempts and rushing for one touchdown. The Jackets also had punt returns of 42 yards, 20 yards, and 26 yards, including one touchdown.

Much of the Jackets’ offensive success can be attributed to the Jackets’ defense, which limited Jellico to six yards rushing on 13 attempts. The Blue Devils also lost 53 yards as the result of four bad snaps. Jellico completed 12 of 26 passes for 110 yards with 2 interceptions.

With the Round 1 playoff victory, Coalfield makes the long trek to Roan Mountain next Friday where they will face Cloudland at 7 PM.