Mavs finish sweep of Region 2A

ACHS will host Grainger Friday

November 6, 2019 by Ken Leinart

It was over by the second quarter.

Anderson County High School’s football Mavericks completed domination of Region 2-4A Friday night with a 55-13 win over the Sequoyah High School Chiefs.

Anderson County scored early and scored often against the young Chiefs, notching six touchdowns in the first quarter. Cam Thomas started the points parade with a 70-yard catch and run from quarterback Stone Hatmaker.

Twenty seconds had gone off the game clock.

Less than two minutes later, Austin Elliott hauled in a 33-yard strike from Hatmaker.

Thomas added another score — a 13-yard run — with 8:20 left in the first.

Big back T.J. Holmes had an easy night compared with his recent 100-plus-yard outings. Holmes rushed six times for 46 yards before getting an early rest. He scored Anderson County’s third touchdown of the night on a one-yard run with 4:35 left in the first.

Anderson County tacked on two more quick scores before the first quarter was over. Brandon Seidner put up six on a six-yard toss from Hatmaker with 11 ticks on the clock showing, then on Sequoyah’s following possession Anthony White got a pick six of 32 yards as time expired in the first.

Daniel Bethel nailed five of the six extra-point attempts in the first quarter.

Nick Reed and Mason Field each tallied a score in the second quarter on passes from Walker Martinez.

Reed’s score covered 32 yards and Field’s covered 82 yards on a nifty catch and run.

Bethel nailed both extra points.

The Chief put up a score in the second quarter as well. Justice Benson had a nice 39-yard score midway through the second to make it a 55-7 halftime score, with the extra point tacked on by Chief Nathan Roberts.

Benson added a 14-yard scoring run in the final frame and the subsequent two-point conversion failed for the final tally.

Anderson County didn’t score in the second half, but contented itself with running the ball and running out the clock.

The Mavs ran the ball 44 times for 236 net yards. The Mavs also owned the clock, keeping the pigskin for a little more than 34 minutes of the game.

Anderson County threw the ball seven times. Six of those attempts were completions. Five of those completions were touchdowns.

Martinez was three of four passing for 139 yards and two scores. Hatmaker was a perfect three of three with three scores.

Defensively Eli Braden, Thor Williams — six tackles each, Garrison Terry, and Austin Elliott — five tackles each, led the way in clamping down on the visitors.

Anderson County will host Grainger, the number four seed in Region 1-4A, this Friday, in the first round of the TSSAA Playoffs. Game time is 7 p.m.

Granger finished region play with a 3-3 worksheet, losing to Elizabethton, Greeneville and Sullivan South, the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in its region.