Mavericks take care of business
Mavericks wide receiver Xavian James finished the night with seven catches for 111 yards, and a five-yard touchdown run. (photo:Ricky Williams )
The Mavericks completed the 2023 regular season Friday night with a dominant 56-16 Region 2-4A win over South-Doyle at home.
The game held no postseason implications as ACHS (6-4 overall, 5-0 in the region) had already clinched the league title. But that didn’t mean that it wasn’t important.
For one, it was Senior Night, and no one wants to lose on a night when a program honors an accomplished class of student-athletes, many of whom had a hand in the team going undefeated and winning the program’s first state championship last year.
And then, there’s the long region winning streak, and Anderson County, continued that as it used a big second half to dismantle the Cherokees (2-8, 1-4).
The Mavericks have won seven consecutive region titles. More impressively, however, the Mavericks, haven’t dropped a league game during that stint.
“This is the seventh year in a row that we haven’t lost a region game,” said senior running back and linebacker Nick Moog. “That’s important and that’s big for us.”
Moog, who was shaken up late against South-Doyle, said that he will be ready when the Mavericks open postseason play Friday night and continue their quest to win back-to-back state titles when they host Sullivan East (6-4) at 7 p.m.
“I’ll be ready to go and I’m just going to run everybody like I do,” said Moog, who rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries.
Moog was the brightest star but he also received plenty help from a supporting cast as quarterback Zae Hall posted another solid effort as he was 15-for-20 through the air, amassing 203 yards and tossing a pair of touchdown passes.
Xavian James had seven receptions for 111 yards. He also had a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Mavs’ defense, despite struggling early made some adjustments and made life miserable for Cherokees’ quarterback Maddox Cupp, intercepting him four times and creating a total of five turnovers.
Hall had scoring strikes to Evan Pyatt (9 yards) and Daylen Cole (27 yards) and the ACHS defense joined in the scoring parade when Trey Rowe picked off Cupp and returned the interception 33 yards for a TD, for ACHS, which led 28-10 at halftime before doubling their offensive output after the break.
Mavericks’ defensive lineman Gracen Bradshaw had an interception that coach Davey Gillum shifted the momentum for ACHS.
“That was a big turning point for us,” Gillum said of Bradshaw’s interception. “They were still within reach and they had some momentum.”