Patriots Overcome 15 Point Deficit to Defeat Sevier County 32-21
Jefferson County Scores 32 Unanswered Points Against Smoky Bears
The Jefferson County Patriots traveled to Sevierville to face the Sevier County Smoky Bears to kick off the 2018 season Friday night.
It took the Patriots a while to gain their bearings and get the gears going for their first game. A messy first quarter riddled with penalties allowed the Smoky Bears to get off to a strong, solid start. Within the first four and a half minutes, Sevier County had already found their way in to the endzone, quickly adding six to the board. The extra point was good, and the tone was set for the rest of the first quarter. A short three minutes later, during the first drive for the Patriots, Sevier County’s Carlos Perez nabbed the ball and ran it back for another Smoky Bears Touchdown. The first quarter ended with the Patriots trailing the Smoky Bears 14-0, with Sevier County poised to score again.
The second quarter started out as a struggle for Jefferson County. In the opening seconds, Sevier County successfully made good on the score that they had set up in the closing of the first. With the Patriots down 21-0, the outlook was looking bleak for Jefferson County, but the tides were about to change. The Patriot defense began to patch up the gaps, and continued building the cage that would prevent the Smoky Bears from wreaking havoc on the field. To close out the half, a breeze of wind came in to Jefferson County’s sails in the form of Kris Hawkins, after a successful drive set him up to put the Patriots on the board for the first time for the evening. After an unsuccessful extra point, the game went in to halftime with the Patriots still trailing 21-6, and Sevier County unaware of the storm that was brewing in the horizion.
In the opening seconds of the third quarter, in the first drive of the half, quarterback Tanner Atkins threw a bullet to Darius Allen, who drove the ball right in to the endzone. The Patriots were closing in on the Bears, with a score of 21-12 early in the third. The penalties were still trying to put a damper on the progress of the Patriots offense, but Jefferson County’s defense were putting a damper on Sevier County’s Progress. The Defense forced a turnover midway through the third, and ran it all the way to the endzone. Somehow, though, the officials decided that even though the interception was valid, the touchdown was not, despite the vocal displeasure of the Jefferson County faithful. Not all hope was lost, though, as this was a set up for Kris Hawkins to introduce himself to the purple endzone once again. The good extra point helped the Patriots close in on the Smoky Bears 21-19 to round off the third quarter.
Plagued by cramps, the Sevier County Smoky Bears made it obvious that they had absolutely no steam left in their engines on either side of the ball. Sevier County’s defense did force a couple fourth down turnovers, but fortunately for the Patriots, the Smoky Bears offense was unable to hit paydirt. About midway through the fourth, junior Gage Bolin grabs a sweet handoff from Atkins and runs it in 15 yards for another Patriot touchdown. With the score, Patriots take the lead 25-19. Sevier County just could not progress on the next possession, and the Patriot defense forced another turnover. With this setup, late in the fourth quarter, Kris Hawkins drove over 50 yards outrunning a battered Sevier County Defense. The final nail in the Smoky Bears Coffin, the score pulled the Patriots ahead for a final score of 32-21.
The Jefferson County Patriots are now gearing up to travel to Morristown to face off against the Morristown East Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are coming off a 28-23 loss dealt by the Morristown West Trojans. The last time the two met, it was in Dumplin Valley, and the Patriots defeated the Hurricanes 26-6. Kickoff is 7:30 at Morristown East High School.
