Ground and pound: Mavs overpower Cherokees on Senior Night
Anderson County made its offensive game plan clear from the opening quarter Friday night: Run the football, control the line of scrimmage and dare South-Doyle to stop it.
The Cherokees had no answer.
The Mavericks pounded their way to 35 first-half points, then cruised to a 35-7 victory in a Region 2-4A showdown Friday, Oct. 23, at Anderson County High School on Senior Night.
The victory improved Anderson County’s record to 6-3 overall and 5-1 in region play. South-Doyle fell to 6-3 and 3-3.
Mavericks running backs Cayson Kurriger and Lane LaRue powered the ground attack, combining for 265 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Kurriger carried 20 times for 135 yards and a touchdown, while LaRue added 130 yards and two scores on 21 carries.
Backup quarterback Brayden Sharpe, starting in place of injured quarterback JD Gillum, also made his presence felt. Sharpe rushed nine times for 65 yards and a touchdown while tossing a 5-yard scoring pass to Riley Miller.
Kicker Eli Ledford was perfect on all five extra-point attempts.
“First of all, we were physical; we dominated the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball, and really in the first half with just going right at them,” Anderson County Coach Davey Gillum said.
“So at the end of the day, X’s and O’s out of it, if you’re consistently physical and aggressive, that team typically wins the game,” he added. “We’ve made a commitment to try and improve in that area the last few weeks. And the boys did a really good job of that.
“And then two, you know, we’ve struggled all year to not beat ourselves. So constantly trying to clean up our own mistakes, and it’s probably the cleanest game we’ve played by far. So those two things together were a big win for us.”
Sharpe, normally a starting wide receiver, stepped into the quarterback role and helped the Mavericks’ offense dominate on the ground.
“Brayden, he’s one of our starting wide receivers typically, but he played quarterback the whole night last night and did a really good job running the offense, had some really big runs, made some plays,” Gillum said.
“His ability to run allowed us to kind of even the box, adding the quarterback in the run scheme. ... He played a big role in how successful we were in the run game.
“So it’s a different look, but it was a very effective performance by him and the whole offense. And when he got the chance to throw, he did a really good job and had some good passes, too.”
Gillum credited the offensive line and supporting cast for helping the Mavericks impose their will on South-Doyle.
“I think at one point we had maybe 26 runs in a row, something like that; our O-line dominated, running backs ran well, receivers, H-backs blocked really well,” he said.
The Mavericks were equally impressive defensively, limiting the Cherokees to just seven points.
“They had an outstanding night. Only gave up 7 points the whole night,” Gillum said.
He praised Jack Davis, Landon “Bernie” Burnett, Zach Happney and Lyric Jackson for their performances.
“Zach Happney had a big pick. Lyric Jackson chased the quarterback around all night,” Gillum said. “Those guys really played well on that side of the ball.”
With another region victory secured, Anderson County now faces its biggest challenge of the regular season.
The Mavericks will travel to face top-ranked, unbeaten Alcoa, the defending Class 4A state champion, with an opportunity to earn a share of the Region 2-4A championship.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Tony Cox | The Courier News
Anderson County’s Cayson Kuriger fights for extra yardage as a South-Doyle defender wraps him up during Friday night’s matchup. Kuriger rushed for 135 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown to help lead the Mavericks to a 35-7 victory over the Cherokees on Oct. 23.