Mavs stand toe-to-toe with Bulldogs
ACHS does not go quietly into the night
Anderson County’s Cody Miller tracks down Bearden’s Jayzon Thompson last Friday night during the Mavs’ non-region game aganist the 6-A power. (photo:Ricky Williams )
But head Coach Davey Gillum said he sees better things ahead for the Mavericks.
“We grew up tonight and things are headed in the right direction,” Gillum said after the Mavericks came up on the short end of a 45-27 decision Friday night against Bearden at Bill Young Field in Knoxville.
“We didn’t have the penalties that we had in our first two games.” he said. “We really played pretty well.”
Anderson County got off to a fast start against the Bulldogs (1-2), opening a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Mavericks (0-3), who have enjoyed leads in all games this season, scored on their second possession as Wayland LaRue rushed for an 8-yard touchdown that culminated an 11-play drive with 2 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the period.
Quarterback Zae Hall also threw a long touchdown pass later in the frame, making the score 14-0.
But ACHS’s advantage turned out to be short-lived as the Bulldogs, took out two weeks of frustration with 35 straight points. Bearden played its third defending state champion in as many weeks. It lost to Knoxville West (Class 5A) and Alcoa (Class 3A) by a total of eight points, losing late leads against both the Rebels and Tornadoes.
Bulldogs sophomore running back Jayzon Thompson had three touchdown runs, and senior and Purdue commitment Jaheim Merriweather also came up with a rushing touchdown. And when the dust had settled, the Bulldogs had a 28-14 lead by halftime.
But it didn’t stop there. Bearden’s Tory Beaufort opened the third quarter with a dazzling 94-yard kickoff return to extend the Bulldogs’ advantage to 35-14.
After Hall threw his second scoring strike, Bearden’s Daniel Kinney kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 38-21.
ACHS scored one more touchdown in the final frame.
The Mavericks had plenty of big offensive performances.
Hall, a transfer from Jefferson County, was 32-for-50 through the air. He amassed 340 yards and had three touchdown passes.
Xavian James was Anderson County’s top receiver as he hauled in 15 passes and totaled 173 yards and two touchdowns. Trent Strickland had nine catches for 105 yards and was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass.
LaRue led the ground attack as he amassed 80 yards and a score on 20 carries.
But all that wasn’t enough to overcome the depth of what Gillum called the best team in the state.
With two late losses to a pair of defending state champions, the Bulldogs could certainly stake their claim as the best 0-2 team in Tennessee, coming into the showdown with Anderson County.
But Gillum gave Bearden even higher praise.
“I’ll go further than that,” he said. “They’re the best team in the state.
“They pushed West around and they pushed Alcoa around and those teams had late miracles to beat them.
“They’re so big on the offensive and defensive line and they have so much depth, and they can roll so many receivers out there,” Gillum said. “They really wore us down. That’s the negative about playing these bigger schools. We don’t have the depth that they do.”
Injuries also piled up on ACHS as the Mavericks lost a pair of starters in the secondary.
“We lost both of our starting safeties in the first quarter, and those guys play on offense, too,” Gillum said. “But I’m really proud of the way some of our younger kids stepped up.”
Next up for Anderson County: The Mavs open Region 2-4A play Friday as they travel to North Knoxville to face Fulton at Bob Black Field.
The Falcons, coached by Jeff McMillan, are also 0-3 as they’ve dropped games to Knox Central, Campbell County and Knoxville Halls.