Marshall – The Andrews varsity football team opened their season with a trip to Madison, losing 26-0.
It was deadlocked in the first half with neither team putting points on the board. In the first quarter, every possession ended with a turnover on downs as they remained tied at 0-0.
The turnovers on downs continued in the second quarter as they went to halftime tied at zero.
Madison (1-0) got on the board with a rushing touchdown in the third quarter, but Andrews (0-1) blocked the extra point to lead 6-0. Because Logan Shuler blocked the extra point, they kept it a six-point game for the time being.
Late in the third quarter, Madison recovered a fumble. After getting possession, they scored another rushing touchdown and made the extra point to lead 13-0.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats got a spark when they got an interception. They failed to get the first down, and Madison got the ball back.
Madison then rushed in another touchdown, but missed the extra point to lead 19-0 late in the game.
Just after the two-minute warning, Madison got a pick six. After making the extra point, Madison led 26-0. To end the game, Madison recovered an Andrews fumble and ran out the clock.
Wildcats quarterback Brady McLelland went 1/8 for six yards in the air and rushed for 97 yards on 16 carries. Kelby Waldroup had 10 carries for 55 yards.
LaDannien Rattler had four carries for 15 yards. Peanut Garrett had one six-yard carry. In the air, Shuler had one reception for six yards.
On defense, McLelland had an interception, while Shuler blocked an extra point.
Speaking on their game against Madison, Andrews head coach Jason Johnson said, “Overall, I was pleased with the effort. We made some mistakes, which ended up costing us. We made some alignment mistakes and things we have to correct. We turned the ball over, which ended some promising drives for us, which took some points off the board.”
Multiple players on both sides of the ball stood out to Johnson.
“Brady McLelland had close to 100 yards rushing. He did a good job scrambling around trying to make a way when sometimes there was nothing there,” he said.
“Also, Will Phillips. He did excellent on defense. He blocked well and played a great corner on defense. Also, Peanut Garrett. He did some things that he wasn’t used to doing. He did that and adjusted. I think he’s going to have a better game this week.”
Johnson also mentioned Shuler as a standout for his defense and the blocked extra point.
The Wildcats are facing Smoky Mountain on Friday night. To prepare for the game, the Wildcats will make adjustments based on their performance against Madison.
“We’re going to try and correct the mistakes we made. We’re going to try to work on those. It’s a process, and we have to get better,” Johnson said.
“We have to get better up front, we have to do a better job of tackling, we have to do a better job of getting lined up. Smoky Mountain is a big, physical football team, they’re going to come at us.”
The Wildcats will hit the road again Friday night as they head to Sylva to face Smoky Mountain. The Mustangs are coming off a 21-6 loss to Swain County.
Friday night’s game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m., as both teams look to bounce back from a loss.