Round 2: A second shot at the Cyclones Friday
Anderson County’s Gavin Noe not only runs over defenders, he literally dances around them as well. The junior back was a big cog in the Maverick offense and defense that shut out the Seymour Eagles in the second half of Friday night’s first-round TSSAA playoff game. The Mavericks will host a familiar opponent Friday night when Elizabethton comes calling for round two of the playoffs. (photo:Ken Leinart )
That’s a tall order and one that is not lost on Mavs Coach Davey Gillum.
“They’re good,” he said. “They’re not weak anywhere.”
Anderson County lost at Elizabethton 27-7 on Sept. 24.
“Physically, they didn’t overwhelm us last time. We have to play really well on defense and take care of the ball on offense. If we play clean, we’ll have a chance to win. It’s going to take a pretty clean game all the way around,” Gillum said.
The Fighting Cyclones boast an impressive resume. Not only are they back-to-back state champions, they finished this season 9-1 overall (4-1 in Region 1 4A). Their only loss was to eventual region champion and traditional power Greeneville, who beat Elizabethton 42-12 on Sept. 3 this season.
Offensively, senior quarterback Bryson Rollins leads the way for the Fighting Cyclones. He led the team with 1,187 yards passing for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Rollins also led his squad with 814 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Junior running back Cade Russell shares the load in the ground attack. He rushed for 754 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Junior running back Nate Stephens led Elizabethton with 643 all-purpose yards - rushing, receiving, and kick returns to account for five touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Jake Roberts had 715 yards receiving for 12 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Fighting Cyclones allowed an average of just 11.8 points per game - a statistic skewed by the 42-point outburst allowed against Greeneville.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.