Coalfield vs Cloudland Quarterfinal Playoff Game Preview
By Greg Addington
Coach Benson Napier’s Yellow Jackets have reached the quarterfinal round for the 17th time in school history and for the 10thtime in the last 12 years and face another long-time playoff rival in the Cloudland Highlanders. Friday’s quarterfinal round showdown will be the 18th meeting between the two schools with Coalfield holding a 13-4 advantage. Coalfield and Cloudland played often in the playoffs in the last decade and in the 90s when both schools were placed in the same district/region. However, it is surprising that the two schools haven’t crossed paths since the 2018 second round thriller played at Happy Valley High School due to unplayable field conditions at John Orr Field.
Last week, Coalfield defeated Midway 41-6 on Rochelle Field. Cole Hines threw for three first half touchdowns, spreading them among Landon Lowe, Eli Roberts and Landon Galyon and ended the night with 211 yards on 9-of-13 passing. Lowe led the way on the ground with 46 yards rushing on seven carries and a touchdown and Coalton Henry chipped in a rushing touchdown for the Jackets. Coach Matt Jones’ defense continues to add to the point totals on the scoreboard with Landon Galyon returning an Emmett Hegland pass 68 yards for a touchdown. Coalton Henry led the way defensively with 9 tackles and a superb diving interception and Eli Roberts also picked off a Hegland pass.
Cloudland cruised through Oakdale in their second-round game last week, defeating the Eagles 60-16 on John Orr Field. It is a typical Cloudland team that awaits the Yellow Jackets on Friday. Class A Mr. Football Semifinalist Seth Birchfield ran for 233 yards and scored six touchdowns for first-year coach Zac Benfield. Birchfield has run for 2,162 yards and scored 36 touchdowns on the year.
Cloudland isn’t fancy, they aren’t flashy and there’s absolutely nothing deceptive about what they want to do. They want to line up and run the ball down teams’ throats and Coalfield’s run defense will face the most capable rushing offense they’ve seen this year. Birchfield runs hard and is quick to reach the line of scrimmage and is certainly the focal point of the Highlander offense. He has already run for ten touchdowns in the postseason and for 472 yards in just their first two playoff games. Running the ball and stopping the run has been Cloudland’s forte for many years and this team is geared no different.
Coalfield faces Cloudland on Friday night at John Orr Field in Roan Mountain. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm and the advance weather reports suggest that Jacket fans dress warmly for the night. Advance tickets are on sale now using the GoFan app and at the TSSAA website (LINK – https://gofan.co/app/events/458082).