Patriots Swat the Hornets, 35-7

Staff Photo by Angie Stanley

The Jefferson County Patriots invaded Carter High School Friday night, in a big way. It wouldn’t take long for Jefferson County, still feeling the 23-0 loss against Bearden the week before, to take their frustration out against the Hornets.

Topping off the first drive of the game, Clay Woods dove into the endzone after breaking loose the play before, grabbing the first points of the game. Within the first two minutes of play, the Patriots took off and didn’t look back. Early in the second quarter, Patriot runningback, Kris Hawkins, broke away, which allowed Woods to make it into the endzone once again.

The Carter Hornet offense could not get past the more experienced Patriot defense, who also had a bit more size. The Hornets turned over possession five times, with interceptions from Patriot defenders Issac Workman, Jaylon Haney, and Elijah Dial. Dial gained a 45 yard touchdown with one of his efforts, adding fuel to the Patriots’ fire. The Patriots got the ball back, and quarterback Nathan Seal broke out a 35 yard pass to Campbell, which set up yet another Patriot Touchdown. The first half ended with the Patriots up 28-0.

After the halftime break, the Carter defense tightened slightly, forcing a couple of turnovers against the Patriots, but the efforts were too little too late. The Carter offense just could not recover from the first half swatting, and the Hornets lost their sting.

Staff Photo by Angie Stanley

In the second half of play, the Patriots made it to the endzone one more time to seal the deal. Early in the third quarter, Seal passed over 70 yards to Blake Taylor. With the good extra point the Patriots extended their lead to 35-0. The Carter Hornets avoided the shut-out on their home turf in the final minutes of the game, with a touchdown pass with 1:15 left in the game.

Clay Woods took the opportunity to add over 110 yards to his total for the year. The night also saw a strong performance from Kris Hawkins, who had over 75 yards. On the defensive end, the Patriot defense blocked the Carter offense to the tune of just under 300 yards.

The Patriots are preparing for one of their toughest battles as they gear up to host the Farragut Admirals. The #2 Admirals will be traveling to Dumplin Valley, with the kickoff set for 7:30. This will be the first time the two have met in regular season play since the 2007 season, which ended with Farragut defeating the Patriots 44-13.