Mavericks keep rolling, win 56-17
The Anderson County Mavericks ran up one side and down the other of the Heritage Mountaineers during a 56-17 blowout win last Friday night.
Heritage took the opening possession but did not have the ball long as Anderson County linebacker Mason Phillips slammed into a ball carrier on second and 15, forcing a fumble that teammate Andrew Hatmaker recovered on the Mountaineers’ 39-yard line.
After Mavericks’ quarterback Stanton Martin competed a 15-yard pass to Michael Carroll, Gallahar picked up six yards on a run to get the ball to the Heritage 18-yard line. Carroll then took a handoff on an end around and raced into the end zone for the touchdown.
Clayton Utley kicked the extra point and Anderson County went up 7-0 with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mavericks defense then forced a quick three and out on the following possession and Anderson County took over on its 33-yard line. They moved the ball to midfield before having to punt it away themselves.
Once again the Mavericks defense locked down Heritage and forced a three and out, giving Anderson County the ball at the Mountaineers 42-yard line. Eight plays later, Gallahar plunged into the end zone from two yards out.
The Utley kick made it 14-0 with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter.
Heritage was again held to a three and out, giving the Mavericks the ball on their own 44-yard line after the punt.
Martin ran for eight and then for 19 more. He then threw a beautiful pass to Ryan Moog for a 29-yard touchdown.
Utley booted the PAT and the Mavericks led 21-0 with 54 seconds left in the first quarter.
Heritage opened the second quarter with a punt.
Anderson County then marched 74 yards in seven plays as Phillips ended the drive by slicing through the Mountaineers’ defense for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Utley added the extra point and the Mavericks’ lead swelled to 28-0 with 9:18 remaining in the half.
Just when it looked as though Heritage had no answer they found one when quarterback D.J. Copper completed a 74-yard touchdown pass to Kameron Johnson. The defender covering Johnson fell while the ball was in the air, enabling the receiver to race down the field untouched.
Morgan Buckley kicked the PAT and the Mavericks’ lead was trimmed to 28-7 with 8:37 remaining in the half.
Austin Dunsmore returned the following kick-off 39 yards to give Anderson County the ball on its own 42-yard line.
Heritage then picked up a turnover when Jackson Jett intercepted a pass that ricocheted off of a receiver.
The Mountaineers took over on the Anderson County 36-yard line.
From there they benefited from a personal foul on the Mavericks as well as a pass interference call on Anderson County. The drive stalled on the Mavericks’ seven-yard line and Heritage settled for a 24-yard Tim Shultz field goal.
With 5:59 left in the first half, Anderson County led 28-10.
Disaster struck the Mavericks on the first play of their next possession as they fumbled and the Mountaineers recovered the ball on the Anderson County 27-yard line.
The Mavericks’ Russell Lindsay sacked Cooper for a four-yard loss and Heritage was unable to get a drive going. Shultz attempted a 51-yard field goal but it fell well short.
Anderson County returned to the field with a vengeance as they went 80 yards in five plays. Martin found Moog from 23 yards out to cap the drive with a touchdown.
Utley added the extra point and the Mavericks pushed their lead to 35-10 with 3:14 left in the half.
After forcing the Mountaineers to punt on the ensuing possession, Anderson County took over on its own 25-yard line.
From there, Martin directed an impressive two-minute drill as he completed an eight-yard pass to Carroll and a nine-yard strike to Dalton Wilson. He then completed a 13-yard pass to Austin Elliott. Martin then followed with an 11-yard completion to Carroll.
On the final play of the drive, the Heritage pass rush flushed Martin from the pocket. He scrambled all the way across the field to his right near the sideline before reversing field and coming all the back near the left sideline before cutting up the inside of the field, running against the grain and through a baffled Mountaineers’ defense. After running roughly 50 yards behind the line of scrimmage, Martin scored on a 36-yard run.
Utley’s extra point gave the Mavericks a 42-10 halftime lead.
Anderson County opened the second half by turning the ball over on an interception but Heritage returned the favor when they fumbled and the Mavericks’ Cam Thomas recovered it at the Anderson County 27-yard line.
Just seven plays later, Martin spun out of an attempted tackle and launched a 31-yard touchdown pass to Gallahar.
Utley added the PAT and the Mavericks led 49-10 with 8:24 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Heritage possession — and the game being played under a continuous clock, the Anderson County defense once again forced a punt.
The Mavericks then went 76 yards in five plays as Wilson reeled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Martin.
Utley kicked the extra point and the Anderson County lead grew to 56-10 with 2:38 left in the quarter.
With the Mavericks substituting freely throughout the remainder of the game, the Mountaineers added a score late when Cooper threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Shultz.
Buckley added the PAT to make the final 56-17.
“With us, it’s about us. We’ve got some good kids. When we’re playing well and not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers, it’s really about well we’re executing,” said Davey Gillum, head coach of the Mavericks.
“Stanton [Martin] is a special kid and he made big plays. Our receivers made big plays and our running backs ran hard. This was the best test so far for our offensive line. It was a tough test but we got better as the night went on,” he said.
“The defense did what they have done all year and played lights out. Our defense played as good as you can play and Heritage is a good team and they are well coached. We’ve just got to keep our focused on getting better each week,” Gillum said.
The offensive numbers for Anderson County were impressive.
Martin finished 20-29 for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Phillips had 63 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Carroll had five receptions for 77 yards. He also rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown on two carries.
Wilson had five receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Moog had four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Gallahar finished with 80 all-purpose yards with a two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving,
Defensively, Andrew Hatmaker led Anderson County with seven total tackles, including one for a loss as well as a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Phillips had five total tackles and a forced fumble while Dunsmore and Moog each recorded four tackles.
The Mavericks move to 6-0 on the season (2-0 in Region 2-4A play) and will host region rival East Ridge (6-0) on Friday.
Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Game Stats
Heritage AC
First downs 11 24
Rushing yds. 106 229
Passing yds. 159 314
Comp/att/int 9-29-0 20-29-2
Total yds. 265 543
Turnovers 2 3
Penalties 5-36 7-61
Time of poss. 22:15 25:45
